Eric Marchese

2 weeks ago | cultureoc.org | Eric Marchese

REVIEW: At SCR, Keiko Green’s delightful dramedy interlocks one man’s terminal illness with global issues. Not many plays can be said to be both intensely personal and universal, but count Keiko Green’s 2024 dramedy “You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World!” among these. Green’s script was featured in last spring’s Pacific Playwrights Festival. Along with “The Staircase,” it’s one of two anchor productions of this year’s PPF, and is now getting its world premiere.

1 month ago | cultureoc.org | Eric Marchese

The Philharmonic Society of Orange County moves forward from “a model of purely visiting orchestras” to a more inclusive and comprehensive model. When it comes to classical music in Orange County, March is a special month. That’s because on four separate occasions over the past 28 years, the Vienna Philharmonic has made concert stops here, and is about to clock in with number five.

Jan 27, 2025 | cultureoc.org | Eric Marchese

Lyric Opera of OC’s ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ is being unveiled at the renowned venue. For centuries, women have battled for equality, respect and dignity. Whether for the right to vote, for equal pay, or for power over their own bodies and reproductive rights, women have fought, and continue to fight, to be viewed and regarded by society as equal to men. Now, a new opera on the subject of women’s healthcare, based on a seminal 19th-century literary work, is about to get its world premiere.

Jan 7, 2025 | cultureoc.org | Eric Marchese

SCR mounts the West Coast premiere of O.C.-born Iranian American playwright and Pulitzer Prize winner Sanaz Toossi’s “Wish You Were Here.”The Iranian Revolution was a shot heard around the world. Even now, nearly a half-century later, its effects are still being felt in Iran’s interactions with other nations. “Wish You Were Here,” which takes place at the dawn of that event and covers the 13 years following it, had its world premiere at Williamstown Theatre in Massachusetts.

Dec 11, 2024 | cultureoc.org | Eric Marchese

The well-traveled a cappella ensemble will celebrate the season, Disney’s centennial and hallmarks of its history. Ask anyone to name a male vocal group that’s been around for more than 50 years, has widely traveled and performed, and has dozens of recordings. Most on this side of the pond would likely cite The Four Freshmen. But what about a counterpart from England?