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LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE is truly an immersive holiday season classic and a feel good warm experience!
The stage musical production of the 2003 cult classic romantic comedy is again at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, brought back by popular demand.
LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE is a multi-media-concert celebration perfectly planned note by note. Set design is a London cityscape with iconic scenes from the movie playing on screens that move in and out gracefully as singers and a live orchestra perform with intertwined seamless precision. The production is so good, you can see it every year and enjoy it as much as the first time. This production is perfectly executed and by the end of it – your heart is filled to the brim and you cna;’t figure out how they did so well timed. Standing ovations every night and one can see why by the time it’s over. As flashbacks of the famed movie play on stage, below is what is spectacular – singer/actors playing out in military precision synchronization and movements to match the film in live time.
When you walk in to the show – you have no idea what to expect, then it far surpasses expectations. Produced by For the Record, it is sheer delight with the smooth fusion of cinema and Broadway for the holiday tradition. The story told through a meshed combination of the movie and live scenes, is performed so succinctly by each character with their own outstanding voices.
Adapted and directed by Anderson Davis, who also serves as the artistic director of For the Record, it runs 2:45 minutes. Reenactments of the movie weave so smoothly it reminds you of a graceful waltz. You can relate to many of the songs and you will laugh and smile through all. The orchestra is fantastic, does not miss a beat, and keeps it glued together. Ties so well that you don’t know when one scene begins and the next one ends. It makes no difference if you haven’t seen the movie. In fact, if you have never seen, you will enjoy it just as much as the cult followers. The exhuberance of the audience for this show feels like the Sound of Music Sing Alongs at the Hollywood Bowl. It felt like a lot of people had been before and enjoyed each seen with boisterous laugher and ewwws and ahhhs.
Love Actually film director Richard Curtis is donating his royalties from the production to Comic Relief, a major charity based in the UK with a vision of a just world, free from poverty.
“The Villa”
To go along with the movie this year is “The Love Actually Holiday Villa” in Los Angeles. Until December 30, 2023, this Hollywood Hills rental, transformed into a luxurious holiday haven, and is an unforgettable experience for visitors to Los Angeles and staycation enthusiasts. Upon arrival, guests will be treated to a quintessentially British welcome with a classic tea service featuring a selection of Harney & Sons teas accompanied by traditional cucumber sandwiches, biscuits and jam. To mark the film’s 20th anniversary Amy Neunsinger and Kate Martindale of Rose & Mortar, and hosts of the Magnolia Network’s “Capturing Home” have transformed the historic Villa Hillcrest into The Love Actually Holiday Villa. Drawing inspiration from various locations in the film, including Jam ie’s Garden flat and the French bungalow, the villa seamlessly transports guests to the European countryside within the heart of Hollywood. The Villa is adorned with antique furniture, imported art, vintage accessories, and lush botanicals. Throughout the villa, seasonal; decor reminiscent of the film, adds to the atmosphere.
Photo Credit: Wallis Annenberg for the Performing Arts website
