News: Onstage

The Fringe @ CTG has their cake (and eats it too) at ‘Matilda The Musical’

On Friday, May 29, The Fringe @ CTG attended the first performance of Matilda The Musical in Los Angeles at the Ahmanson Theatre. Afterward, Fringe guests were invited to the Ahmanson Founders Room, where they were joined by Cassie Silva, who plays Mrs. Wormwood, Matilda’s mother, and Justin Packard, who plays the Escape Artist....

Immerse yourself in the words and music of rock critic Lester Bangs

Want to enter the world of Gonzo rock critic Lester Bangs without guzzling Romilar cough syrup, his substance of choice? The best way is through the music. And the writing. Both take center stage in Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen’s How to be a Rock Critic, which is based on the thousands of pages of writing Bangs left behind in 1982, when he...

The Beautiful, Strange, Brilliant, Sloppy Genius of Lester Bangs

Mad respect. This is the only phrase that comes to mind when I think about the sloppy genius Lester Bangs. Like all of us, I’m sure he didn’t plan to end up that way. But years of disappointment, spontaneous joy, alcoholism and an industry that constantly dragged him back for a fix all contributed to the signature lack of panache (and that...

Matilda The Musical Lyrics

Based on the beloved novel by Roald Dahl, Matilda The Musical continues to thrill sold-out audiences of all ages on Broadway and in London’s West End and is now on stage at the Ahmanson Theatre. The Wall Street Journal says, “The makers of Matilda have done the impossible – triumphantly! It is smart, sweet, zany and stupendous fun.” Di...

The New Yorker explores the "secular kind of fervor" of 'Matilda The Musical' composer Tim Minchin

When the Royal Shakespeare Company decided to make a musical version of Roald Dahl's beloved book Matilda, they chose Matthew Warchus to direct. When Warchus went looking for a songwriter for Matilda The Musical, he chose Australian comedian Tim Minchin, a performer who "plays a heightened version of himself: a smart-ass who knows he's right a...

LA Times' Mike Boehm sees how 'Rock Critic' hits an honest chord

It was just a year and a half ago that Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen staged their work-in-progress How to be a Rock Critic as a reading at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Los Angeles Times arts reporter and pop music critic Mike Boehm delves into the story behind the story:...