Sandi Masori

Sandi Masori

When she’s not covering stories for San Diego Jewish World, Sandi Masori helps people self-publish memoirs and business authority books.  In her free time, she hangs out with her kids and hunts for the best sushi in town.

Her books, available on Amazon, include:

‘Ain’t Too Proud’ Production a Temptation for Music Lovers

Playing through January 8, this show will have you clapping and singing along whether you want to or not.  Against the backdrop of chart-topping hits like For Once In My Life; Since I lost My Baby; My Girl; The Way You Do The Things You Do, and of course the title song Ain’t Too Proud To Beg, the story of the Temptations’ rise to fame and the cost to their personal lives is narrated by the last surviving original member, Otis Williams, played by Michael Andreas.  [Sandi Masori]

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Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Dor L’ Dor: ‘Annie’ Continues To Delight 

The sun comes out at the Civic Theatre for the next few days.  The beloved musical Annie is back!  It’s been in San Diego several times, made into a few movies, and is a favorite of children’s theatre groups.  In spite of all this, somehow my son had never seen it, so I was really excited to go with him and show him something that was dear to my childhood. Afterall, what Gen X drama kid didn’t attempt an off-key version of “Tomorrow” at an audition or two?  My inability to hit those notes may have been the reason I was never cast in the show, but 12-year old actress Ellie Pulsifer, in her debut role, knocked it out of the park.  Looking around the theatre, it seemed that there were many parents like myself who were there with their children, excited to introduce the next generation to such happy songs as “Your Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile”, “Hard Knock Life”, and of course, “Tomorrow”.  The smiles on the faces of the kids showed that they were just as excited as their parents.  [Sandi Masori]

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San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘Mockingbird’ Delivers an Emotional Gut Punch

The show is similar to the original 1960 novel and 1962 movie, with a few differences.  Whereas Atticus Finch was the big hero in the original book and movie, in the play he has some flaws.  His big one is his belief that everyone deserves respect, even if, as his housekeeper Calpurnia (played by Jacqueline Williams) says, respecting them disrespects someone else.   [Sandi Masori]

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Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘Hamilton’ at the Civic Theatre Sets a Mind to Wondering

It’s a great show, with a very catchy soundtrack.  I’ve seen it three times, and the first two times I was not there as a reviewer, but as a full-paying audience member. This is the second time that it’s been at the Civic Theatre and is always a fan favorite.  One of the things that they do that’s really special is that there is a lottery for every performance for discounted tickets.  When the producers set it up, keeping with the theme of giving representation to actors that don’t normally get to play the lead, in spite of massive talent, they also wanted to make sure that people who wouldn’t normally be able to go to the theatre got a chance for extremely discounted tickets.  [Sandi Masori]

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San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Stunning Costumes, Sets Embellish ‘The Lion King’

The stand-out actors were Timon and Pumba (played by Tony Freeman and John E Brady), the three hyenas (played by Martina Sykes, Forest VanDyke, and Robbie Swift), and Rafiki the medicine woman baboon (played by Gugwana Dlamini, who also added some powerful African vocals and can be heard on the original movie soundtrack as well).  Judging by the audience’s roars at curtain call, there was consensus on these stand-out performances.  [Sandi Masori]

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Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

There’s a New Pretty Woman in Town — And It’s a Musical

By Sandi Masori SAN DIEGO — Most people recognize the title Pretty Woman from the 1990 film starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. Or they may know the song by Roy Orbison. But there’s a new Pretty Woman in town, and it’s a musical! Based on the movie, this Broadway adaptation at the San Diego

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San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Brad Garrett and Friends Delight in Bellflower

Garrett did a small set and was the MC.  He mostly riffed on the audience, and after “bageling” himself as a tall Jew did a fair amount of ethnic humor.  Ethnic humor generally makes me a little nervous because I don’t know how people will take it. Until I see if they’re ok with it, I’m not sure how to react.  He handled it well though, equally picking on everyone so no one group was singled out for offense.  The audience responded well and by their laughter seemed to enjoy it.   [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Sandi Masori, Trivia, Humor & Satire

‘Come From Away’ Underscores the Kindness of Strangers

By Sandi Masori SAN DIEGO — Who would ever have thought that a musical could be written around the tragedy of 9/11? And furthermore, who ever would have thought that such a musical could be joyous and fun!? Yet somehow, that is exactly what Irene Sankoff and David Hein have done in Come From Away

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San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

New to ‘Rent,’ I Was Glad Someone Was There to Explain

My son and I got a chance to see the opening night performance.  As with every other show I’ve seen at the Civic Theatre, we ran into people that I knew as soon as we walked in.  This time it was Bar Mitzvah planner Lydia Krasner and her husband Ron.  I am not a “Renthead,” having never seen the musical in the quarter century between the time it started touring at the La Jolla Playhouse to this final touring performance.  It was fortunate that we ran into Lydia and Krasner, because Lydia is really knowledgeable about the show and was able to explain some of the plot points that we found confusing.   [Sandi Masori]

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Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Civic Theatre’s ‘Tootsie’ Proves the Movie Was Worth Adapting

By Sandi Masori SAN DIEGO — My friend Ami and I went to see Tootsie produced by Broadway San Diego at the San Diego Civic Theatre on Wednesday night. We had both seen the movie starring Jewish actor Dustin Hoffman back in the 1980s, so we really weren’t sure what to expect. How could they adapt

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San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

An Enjoyable ‘My Fair Lady’ at the Civic Through Dec. 5

If you haven’t seen the show, it’s based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion and is the story of a professor (Henry Higgens, played by Laird Mackintosh) who takes in a young woman who sells flowers in the street, (Eliza Doolittle, played by Shereen Ahmed) and makes a bet with his friend (Col Pickering, played by Kevin Pariseau), that he can turn her from a gutter rat into a duchess by teaching her to speak proper English instead of Cockney.  [Sandi Masori]

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Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Memories of 9/11

Our columnist Laurie Baron contributed this memory of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.  Twenty years later, do you have recollections of the day terrorists hijacked four planes, destroyed the Twin Towers in New York City, damaged the Pentagon, and crashed into a field in Philadelphia, killing in the process 2,977 people in the air, on the ground, and in the buildings?   Your recollections are welcome! [San Diego Jewish World]

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Lawrence Baron, Mimi Pollack, Sandi Masori