This show has has not officially opened yet and they are getting tremendous buzz from the theatre community and reviewers alike. Spain’s internationally acclaimed, multi award-winning comedy theater troupe Yllana (ee - YA - na) will make its long awaited Off-Broadway debut when Psycoductions (Juan Urrutia, Producer), with Executive Producer Aldo Scrofani, present 666, Yllana’s dirtiest and most demented show ever. Following its smash hit, jaw-dropping, sometimes cringe-inducing, and altogether gut-bustingly funny run at New York’s Fringe Festival last summer, 666 will begin performances at Off-Broadway’s Minetta Lane Theater (18 Minetta Lane, NYC) on April 21st.

After speaking with someone who went to a preview performance they described 666 as what Saturday Night Live would be like if they were not censored. While only and hour and a half long, the show will keep you laughing the entire time.

Synopsis
666 begins when three dangerous criminals (Fidel Fernandez, Joseph O’Curneen and Juan Ramos Toro) and one misplaced innocent (Raul Cano) arrive on death row. Incarceration ironically sets free their wildest fantasies as, trapped between the iron gates and an electrified fence, they interact with each other and with the audience. At the end of all the comically bungled executions, all hell, quite literally, breaks out. No one is safe, least of all the audience! 666 is a rude and ribald collision between wordless Commedia dell’arte, physical theater, and slapstick.

The show is 100% for adults and not for the easily offended. Get your tickets now as this show is a can’t miss.

Sounds interesting right? Pole dancing as an art form? Yeah, I was a little hesitant at first but friends who have seen the show say it is fantastic.

GIRL NEXT DOOR - a pole dance soirée combines the sensuality of pole dance with the fanciful medium of theater to create a new aesthetic: artistic pole dance.

This provocative display is the brainchild of producer, director and pole dancer Kelly Yvonne. It features amateur and professional pole dancers whose daytime professions often contrast with their nighttime hobby. “This show explores the sensual side of the everyday woman; our performers’ professional backgrounds range from electrical engineer to school teacher, from publicist to costume designer and everything in between!” says Yvonne.

GIRL NEXT DOOR is in monthly residency at King King Hollywood beginning Wednesday, May 5th. Upcoming show dates are June 13th, July 11th and August 15th.

EVERY girl has a naughty little secret…

Let us know if you have seen the show and what you thought. You can check out a few clips here:

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It is a proven fact, 4 out of 5 dub scientists state that SKA is good for your health. Throw in some singjay style to the prescription and you have just added at least an additional week to your life. This is exactly what the reggae doctor has ordered for you at BB Kings on April 13th when the originators of SKA, The Skatalites perform live with legendary reggae singjay phenomenon, Eek-A-Mouse who clocks in at 6 feet 6 inches.

One blog post could never do justice to the story of the Skatalites, or Eek-A-Mouse for that matter, and both their impact on not only reggae but music in general. Most of the original members of the Skatalites hailed from the historical Alpha Cottage School in Kingston where they were musically educated. The members then went on to record at Coxsone Dodd’s Studio 1, not only as a band but also as studio musicians on endless artist recordings shaping the distinct, never to be repeated Studio 1 sound. Tommy McCook, Rolando Alphonso, Lloyd Brevett, Don Drummond, Jah Jerry Haynes, Jackie Mittoo, Johnny Moore and Jackie Opel made up the original members. Most of the original members are now deceased but the legend continues strong with Cedric ‘Im’ Brooks, Lester Sterling and Doreen Shaffer to name a few historical stalwarts. Having caught a recent performance of the legendary SKA band at a show in Dublin, Ireland, I was blown away with the tightness of the band and their retention of that original sound. Mix in Eek-A-Mouse, with his nasal, high-pitched voice and “biddy beng-beng, biddy meng-meng” scatting and a vocal style that has set him apart from the pack of veteran DJs and you are set to embark on a historical, one-night journey into reggae music.

Mostly considered amateur night by many, this never stops thousands of people from forging out in any weather to enjoy a cold pint on St. Patty’s Day. No matter where you are from or where you live you can’t seem to get away from becoming wrapped up in the excitement that is St. Patty’s Day.

While I have an affinity for cold beer, this day is simply another excuse (something that is now a must with a child) to go out and sample one of the worlds great creations. Lovely, frothy, liquid gold…BEER.

If you are in NYC you should check out what is being hailed by Pubcrawls.com as the Worlds Largest Pubcrawl that takes place over 70 blocks. So big that this pubcrawl goes on for 3 days. Not sure my liver could handle such a spanking.

You should also check out McSorleys Old Ale House in the east village and by far one of the best Irish Pubs I have ever been to. Sawdust on the floors, old school bartenders breaking out into song and only 2 choices of beer. LIGHT or DARK. St. Patty’s day may not be the best time to hit this pub as people have been known to line up for a spot at the bar starting at 6 am.

If you are on the Left Coast the Tam O’Shanter is the bar legends are made of. Located in Atwater Village this place is out of control on St. patirck’s day with a huge outdoor beer garden, live music and authentic Irish Fare. The only downside is the price of cold beer which seems to get a bit pricey in March.

If you want to avoid celebrating on the 17th, you can get your green on the Sunday before at the St. Patrick’s Day Festival at the Taglyan Complex. Fifty bucks gets you an all you can drink ticket and a food voucher good for select pork products in tube form. All proceeds will go to charity which will make you feel better about soaking your liver. I guess.

Let us know your favorite St. Patty’s Day hot spots.

I attended the 1st Annual East Hollywood Artcycle last year and had a crackerjack time. This year promises to be even more exciting with a new location and another afternoon choc-full of music, art, food and yes, bicycles. Throw in exotic salsa dancers, art galleries, Killsonic gypsy jazz, Dublab DJ sets and a few more bicycles and you can bet your bottom spoke the party will be on.

More than a dozen galleries, theatres, creative venues, artist live/work spaces, performers and food vendors will take over the street in celebration of the art and culture of East Hollywood. This year, the event will be held on Santa Monica Blvd. between Vermont & Virgil, right by the Metro Red Line in the heart of East Hollywood on March 13th from 2:00-10:00PM. So hop on your bike or the metro and celebrate everything East Hollywood.

We are all little Armenians! - Local East Hollywood Resident, My Wife.

For full details go to http://www.easthollywoodartcycle.com/

Presented by The East Hollywood Neighborhood Council and the East Hollywood Arts and Culture Committee

This week marks the end of Black History Month, and if we had to choose one living African American who has made the biggest cultural contribution in the past century, 94-year-old music legend David “Honeyboy” Edwards would seem a pretty clear choice.

One of the only surviving practitioners of true Delta blues, the earliest style of blues music, Honeyboy Edwards is a living legend in the truest sense.  Born in the Mississippi Delta in 1915, Edwards left home at 14 to travel the South, riding freight trains and performing on the streets or in local juke joints.  He quickly became a part of the tight-knit group of Bluesmen who would shape American folk music, even laying the foundation for rock ‘n’ roll decades later.  Among them were Charlie Patton, Big Joe Williams and the legendary Robert Johnson, who is widely regarded as the father of blues; Edwards claims he was there the night Johnson died from drinking strychnine-laced whiskey.

Nearly a century later, Honeyboy carries on the Delta tradition on behalf of his iconic friends.  He has continued to record new music, releasing an album in 2008 and lending his musical genius to the work of countless other artists over the decades.  He received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys last month, and he’ll spend 2010 touring the country, usually performing in intimate venues without band accompaniment.

Next month, Honeyboy Edwards makes a one-night-only appearance at the BB King Blues Club in NYC, where he’ll perform alongside Marc Benno.

In the nearly three decades since its initial debut, the timeless musical “CATS” has become a global Broadway icon.   What began as a risky move on the part of a star composer is now regarded as a masterpiece that revolutionized musical theater, having been translated into more than 20 languages and grossing billions over the years.  Next week, the beloved classic makes its long-awaited return to Los Angeles, with a two-week run at the Pantages.

Andrew Lloyd Webber had just embarked on his solo career when he became inspired to create a musical based on a treasured childhood book of poems by T.S. Eliot.  He teamed up with renown Shakespearean director Trevor Nunn to recognize his vision, and “CATS” premiered in London’s West End in 1981.

Despite having a quirky concept and an unusual structure for a musical, the play was an instant success, winning over audiences and critics with its imaginative aesthetic, brilliant choreography and, of course, the now-legendary tunes.  When “CATS” made its Broadway debut in 1982, it exploded into a bonafide theater phenomenon, and hasn’t really lost momentum since.  It was the longest-running Broadway production until 2006, when it was surpassed by Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera.”

After retiring from Broadway in 2000, “CATS” now tours the country, passing the magic on to a new generation of theater-lovers.  Audiences remain as captivated by the zany cast of felines, who recite T.S. Eliot’s whimsical verse amid Webber’s timeless compositions, which include the show tune mega-hit, “Memory.”

It makes sense that the show’s tagline is “Now and Forever” –since “CATS” remains every bit as brilliant as it was 28 years ago.

Any Houston native knows that Houstonians are suckers for the finer things in life– and wine and art may be two of the finest.  That’s why the city dedicates a weekend of each year to enjoying both, with “SpringFest.”

SpringFest is one of four major community events put on by the historical suburb of Old Town Spring, which was founded at the turn of the century as a quaint railroad town and remains Houston’s go-to spot for antiques and nostalgia.  The largest wine exhibition and tasting event in the area, SpringFest features fine wines and beers from more than 15 local wineries and microbreweries.  The fest also doubles as a massive art fair, where artists and craftsmen from all over Texas gather to showcase their original work, which includes everything from photography to hand-made furniture.  Meanwhile, local bands perform their tunes for festival-goers, and vendors offer gourmet treats and unique gifts.

The event itself is free, while tickets can be purchase for access to the wine tastings, the price of which includes a commemorative wine glass.  Ticket proceeds will benefit the Spring Preservation League, an organization of local shop and property owners dedicated to preserving and enriching the community of Old Town Spring.

The weekend of March 6, SpringFest patrons will soak up the spirit of Old Town as they enjoy some of the finest things in Houston– and in life.

Once upon a time, burlesque was a well-loved and relatively respectable form of American theater that incorporated humor, eroticism and elaborate costumes.  But post-Pussycat Dolls, when any group of women dancing in their underwear now seems to qualify as a burlesque troupe, the art has long lost its mystique, particularly in Los Angeles.

Amanda Marquardt, aka Gypsy Diamond, must have been well aware of this when she founded LA’s Rag Dolls Burlesque.  That’s why, rather than starting yet another cheesy performance group that would make Gypsy Rose Lee turn in her grave, she created a uniquely fun and classy show that pays homage to burlesque’s roots in early 20th-century vaudeville.  Under the former Shakespeare director’s careful guidance, Rag Doll Burlesque strives to revive the art of real burlesque, which Marquardt has described as a celebration of women’s sexuality.  Rag Dolls’ performances draw inspiration from the original burlesque revues of the ’20s and ’30s, using dialogue and choreography from actual vaudeville acts.  The stars are definitely more Dita von Teese than Nicole Scherzinger, while the costumes are pure glamor, and the backdrop, the Bordello Bar (once a brothel!), is as glitzy and historical as can be.

Even those who now roll their eyes at the mention of “burlesque” should check out the Rag Dolls– because who wouldn’t enjoy sipping a drink while taking in glamor, history and, yes, women dancing in their underwear?