Witty, enchanting, and joyously self-referential, the original film version of “SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE” fantasizes a story involving a young, virile William Shakespeare in his prime, who quells a bout of writer's block by secretly romancing an engaged lady named Viola—which apparently becomes the inspiration for the Bard's infamous star-crossed tragedy "Romeo and Juliet." The plot of the film remains fairly intact in Lee Hall's mostly delightful if slightly diluted stage adaptation, now continuing performances in a gorgeous-looking new regional production at Orange County's Tony Award-winning theater South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa through February 10, 2018. This spunky love letter to the theater is chockfull of stagecraft-insider amusements and fun-to-find Shakespearean Easter Eggs that both aficionados and casual fans will appreciate. But, shockingly, despite the spectacular production values and the beguiling, gusto-bathed performances of its large ensemble cast, this stage adaptation somehow loses some of the inescapable romanticism that is so much more prevalent in the original film.

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Thanks to its seemingly endless longevity, it's rather difficult to picture the ubiquitous 1966 John Kander and Fred Ebb Broadway musical classic "CABARET" staged in any other way than the brilliant, Tony Award-winning 1998 Roundabout Theatre Company revival co-directed by Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall—which itself also served as the springboard for the newer 2014 revival that still continues to tour North America today.

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Want to see a great "Bromance" where the lead actors have each others backs?  Go see Aladdin now at The Pantages. The first time I experienced Aladdin was in 1992 with my young daughter as we watched Disney’s animated film and singing every word to each lyrical song by Howard Ashman (two time Oscar winner) and Time Rice (three-time Tony and Oscar winner). The music by Alan Mencken (Tony Award and eight-time Oscar winner) was so uplifting and engaging.

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There are certainly plenty of fascinating, true-to-life stories being shown on screens and stages on a regular basis everywhere, but Doug Wright's 2003 Tony Award-winning play "I AM MY OWN WIFE"—which was also bestowed with the Pulitzer Prize—is arguably one of the most gripping, surprisingly engrossing plays acted out by a single actor playing over 30 characters that you'll possibly ever experience in a theater.

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