By Shari Barrett
Center Theatre Group presents the West Coast premiere of GUAC, a fearless, funny, and deeply moving solo theatrical tour-de-force written and performed by Manuel Oliver about a father turned activist. Written seven years after his son Joaquín “Guac” Oliver was killed in the 2018 Parkland High school shooting, the heartbroken father channels his love, loss, and rage into a powerful force for change. From pepperoni bacon pizza to air guitar solos, Oliver paints a vivid, unforgettable portrait of a vibrant life cut short – and a father’s relentless fight for a better future. Both a celebration and a rallying cry, GUAC pulls zero punches and speaks to anyone who has ever loved, lost, or dreamed of making a difference.
This profoundly personal story evokes laughter, tears, and the unshakable desire to get up and do something about gun violence in our schools. Throughout the 90-minute play, audience members are asked to interact with Oliver who lets us know from the beginning that taking photos is fine with him. And without spoiling the reason for his request, at one point you are asked to use your phone to make a call. I urge you to do just that and listen to the other conversations taking place around you in the theater. No doubt tears and lots of love will be shared.
Oliver shares, “I refuse to stop being his dad. I lost Joaquín but Joaquín hasn’t lost me yet. I’m still here breathing and I have to be here breathing so I can do things like this show. This is not a sad play. I have always prioritized the 17 years that Joaquín was here and not the six minutes that it took for a killer to end his life. This is more about a beautiful story of a kid, his family, how we came to this country looking for a safer and better future and then found that we were wrong. We didn’t go over all possibilities and here we are now paying the price.” And that includes a lifetime of sorrow and regret for what might have been as well as a joyous celebration of a life unexpectedly cut short.
In 2018, Oliver and his wife founded Change the Ref, a phrase coined by Guac after he urged his father to throw a referee out of the game he was coaching for making a bad call. Founded in the memory of their son Joaquín who was one of the 17 victims at Parkland, Manuel and Patricia Oliver are committed to making sure that their son’s life and the lives of the other 16 victims are never forgotten and that real change happens to prevent future tragedies like this from happening ever again. Change the Ref gives kids the tools they need to be empowered to make changes to critical issues that affect our nation through education, conversation, and activism.
Performances continue through November 2 on Tuesday-Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday at 8 p.m., Sundays at 1 p.m., and Sunday, November 2 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City 90232. Executive produced by Patricia Oliver and produced by Michael Cotey, tickets for GUAC are available through CenterTheatreGroup.org, Audience Services at (213) 628-2772, or in person at the Center Theatre Group Box Offices (at the Ahmanson Theatre) at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012 or at the Kirk Douglas Theatre (open 2 hours prior to curtain).
Musical Theatre West’s (MTW) final production of the 2025 Season of Legends is the quintessential Broadway hit Hello, Dolly! a musical by Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder’s play The Matchmaker, through November 2 at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center at 6200 E. Atherton Street on the campus of Cal State Long Beach. Taking center stage is Broadway veteran Tami Tappan Damiano, making one of the most anticipated returns to Southern California theatre in recent memory as the irrepressible Dolly Gallagher Levi. It also marks her reunion onstage with David Engel who stars as the curmudgeonly yet endearing Horace Vandergelder.
Together, Tappan Damiano and Engel are no strangers to delighting audiences side-by-side, having starred together in MTW’s Singin’ in the Rain (2001), Crazy For You (2003), Never Gonna Dance (2006), and The Full Monty (2007), making this production, according to Paul Garman, Executive Director/Producer of Musical Theatre West. “Not only a celebration of Broadway’s golden age, but also a celebration of MTW’s history and the artists who have shaped it.”
Joining the duo is an exceptional company of MTW favorites and fresh talent, including Robert Pieranunzi as Cornelius Hackl, Anna Mintzer as Irene Molloy, Benjamin Raanan as Barnaby Tucker, Natalie Holt MacDonald as Minnie Fay, Domonique Paton as Ermengarde, Landen Starkman as Ambrose Kemper, Jane Papageorge as Ernestina Money, Ricky Bulda as the Judge, Janna Cardia as Mrs. Rose, and Roger Castellano as Rudolph the Head Waiter. Rounding out the cast is a dynamic10-member student ensemble, bringing fresh energy and showcasing the next generation of talent through MTW’s commitment to arts education.
Set in turn-of-the-century New York, Hello, Dolly! follows the larger-than-life Dolly Levi, a quick-witted matchmaker determined to find love and adventure for herself and those around her. Bursting with Jerry Herman’s unforgettable score, including “Before the Parade Passes By,” “It Only Takes a Moment,” and the beloved title number “Hello, Dolly!” the show celebrates love, marriage, second chances, and the spirit of community. Although a bit old fashioned and corny due to the turn-of-the-century opinion about the place of women in society, at least when the NYC parade passed by, a sign promoting suffrage was prominently placed among the marchers.
Especially entertaining are the show-stopping dance numbers choregraphed by Cheryl Baxter and lavish costumes designed by Dixon Reynolds with wigs designed by Kaitlin Yagen. I especially adored the waiters humorously rushing to and fro under Rudolph’s direction, balancing plates of food and then disappearing offstage to don tuxedos in preparation for Dolly’s grand staircase entrance. Kudos to director Cynthia Ferrer for pulling the entire production together with just ten days of rehearsals, a seemingly impossible task given the show’s size and score, conducted by music director Dennis Castellano with a live orchestra of 15 talented musicians. Other technical credits add to the grander of the production, including scenic design by Bruce Brockman, lighting design by Paul Black, and sound design by Andrea Allmond.
Tickets for Hello Dolly! start at $20 and are available for purchase by phone at 562-856-1999 or online at https://musical.org/ where more information, a full line-up of performances, and additional details can be found. Student rush tickets for $15 are available at the Box Office one hour prior to showtime, with a valid student ID. Onsite parking is $10 per vehicle.
