“Love Actually Live” Makes For a Frothy and Festive Night in Beverly Hills

Christmas and the holidays are times of tradition – we all listen to the same songs, hang the same decorations, make the same food, and inevitably watch the same Christmas movies. Therefore, it’s no surprise that The Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts and For the Record: Live brought back their hybrid film/stage production of Love, Actually Live for a fourth year to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the film. Though regular theater-goers might find the show frivolous, it’s undoubtedly delightful, and offers not only a new way to experience a modern Christmas classic, but showcases a host of musical talent that enhances the film’s iconic early-noughties soundtrack, mixed in with holiday staples. 

Cheyenne Wells as Mia and Brian McKnight Jr as Peter. Photo by Abel Armas.

The show fuses scenes from the original 2003 movie with on-stage performances, with in-person actors doubling on-screen characters. Director Anderson Davis’s staging keeps Love Actually Live feeling dynamic by utilizing large, moving screens to display the production’s source material and neatly dividing the stage into quarters to service each intertwining story without a lag. 

Nina Nelson as Natalie and Michael Thomas Grant as The Prime Minister. Photo by Rob Latour.

The musical numbers act as transitions as well as interpolations of the characters’ internal worlds, an addition that’s welcomed with such a large ensemble cast that draws from a movie with many aspects that have aged rather poorly. The film’s casual fat-shaming and unapologetic male gaze threatens to shatter the cheery Christmas vibe, yet a stellar band and cast claw the material back from the problematic brink. 

Gabriela Carrillo as Aurelia. Photo by Rob Latour

Brian McKnight Jr., son of the music legend, and “America’s Got Talent” prodigy Madison Taylor Baez bring down the house with their respective numbers as Peter and Johanna, but special commendation must be given to Grace Kinstler who plays Natalie, the Prime Minister’s love interest, and Nina Nelson who plays Aurelia. Though the entire cast boasts show-stopping singing voices, Kinstler and Nelson’s performances are not only technically strong, but have a subtlety that causes their characters to come across as more lived in, and adds depth to them beyond the vignettes on screen.

Incorporating the movie itself is a departure from the cabaret shows that established For the Record as a fresh and exciting theatrical experiment in Los Angeles. The production endeavors to blend movie and music as seamlessly as possible thanks to costume designer Steve Mazurek’s faithful and meticulous replication of the noughties fashion in the film, but the concept of the production doesn’t fully land.

Rex Smith as Billy Mack. Photo by Rob Latour.

That being said, Love Actually Live is a must-see for musical theater lovers, repeat-viewers of the original film, and perhaps even as a great “starter production” for audiences unfamiliar with theater. Whether you’re a seasoned theatergoer or not, it is undeniably a fun, festive, and glamorous night out. The Wallis is a gorgeous venue a stone’s throw from several swanky Beverly Hills restaurants, and the theater balances historic charm with state-of-the-art production value. 

Cheyenne Wells as Juliet and Brian McKnight Jr as Peter. Photo by Rob Latour.

The energy on Love Actually Live’s opening night was nothing short of exuberant. Many celebrity guests attended, including Retta, Rumer Willis (who originated the role of Juliet/Mia in the show) and Jonathan Bennett. The bevy of star-studded support speaks to how attractive a proposition the show is, despite its minor pitfalls. In a world so devoted to its Christmas traditions, Love Actually Live possesses the potential to either update a tried and true ritual of watching the original film, or perhaps create a new one itself through the softening of the less savory elements of its source material and celebrating the music. 

Tickets for Love Actually Live can be purchased on the Wallis Center’s website.

More on The Wallis

Photo by John Edward Linden Photography

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, located in the heart of Beverly Hills, CA, is a dynamic cultural hub and community resource where local, national, and international artists share their artistry with ever-expanding audiences. Since its doors opened in October 2013, The Wallis has been committed to robust and distinctive presentations and education programs curated with both creativity and social impact in mind.

More on For the Record Live

The FTR Live Experience is not your classic movie-based musical, but a new kind of character-driven concert where some of cinema’s most beloved stories and the songs forever linked to those films mix and mash together in inspired and surprising ways. What began in 2010 in a small bar in East Hollywood went on to become a “must-see show” in Los Angeles and they have become the premier theater company for reimagining popular culture – movies, albums, and entire catalogs – as theatrical worlds, immersed in rock ‘n’ roll with a story to tell.

Author

  • VICTORIA MALE (she/her) has worked in creative development at The Montecito Picture Company and Graphic India. Her prose has appeared in over a dozen literary magazines worldwide.

    View all posts
Victoria Male

Victoria Male

VICTORIA MALE (she/her) has worked in creative development at The Montecito Picture Company and Graphic India. Her prose has appeared in over a dozen literary magazines worldwide.

More From Author

ZombieCON Banner. Image source; ZombieCON's official Twitter.

Zombiecon at LACC

Invincible Season 2, Episode 4 – Mid-Season Recap

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.