Love, actually, is all around—especially in Los Angeles this holiday season. Love Actually Live, a multimedia concert celebration of the beloved holiday film, is returning to the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, playing from Saturday, November 27 to Friday, December 31, 2021. Aaron Lazar leads the cast of this adaptation of the Universal Pictures/Working Title hit film.
Lazar, known for his baritone voice heard in Broadway shows such as The Last Ship, A Little Night Music, Les Misérables, and The Light in the Piazza, will be joined by a host of fellow stars to bring this musical celebration to life. Others in the ensemble include singer/songwriter, musician, producer and engineer, Brian McKnight Jr—son of legendary 16-time Grammy Award nominee Brian McKnight—and also Anthony Fedorov (American Idol fourth place finalist on season 4), Michael Thomas Grant (from Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist), RCA recording artist Nina Nelson (member of girl group Citizen Queen), and Cheyenne Wells (Little Shop of Horrors at Pasadena Playhouse with MJ Rodriguez).
The production transforms the Wallis' Bram Goldsmith Theater into an immersive cinema where scenes are projected onto screens with Christmas music heard in the film playing as actors move about the space.
In a statement, The Wallis' Artistic Director Paul Crewes shared, "In returning once again to our Bram Goldsmith stage, Love Actually Live provides the opportunity to celebrate together, in person, with the people we love in a year when it's needed the most. It is always a pleasure to collaborate with our For The Record family, and I'm grateful for the possibility to be sharing this very unique experience with Los Angeles audiences once again."
Love Actually LIve is adapted and directed by Anderson Davis, with musical supervision and arrangements by Jesse Vargas, vocal design by Tony Award nominee AnnMarie Milazzo, musical staging by Sumie Maeda, scenic design by Emmy Award winner Matthew Steinbrenner, lighting design by Michael Berger, sound design by Ben Soldate, costume design by Steve Mazurek, video design by Aaron Rhyne, casting by Stewart/Whitley and co-produced by Shane Scheel/For the Record and the Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts.
