Doug Kreeger News

Broadway to the Rescue goes back to its roots with THE BIG FAT BROADWAY SHOW at the El Portal Theatre. See who is starring and learn how to purchase tickets.

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the beloved holiday film's release, a truly outstanding all-star cast has been assembled for For The Record and The Wallis’ co-production of LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE, the multimedia concert celebration with performances scheduled from Wednesday, Nov. 22 - Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023, at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Check out photos here!

For The Record’s perennial holiday favorite Love Actually Live returned to The Wallis November 29, 2023. Commemorating the film’s 20th anniversary, Anderson Davis directs the cast of Tomasina Abate, Madison Taylor Baez, James Byous, Chris Cockrill, Audrey Cymone, Anthony Fedorov, Brayden Gleave, Grace Kinstler, Parissa Koo, Doug Kreeger, Austin Lesch, Ruby Lewis, Chris Mann, Jordan Ann Martone, Brian McKnight Jr., Darrell Morris Jr, Nina Nelson, Spencer Schaffe, Drew Seeley, Rex Smith, Alkaio Thiele and Cheyenne Isabel Wells. In the midst of previews, Ruby found some time to answer a few of my queries.

CROCODILE, INC. will present the world premiere reading of new musical THE GRASSHOPPER on Sat, Oct 7 at Pacific Resident Theatre in Venice.

Broadway to the Rescue's THE BIG FAT CHRISTMAS SHOW has announced the cast for this year's December 2nd, holiday fundraising extravaganza, at the El Portal Theatre! The list of Broadway performers this year include Carly Hughes, Jason Michael Snow, Clent Bowers, Rhett George, Greg Poland, Gabrielle Ruiz, Rena Strober, and more.

Casting has been announced for For The Record and The Wallis’ production of LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE, the multimedia concert celebration of the beloved holiday film from Universal Pictures/Working Title, with performances from Saturday, November 27 to Friday, December 31, 2021, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Broadway and television star Aaron Lazar (Fox’s Filthy Rich, Broadway’s The Last Ship, A Little Night Music, Les Misérables, and The Light in the Piazza) joins the exciting lineup of talented performers alongside singer/songwriter, musician, producer and engineer, Brian McKnight Jr., who comes from a legendary musically gifted family including famed father Brian McKnight. American Idol 4th place finalist on season 4, Anthony Fedorov, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist actor Michael Thomas Grant, and RCA recording artist Nina Nelson, member of girl group Citizen Queen (with over 30 million music video views), also join the cast for the first time. Rounding out the group of newcomers is Cheyenne Wells who starred in the recent production of Little Shop of Horrors at Pasadena Playhouse with MJ Rodriguez. 

Casting has been announced for For The Record and The Wallis' production of LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE, the multimedia concert celebration of the beloved holiday film from Universal Pictures/Working Title, with performances from Saturday, November 27 to Friday, December 31, 2021, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Broadway and television star Aaron Lazar (Fox's Filthy Rich, Broadway's The Last Ship, A Little Night Music, Les Misérables, and The Light in the Piazza) joins the exciting lineup of talented performers alongside singer/songwriter, musician, producer and engineer, Brian McKnight Jr., who comes from a legendary musically gifted family including famed father Brian McKnight. American Idol 4th place finalist on season 4, Anthony Fedorov, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist actor Michael Thomas Grant, and RCA recording artist Nina Nelson, member of girl group Citizen Queen (with over 30 million music video views), also join the cast for the first time. Rounding out the group of newcomers is Cheyenne Wells who starred in the recent production of Little Shop of Horrors at Pasadena Playhouse with MJ Rodriguez.

Casting has been announced for For The Record and The Wallis' production of LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE, the multimedia concert celebration of the beloved holiday film from Universal Pictures/Working Title, with performances from Saturday, November 27 to Friday, December 31, 2021, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

Casting has been announced for For The Record and The Wallis’ production of LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE, the multimedia concert celebration of the beloved holiday film from Universal Pictures/Working Title, with performances from Saturday, November 27 to Friday, December 31, 2021, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

Signature Theatre has released its 9th episode of Signature Strong Live, featuring John Dempsey, Dana Rowe, and more!

Rex Smith and Tomasina Abate recently teamed up for a cover of the Oscar-winning Best Original Song, Shallow, from the film A Star is Born.

Taking the film and its music to the next level, The Wallis and For The Record are presenting a holiday season encore of last year's LOVE, ACTUALLY LIVE world premiere in the Bram Stoker Theater at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills through December 29. The multimedia presentation, adapted and directed by Anderson Davis with musical supervision by Jesse Vargas, turns the theater into a giant, immersive, cinema in a three-dimensional world where the film and live action seamlessly intertwine throughout the London setting. Each scene is a festival of excellent characterizations, extraordinary lighting effects and costumes, brilliant and fast-paced direction and choreography, and the joy of great music that perfectly expresses the mood and themes of the movie and jukebox musical LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE. No doubt this suburb holiday musical will be making its return to The Wallis each December!

Casting has been announced for The Wallis and For The Record's production of LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE, the multimedia concert celebration of one of the most beloved holiday films of all time and the biggest, record-breaking hit in The Wallis' history, which is back by popular demand, now as a not-to-be-missed Los Angeles tradition with performances beginning the day before Thanksgiving (November 27) and running through the weekend following Christmas (December 29). Returning from the 2018 production are Rex Smith (RIAA Gold® recording artist), Carrie Manolakos (Broadway's Mamma Mia!, Wicked), Doug Kreeger (Broadway's Les Misérables), Tomasina Abate (For The Record's Scorsese: American Crime Requiem, Tarantino), Carson Higgins (international tour of Green Day's American Idiot) and the multi-dimensional Emily Lopez. New this year to the lineup of outstanding performers are Rogelio Douglas Jr. (In the Heights and The Little Mermaid on Broadway), Declan Bennett (Once, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Taboo in the West End, American Idiot and Rent on Broadway), Jon Robert Hall (Fox's Grease: Live, “Glee”), Chris Mann (NBC's “The Voice,” The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary Tour), James Byous (Scorsese: American Crime Requiem, Netflix's 'Westside'), Ruby Lewis (Cirque du Soleil's Paramour, Lights Out: Nat 'King' Cole), singer/songwriter/actress Aubrie Sellers (one of Rolling Stone's best country albums of the year), Gabriela Francesca Carrillo (American Mariachi, Netflix's Homecoming), Levi Smith (A Bronx Tale: The Musical, It's a Wonderful Life, Mary Poppins and The Music Man on Broadway), young singer/actress Nayah Damasen, John Battagliese and accomplished violinist Molly Rogers. 

The Wallis and For The Record present LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE, the multimedia concert celebration of one of the most beloved holiday films of all time and the biggest, record-breaking hit in The Wallis' history, which is back by popular demand, now as a not-to-be-missed Los Angeles tradition with performances beginning the day before Thanksgiving (November 27) and running through the weekend following Christmas (December 29).

The Wallis and For The Record present LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE, the multimedia concert celebration of one of the most beloved holiday films of all time and the biggest, record-breaking hit in The Wallis' history, which is back by popular demand, now as a not-to-be-missed Los Angeles tradition with performances beginning the day before Thanksgiving (November 27) and running through the weekend following Christmas (December 29).

After a most successful run last December, For The Record's LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE encores at The Wallis beginning November 27, 2019. FTR pairs the actual screening of the 2003 perennial holiday hit film Love Actually with live singers and a 15-piece orchestra on stage complementing the movie's soundtrack. I got the chance to grab a few minutes and some behind-the-scenes with the prolific, ever busy, For The Record Live executive producer Shane Scheel.

Casting has been announced for The Wallis and For The Record's production of LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE, the multimedia concert celebration of one of the most beloved holiday films of all time and the biggest, record-breaking hit in The Wallis' history, which is back by popular demand, now as a not-to-be-missed Los Angeles tradition with performances beginning the day before Thanksgiving (November 27) and running through the weekend following Christmas (December 29).

The award-winning "For The Record" series returns to Los Angeles with For the Record: The Brat Pack, where classic 80's movie soundtracks come to life in an immersive, theatrical rock n roll experience. Audiences will travel back in time when they enter Break Room 86 inside The LINE Hotel in the heart of Koreatown. For The Record and Breakroom 86 will take patrons on a totally excellent adventure where they are surrounded by classic video arcade games, high-school lockers, old-school vending machines, vintage band posters, retro furniture, boomboxes, and cassettes. The 360-degree new wave cabaret, features a hit setlist including 'Rebel Yell,' 'Try A Little Tenderness,' and 'Don't You Forget About Me,' from favorite 1980's teen flicks 'Sixteen Candles,' 'Fast Times At Ridgemont High,' 'The Breakfast Club,' 'St. Elmos Fire,' 'Pretty In Pink,' "Valley Girl," 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off,' 'Some Kind Of Wonderful' and 'Say Anything.' Be kind and rewind into the 80's teenage dream, beginning March 15 every Thursday - Sunday through June 9.

The award-winning "For The Record" series returns to Los Angeles with For the Record: The Brat Pack, where classic 80's movie soundtracks come to life in an immersive, theatrical rock n roll experience. Audiences will travel back in time when they enter Break Room 86 inside The LINE Hotel in the heart of Koreatown.

Carrie Manolakos stars in the title role of this first-look benefit performance of IRENA, a new musical by Megan Cavallari (The Game, Hot Shoe Shuffle) and Kait Kerrigan (The Mad Ones, The Bad Years), directed by Jonah Platt (Dog Sees God) at Temple Emanuel Beverly Hills on January 26th (7pm) & 27th (1pm). Proceeds from the event will go toward the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust.1