Review and photos by Gerald Stevenson 

September 15, 2019 (El Cajon) -- What can be said about the incomparable Luann de Lesseps? The sky is the limit, her fans would say. Also known as The Countess, she held the audience in the palm of her hand during the opening week of El Cajon’s newly reborn concert hall, The Magnolia.

Friday the 13th was Luann’s night to entertain. Bringing her cabaret show to El Cajon was a nice gift for our city, and the wider region of San Diego. My only wish was for her to remind the audience where we are:  El Cajon, not San Diego. Come on Luann, give our city some recognition! But, that’s a small thing. Maybe future stars will give us a shout out.

The Magnolia was a sell out on Friday. The audience was frisky and full of life, eventually clapping and chanting, "Luann! Luann! Luann!’ as encouragement, hoping their cries reached her dressing room. With phone cameras in everyone’s hands, the fans had time to take "selfies" and photos of the growing crowd.

East County News Service

September 11, 2019 (Escondido) -- The Russian Ballet Theatre brings a new production of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake to Escondido and San Diego on Sept. 19 and 20. Tickets for the performances are on sale now at www.russianballettheatre.com.

By Miriam Raftery

September 5, 2019 (El Cajon) -- The Magnolia Center, formerly known as the East County Performing Arts Center, will host its much anticipated grand reopening on September 10^th from 5 to 8 p.m. The City of El Cajon and Live Nation invite the public to the event which includes food, fun, activities, prizes, tours, presentations.

By Miriam Raftery

August 30, 2019 (San Diego) – Mounarath-Powell Productions presents “Movement Makers: A Choreographers Showcase” Sept. 13-14 at 7 p.m. in the City Heights Performance Annex (3796 Fairmount Ave., San Diego).

By Miriam Raftery

August 28, 2019 (Santee) - International touring musician Mean Mary (James) will be performing in Santee on September 21 at 7 p.m. in the Summit UU Fellowship (8778 Cottonwood Ave.). Known internationally for her lightning-fast fingers and raw, unmistakable vocal sound (The Amplifier calls it “sexy, vulnerable and yet as powerful as any man’s.”), Mean Mary’s songs travel the genres of roots, bluegrass, blues, and folk rock—story songs, fast songs, sad songs, songs to make your feet tap.

East County News Service

August 27, 2019 (San Diego) – The Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association (PSRM), an East County-based historical and educational nonprofit, is partnering with the Spreckels Organ Society for the final concert of its summer-long 2019 San Diego International Organ Festival on Saturday, Aug. 31 at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park. Admission to the concert is free.

By Kathy Carpenter

August 23, 2019 (Spring Valley) – Watching Xanadu is like stepping into a time warp. The musical is based on the Universal film starring Olivia Newton-John. Yes, I saw the movie way back when and loved it--the music, the romance, the innocent kind of fun. It's what we did back in 1980. But I haven't seen the movie since.

East County News Service

August 15, 2019 (San Diego) - Artists from East County that will be showcasing their artwork at the 2^nd annual ArtWalk Carlsbad, afine arts festival that will bring immersive art experiences, visual arts and live music—including a performance by A.J. Croce—to North County on Saturday, September 21 and Sunday, September 22. The participating artists from East County include Jason Humphrey, Monique Straub and Gloria Chadwick. 

By Caley Hernandez and Eva Anderson

August 5, 2019 (San Diego) - San Diego Repertory Theatre brings 33 ⅓ House of Dreams to the stage at the Lyceum Theatre downtown this August and promises a fun show filled with music and history.  

Before the performance begins, you have a chance to explore the lobby and read the history of David Gold and Stan Ross of Gold Star Recording Studios and even participate in some trivia!  Of note, the show is the brainchild of Ross’ son, San Carlos dentist Brad Ross, and La Mesa teacher/psychologist Jonathan Rosenberg, as ECM previously reported.)

By Miriam Raftery

August 1, 2019 (Santee) – Off Broadway Live Theatre in Santee will present a live musical play, “Roadshow,” on Sunday Sept. 29 at 3 p.m.   The performance follows a roadshow as singers barnstorm across the country to win a record deal.

East County News Service

July 30, 2019 (San Diego) - ArtWalk @ Liberty Station will return to Ingram Plaza for its 14^th year of “Connecting Creative Communities” on Saturday, August 10 and Sunday, August 11 in the Arts District at Liberty Station. The fine arts festival brings visual arts, music and interactive art experiences to the historic San Diego community all weekend long. More than 200 visual artists will be on hand including East County artists Linda Drake, Jason Humphrey, Bette Barnett, Cindy Teyro and Island Paper. Thousands can peruse through the garden browsing artwork and enjoying food, wine and beer, and live entertainment at the two-day, free event.

Source: St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center

July 26, 2019 (El Cajon) -- St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center (SMSC), a nonprofit organization that educates and empowers individuals with developmental disabilities to realize their full potential, will celebrate its 42nd Haute with Heart Fashion Show and Luncheon: Dreaming of Style on Saturday, August 10 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, located at 1 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101.

By Cory Marshall, SDSU News Center

Photo via Disney

July 22, 2019 (San Diego) - Imagine coming across a talking meerkat, muddled between tall blades of grass, somewhere in the serene savannas of Kenya, and feeling as though it is a completely normal encounter. That was the goal for the Disney filmmakers behind this summer’s live action “The Lion King” remake. In order to do that, filmmakers, including San Diego State University alumnus Tom Peitzman (‘87) set out to create a virtual world, and in the process, fashioned an entirely new way live action films are produced.