Hats Off to Love

A&E FEATURE - December 2013

By KC Badela, Avani Bahl, Pierce Freeman, Matt Geffen, John Hassen, Jeremy Ivory-Chambers, Sara Kashani, Christine Watridge and Ellie Wynne; from Branson, Katherine Delmar Burke, Lycee Francais International de San Francisco, Marin Academy, San Domenico, Sir Francis Drake High and Saint Ignatius College Preparatory Schools

A staple of San Francisco culture? A “need to see” in most city guidebooks? As locals, we tend to overlook attractions that draw visitors to our area from around the world. Today we headed out to see this world-wide attraction — Beach Blanket Babylon, a theatrical show that blends music, humor, and political commentary in our favorite city, San Francisco.

FEATURE REVIEW - June 2013

By Sarah Geffen, Home-Schooled

Performances at the Shubert Theatre, 225 West 44th Street, New York

"Matilda the Musical” is a wonderful new show on Broadway in New York City! It is based on the children’s book, Matilda, written by Roald Dahl. Matilda is a story about a smart little girl named Matilda Wormwood whose parents are not very nice to their kids because they only care about themselves. Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood love to watch TV and they do not like books. Matilda loves books and is sad that her parents do not understand her. I cannot tell you more without spoiling the story—but the show is fantastic!

I had a chance to interview the actors who play Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood. Lesli Margherita (Mrs. Wormwood) is fashionable like her character, but is much, much nicer! I learned that she grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area (San Jose) and won a Lawrence Olivier Award for her role as “Inez” in Zorro in London before she came to New York to be in Matilda. When she was little, she loved to sing and dance many different kind of dances but she only learned salsa dancing while working on Matilda and she loves salsa dancing now. Ms. Margherita said she is the same as her character in the way that she likes to dress up in fancy and sparkly clothes. But I could tell that she is not like Ms. Wormwood because she is kind and has a pretty smile and is nice to kids.

FEATURE REVIEW - December 2012

By Gemma Calandra, 8th Grade, Del Mar School

Performances at San Francisco's Orpheum Theatre

If you have seen The Lion King movie, you know that the show is a whole new experience. First of all, the live music really makes a difference. Down in the “pit,” musicians are actually playing while the actors are on stage. There are two areas on the left and right of the stage where you can see someone tapping on an assortment of different drums. The actors and actresses are singing right in front of you.

Then there’s the set. In a movie, the characters have the freedom to travel to different places and move around a lot without much difficulty. On stage, it’s a lot harder, but it’s also more interesting. It’s fascinating to see what elements are used to make it seem like the characters have changed location. They can alter the lighting, bring in props, change the background. The color theme of the whole set was orange, yellow and brown, like a lion. I liked the giant elephant skeleton that Simba, the main character, and Nala, his best friend, climb around on when they are trying to escape the hyenas.