Despite flattering myself that I’m a strong reader while admitting I am no actor, I’m sure that I would fare better playing a role in a play than taking part in a dramatic reading, such as the Alice in Wonderland Long Beach Shakespeare is performing now. And “performed” is the right word: This is not [...]

The other day, my Ghetto Self (28-year resident of the North LBC, government cheese eater, third-world refugee) sat down with my Educated Self (two graduate degrees, former legislative aide, now university instructor) to talk Obama, Hillary, and Shakespeare.
Ghetto Self: Thanks for making time, cuz. Glad to see your edumacation ain’t made you [...]

The Depravities of War: Sandow Birk’s newest exhibit of war-torn oils and reworked post-modern classics opens today at Cal State Long Beach.
UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM 1250 Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach 90840. 562.985.5761; csulb.edu/uam.

Crystal Antlers: Long Beach Blue Cheer out in Pomona with These Arms Are Snakes. 7pm. $10-12.
GLASS HOUSE 200 W Second St, Pomona 91766. 909.865.3802; [...]

Critics say Hamlet is a perfect play, maybe even the perfect piece of art because it doesn’t just speak to us, it shapes us. So what does South Coast Repertory’s newest version say about America right now? And how will it make you different?

PHOTO by HENRY DIROCCO
1. Mona Lisa Mountain
Have you ever seen the Mona [...]