

Arts & Entertainment Editor
Pam Kragen
Pam Kragen is the arts and entertainment editor, as well as the chief theater, dining and opera critic, for The San Diego Union-Tribune. She ed the Union-Tribune staff in October 2012 after 27 years at the North County Times, where she served as the arts and features editor, as well as the paper’s longtime arts writer and theater and opera critic. She is the co-founder of the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from San Diego State University and completed fellowships in theater criticism at the University of Southern California and opera-classical music criticism at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. And in 2022, she was chosen as one of the fellows in the prestigious National Critics Institute, run by the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Conn.
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The 1955 Arthur Miller classic touches on hot-button issues voters will be grappling with in November

Review: Old Globe’s eye-popping ‘Orient Express’ a fun and entertaining ride
Adapted from the 1934 novel by Ken Ludwig, the murder mystery is set on a lavishly designed train

Review: Moonlight’s ‘Tootsie’ musical delivers with laughs and dancing
The 2018 Broadway musical, adapted the 1982 film about a male actor dressing as a woman to land a female role, for modern times

Two world premiere musicals and three new plays highlight the Old Globe’s 2025 season
Writers of the 'Bring It On' and Legally Blonde' musicals, TV shows 'Veep' and 'One Day at a Time' and Broadway's 'The Wanderers' will be featured in 12-show season

The Dish: Communion and Paradis lead list of seven restaurant openings
Also this week: Free pizza giveaway in R.B., the Nat museum plans a cafe and Frontwave Arena vendors announced

One of San Diego's most popular pastry chefs finally has his own state-of-the-art bakery
Adrian Mendoza has cooked in many high-profile restaurants and bake shops in in San Diego and L.A. over the past 20 years

Review: Actor gives tour de force performance in SRT’s ‘Fully Committed’
Dennis Peters plays nearly 40 characters in the 90-minute comedy about an overworked Manhattan restaurant reservation clerk

Fall Arts Preview 2024: Our top theater and opera picks for the season
From opera to Arthur Miller, Stephen Sondheim musicals to "Jersey Boys," and a new Pulitzer Prize-winning play, there's something for everyone

Review: Thoughtful and funny play ‘Best Laid Plans’ explores life after loss
Robert Salerno's world premiere play about an architect rebuilding his life after going blind is playing at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center

Retro-themed Ponyboy restaurant is giving nostalgic diners all the feels
Newly opened restaurant-bar at the Pearl Hotel in Point Loma offers fresh takes on popular dishes and drinks from the 1950s and '60s

Izola Bakery has relaunched in East Village with fast-rising plans for the future
Launched in 2020 as a tiny, home-based enterprise, Izola founders Jeffrey Brown and Jenny Chen aim to spread their bread and croissant company throughout Southern California

Vibrant Project to open third Old Town restaurant: Tako sushi
Set to soft open on Sept. 6, Tako will open in a separate space inside the company's 1-year-old Mexican eatery El Sueño

Review: Felder’s masterful ‘Rachmaninoff’ play a dark, fascinating drama
Felder plays numerous challenging piano works and gives a heartbreaking performance as the famed Russian composer

Review: Nostagia reigns in New Village’s ’70s musical revue ‘8-Track’
More than 60 songs from the 1970s are featured in the upbeat show now playing in Carlsbad

Chef Tara Monsod is cultivating the French nouveau at Le Coq in La Jolla
The stylish modern French steakhouse is anything but stuffy in its fresh-minded approach to classic cuisine

The Dish: 5 new restaurants and a new chef at Books & Records
Now open: Trattoria da Sofia in Kensington, Tortuga and Ace Porter in East Village, Spinnaker Coffee in San Marcos and Zentrl Kitchen in La Jolla

Review: Thoughtful new ‘Cleopatra’ play uncovers the hidden story of Egyptian queen
Moxie Theatre and Loud Fridge Theatre Group are co-producing Joy Yvonne Jones' world premiere drama

Public memorial for artist James Hubbell on Saturday
The celebration of life for the iconic Santa Ysabel sculptor-designer will take place at his Pearl of the Pacific park on Shelter Island

Review: La Jolla Playhouse’s ‘Velour’ a drag spectacular with a heart
Cowritten by Sasha Velour and director Moises Kaufman, it's part drag show and part touching comedy-drama

North Park author’s debut novel explores wrestler’s struggle with hope, loss, life and death
Steve Schlam's 'The Harvesting of Haystacks Kane' is about a 607-pound wrestler facing in his last match with the unknown

Michelin-starred culinary star Drew Deckman opens the doors of his North Park restaurant
Named 31THIRTYONE by Deckman's, the long-awaited, Baja-inspired prix-fixe eatery racked up 3,000 reservations within 96 hours of opening its books earlier this month.

Review: Moonlight’s well-staged ‘Beautiful’ so much more than a jukebox musical
Inspired by the life and music of songwriter Carole King, it opened Wednesday at Vista's Moonlight Amphitheatre

Mission Hills’ Fort Oak revives popular Chef’s Counter dinner series
Relaunched in May after a four-year break, reservations for the tasting-menu service sell out as soon as they go on sale

Hershey Felder returns from Italy with world premiere of ‘Rachmaninoff and the Tsar’
Besides his new show in San Diego, the popular theater producer is now the artistic director of two historic theaters in Florence

Review: Old Globe’s ‘Holmes’ update a funny, fashionable take on literary classic
The Balboa Park theater is presenting the San Diego premiere of Kate Hamill's contemporary and feminist twist on Sherlock Holmes

Here are the band playing at local casinos this month and beyond
Jason Mraz, the Temptations, the Beach Boys, Dionne Warwick, Keanu Reeves' Dogstar and more are headed to a casino stage near you

Haven, Fox Point Farms’ zero-waste restaurant, to open Saturday in Encinitas
The 120-seat farm-to-table eatery is part of a 21-acre "agrihood" that includes homes, a farm, produce market, brewery and more

The Dish: Where to get free hot chicken sandwiches and more new restaurant openings
News on Houston TX Hot Chicken, Comedor Nishi, Rubio's reopening in Oceanside, Chez Loma's new owner, Dockside Market and more

San Diego restaurants had a rough night at California Michelin Guide 2024 awards ceremony
Two San Diego County restaurants lost their Michelin honors at Monday night's unveiling, and no new local stars were awarded this year

Karl Strauss Brewing to close its Outpost beer garden in San Marcos
The company opened the outdoor venue on Armorlite Drive last November as a test concept. Its last day is Sunday.

Brian Stokes Mitchell to lead cast of L.J. Playhouse musical ‘3 Summers of Lincoln’
Also featured are former San Diego fixture Eric Anderson, as well as Carmen Cusack and Quentin Earl Darrington

La fundación Prebys anuncia $5,7 millones en subvenciones para organizaciones artísticas locales
Treinta y ocho grupos, desde el Borrego Art Institute hasta el Old Globe, recibieron subvenciones

Review: North Coast Rep’s ‘Dinner’ is fun but slightly overcooked
The bedroom farce, about a married couple who are both hiding extramarital affairs, was first presented at the Solana Beach theater in 2008

Review: Patio Playhouse’s ‘Hello Dolly’ entertains on Escondido’s amphitheater stage
The grand-scale community theater production features strong lead performances and choreography

Theater review: La Jolla Playhouse’s ‘Derecho’ not quite the storm imagined
The world premiere play by Noelle Viñas is about a family dust-up over heritage, privilege and politics

Prebys foundation announces $5.7 million in grants for local arts organizations
Thirty-eight groups, from the Borrego Art Institute to the Old Globe, received grants ranging in size from $36,000 to $325,000

Arts and Culture Newsletter: San Diego Paralympian profiled in ‘Power of Sports’ documentary
Also this week, a book on the Sagon Penn case, the Midway Museum's 20 millionth visitor, a Latin American art festival and more

Turkish folktale the inspiration for next weekend’s ‘Chasing Fear’ musical
Blindspot Collective and UCSD ArtPower present a concert staging of the Truth Future Bachman/Blake McCarty musical

After bursting onto the culinary scene in 2022, Kingfisher is still going strong
The modern Vietnamese restaurant and cocktail bar has an all-new creative team, but the same commitment to bold flavors

La Jolla Playhouse stirs up a storm with ‘Derecho’ world premiere
The play by Noelle Viñas is about two Latina sisters who clash over values, lifestyles and politics

The Dish: Food and Wine fest lineup unveiled, new restaurant openings and more
San Diego restaurant news from Hell's Kitchen, La Valencia, Postino, Fatburger and more

Theater review: Old Globe’s engrossing ‘Henry 6’ an eye-popping thriller
With two-part adaptation by artistic chief Barry Edelstein, the 89-year-old Balboa Park theater finally completes the Shakespeare canon

San Diego of the ’50s-’70s is the home for retiree’s new short story collection
San Diego native Joe Cabaniss has just published his debut novel, a collection of short stories that he describes as “30 years in the making,” even though the writing process...

Comic-Con 2024: 26 things you need to know
The county's largest convention arrives Wednesday with thousands of events, exhibitors, appearances and vendors. Here are 26 highlights

Theater review: Onstage shocks with toxic workplace drama ‘Gloria’
This has been a good summer for playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, whose stunning racism-themed drama “Appropriate” won three Tony awards in a new revival production on Broadway. “Appropriate” is about a...

La Jolla Playhouse-born Idina Menzel musical ‘Redwood’ announces Broadway dates
“Redwood,” the Idina Menzel-led musical that made its world premiere earlier this year at La Jolla Playhouse, will open next January on Broadway. The musical, which Menzel co-conceived with director...

Broadway and film star Ben Platt now singing the songs he wish he’d heard growing up
The Tony-winner's 'Honeymind' album, which he'll introduce at a concert Sunday in San Diego, is what he describes as an 'expressly queer' Americana album

On its 50th anniversary, San Diego Pride is looking back and ahead
Since this city's first gay pride march in 1974, San Diego's celebration of LGBTQ+ life has become one the biggest in the U.S.

San Diego Pride history: Highlights from the last 50 years
A look at highlights from the last 50 years of the Pride movement in San Diego

Theater review: ‘Duel Reality’ athleticism dazzles at the Globe, but story is muddled
The new theater piece by Montreal's the 7 Fingers mixes Shakespeare with acrobatics

Here’s who’s playing at Southern California casinos this summer
SoCal casinos will host concerts this summer by Keith Urban, Jason Mraz, Lea Salonga, Dogstar, Anuhea and many more

21 unique San Diego coffee experiences
Looking for something special with your cup of joe? These shops and restaurants deliver difference with their java

The Dish: 27 local restaurants win Wine Spectator awards, plus six new restaurant openings
Also this week, new restaurant and bar openings in North Park, Pacific Beach, the Gaslamp Quarter, East Village and Mission Valley

Theater review: Young talent lights up the stage in Moonlight’s ‘School of Rock’
The musical at Vista's Moonlight Amphitheatre is based on the 2003 Jack Black movie of the same name

Theater review: Cygnet’s ‘tick, tick’ digs deep into emotional territory
The three-character musical was inspired by writer-composer Jonathan Larson's desperate desire to find artistic success by age 30

La Jolla’s Ambrogio by Acquerello restaurant s Michelin Guide
La Jolla's Ambrogio by Acquerello restaurant is the first local restaurant to Michelin guide in 2024

Leonardo DiCaprio movie filming in San Diego seeks Latinx actors
The Warner Bros. film 'BC PROJECT' is hiring San Diego background actors for a movie shoot July 21-24

Philanthropist Dea Hurston, who opened doors to the arts for many San Diegans, dies at 73
Dea Hurston, longtime San Diego arts philanthropist, playwright and volunteer, ed away Sunday

Theater review: CCAE’s touching ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ celebrates the best things in life
The unique one-person play involves in the audience in a journey of discovery about finding the positive in dark times

Old Globe’s ‘Duel Reality’ will mix circus arts with Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’
The show was created by Montreal's The 7 Fingers troupe, which presented 'engers' here last year

San Diego’s best burgers? U-T readers offer their own picks
We chose our 33 favorite burgers in May. Here are the ones our readers say we missed.

Theater Review: Backyard’s ‘Beauty Queen’ play a dark and engrossing journey
The 1996 Irish play by Martin McDonagh will leave you guessing to the end

Theater review: Coronado Playhouse’s ‘Nine’ musical is lavish and well-sung
Inspired by Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini's film "8-1/2," it's the story of a man at an emotional crossroads

The Dish: Le Coq opens and Handel’s introduces 3 Oceanside ice cream flavors
New restaurant openings, food discounts at the San Diego County Fair and more

Family’s discovery of rare T. rex fossil the subject of film in San Diego
A documentary about a North Dakota family's discovery of a rare T. Rex fossil is now playing at the San Diego Natural History Museum

Public memorial set for famed artist James Hubbell on Aug. 24
Event for the iconic San Diego sculptor-designer will take place at his Pearl of the Pacific park on Shelter Island

Review: Loud Fridge’s zombie Shakespeare comedy is clever, funny and free
The world premiere play "Twelfth Night of the Living Dead" examines the gender duality in Bard's work.

Review: New Village’s vivacious ‘Color Purple’ rings with joy, emotion
"The Color Purple" musical, based on Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, is making its San Diego professional premiere.

An’s Gelato de San Diego nombrada la heladería número uno en Estados Unidos
La cadena de tres tiendas fue la única tienda de la costa oeste en el concurso USA Today 10Best.

Old Globe’s ‘Henry 6’ to be theater’s biggest production in its 89-year history
San Diego theater completes the Shakespeare canon this summer with a massive project involving 1,000 San Diegans

Check out these classical, world music and art exhibits in the coming week
Mainly Mozart and Jewish Arts festivals are under way, and Music en la Calle returns Saturday

San Diego’s An’s Gelato named the No. 1 ice cream shop in America
An's Dry Cleaning gelato chain earned first place in USA Today's 10Best contest, up from second place last year.

Check out this year’s must-try new foods at the San Diego County Fair
This year's fair food vendors have competed for the best and most outrageous food and drink items. We tried more than 20 of the new items and here are our...

Ambrogio15 executive chef is importing the new flavors of Italy
Top-rated Ambrogio15 pizzeria has a new Italian chef who has introduced three new Milan-style pizzas at its Pacific Beach location

San Diego’s 32 most anticipated new restaurants this summer
From fine-dining to fast food, and wine bars to coffeehouses, lots of high-profile eateries are headed your way

San Diego makes an awards splash at the 77th Tony Awards
The La Jolla Playhouse-born musical 'The Outsiders' won Best Musical and three other awards at the ceremony, and former Old Globe artistic director Jack O'Brien was honored with a lifetime...

Theater Review: Lamb’s ‘Spelling Bee’ a hilarious microcosm of youth angst
The audience-interactive musical re-creates the drama of a middle-schoolers' spelling contest

L.A.’s Finney’s Crafthouse opening first San Diego County restaurant Monday in Oceanside
Over the past eight years, family-owned Finney’s Crafthouse has grown from one restaurant in L.A.’s Westlake Village to a dozen throughout Southern California, with the latest opening Monday in Oceanside....

Five new San Diego restaurant openings and reopenings
Five San Diego restaurants have opened, or reopened in recent days. Here’s a look: XOXO brunch diner opens in North Park XOXO by Breakfast & Bubbles has opened in the...

San Diego chef Stefani De Palma leads Team USA to victory at Bocuse d’Or Americas
Longtime San Diegan Stefani De Palma, who worked her way up from pastry chef to chef de cuisine at Michelin three-star Addison restaurant, won first place Thursday at the prestigious...

THEATER NEWS: San Diego at the Tonys and more
Many San Diegans will be tuning in to CBS at 5 p.m. Sunday, June 16, to watch the 77th Tony Awards ceremony in New York. This year’s ceremony features an...

Scripps Ranch Theatre’s ‘Vanity Fair’ offers a fresh, feminist take on 1848 novel
If you've read "Vanity Fair," William Makepeace Thackeray's 1848 satirical novel of manners, you'll recognize the two lead characters in Kate Hamill's play adaptation, now onstage at Scripps Ranch Theatre.Hamill's...

Everything you need to know about the 2024 San Diego County Fair
The official first day of summer this year is June 20, but for many San Diegans, the real summer kickoff will be June 12, when the 2024 San Diego County...

Everything you need to know about the 2024 San Diego County Fair
The official first day of summer this year is June 20, but for many San Diegans, the real summer kickoff will be June 12, when the 2024 San Diego County...

La Jolla Playhouse’s ‘Johnny and June’ is tuneful, well-cast but missing the dazzle
Forty years ago this week, Des McAnuff opened "Big River" at La Jolla Playhouse, which went on to Tony Awards fame and put the Playhouse and its director on the...

Even on a small stage, North Coast Rep’s ‘Camelot’ really sings
Whenever I think of the musical "Camelot," I the sweeping 1967 film adaptation starring Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero. Today, the 1960 Lerner and Loewe musical is...

Everything you need to know about the 2024 San Diego County Fair
The official first day of summer this year is June 20, but for many San Diegans, the real summer kickoff will be June 12, when the 2024 San Diego County...

Even on a small stage, North Coast Rep’s ‘Camelot’ really sings
Whenever I think of the musical "Camelot," I the sweeping 1967 film adaptation starring Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero. Today, the 1960 Lerner and Loewe musical is...

Even on a small stage, North Coast Rep’s ‘Camelot’ really sings
Whenever I think of the musical "Camelot," I the sweeping 1967 film adaptation starring Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero. Today, the 1960 Lerner and Loewe musical is...

Moonlight’s ‘Escape to Margaritaville’ lifted by its laid-back lead singer
"Escape to Margaritaville," the Jimmy Buffett jukebox musical that made its world premiere at La Jolla Playhouse in 2017, is back. On Wednesday, Moonlight Stage Productions opened the first San...

The 2024 San Diego County Fair opens Wednesday. Here’s all you need to know
Here are the details on tickets, dates, how to get there, new attractions, what not to miss and a sneak peek at this year’s new fair food items

Like the movie, entertaining ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ musical is all about the man behind the mask
It's rare for a Tony-nominated actor who originates a role on Broadway to play the same role in the show's national tour. The stars prefer to stay in New York...

Today is National Doughnut Day. Here’s where to get your free treats
Today, June 7, is National Doughnut Day, a food holiday created in 1938 to honor “Donut Lassies,” women volunteers in the Salvation Army who served doughnuts to soldiers during World...

Old Globe’s ‘Fat Ham’ a hilarious and surprise-filled look at Black masculinity
The challenge for a theater critic is to tell just enough about a play or musical to whet the reader's appetite without giving away its secrets. But in the case...

Old Globe’s ‘Fat Ham’ a hilarious and surprise-filled look at Black masculinity
The challenge for a theater critic is to tell just enough about a play or musical to whet the reader's appetite without giving away its secrets. But in the case...

Even on a small stage, North Coast Rep’s ‘Camelot’ really sings
Whenever I think of the musical "Camelot," I the sweeping 1967 film adaptation starring Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero. Today, the 1960 Lerner and Loewe musical is...

Old Globe’s ‘Fat Ham’ a hilarious and surprise-filled look at Black masculinity
The challenge for a theater critic is to tell just enough about a play or musical to whet the reader's appetite without giving away its secrets. But in the case...

‘TL;DR’ a fun, free-wheeling and comic musical about queer iconography
Ever since the first Pride march in June 1970, of the LGBTQ community have found healing and community in seeing their once-secret inner lives reflected in those early marchers...

Old Globe’s ‘Fat Ham’ a hilarious and surprise-filled look at Black masculinity
The challenge for a theater critic is to tell just enough about a play or musical to whet the reader's appetite without giving away its secrets. But in the case...

Once-sleepy Vista is gradually becoming a foodie destination
As a 38-year resident of Vista, I can say with some expertise that my hometown has never been known as a major foodie destination.Cafés, taco shops, pizzerias and chain restaurants...