Eric Marchese News Today

When it comes to larger-than-life show-biz greats, few can match the storied life and career of Thomas Waller, the pianist, composer and performer lovingly known as “Fats.”

This December is the eighth time Lythgoe Family Productions has brought one of its pantos to Laguna Playhouse, and “A Cinderella Christmas” that runs through December 29 is as good as it gets, typifying what the Lythgoes skillfully bring to Orange County with each new show.

The title of the musical stage show “2 Pianos 4 Hands” is undoubtedly tantalizing, its potential heightened by your first glimpse of the stage.

Agatha Christie’s novel “The Murder on the Links,” which has its centennial this year, is notable as one of the earliest of her murder mysteries to feature the celebrated detective Hercule Poirot.

If Laguna Playhouse were said to have a power couple, it would be Rita Rudner and Martin Bergman. 

Laguna Playhouse is where the Lythgoe family creates an all-new family-oriented show each year at Christmastime, Americanizing the traditional British panto – a combination of theater and music hall.