Segerstrom

"I am what I am, I don't want praise, I don't want pity I bang my own drum; some think it's noise, I think it's pretty And so what if I love each sparkle and each bangle Why not try to see things from a different angle Your life is a sham 'til you can shout out loud I am what I am" - Zaza, "La Cage aux Folles" * Thousands of sequins and countless yards of lamé are about to be rolled into Segerstrom Hall for the arrival...

BOYS' VOLLEYBALL Estancia def. Segerstrom COSTA MESA - Middle blocker Christian Aguilar had seven kills and four blocks in the Eagles' 25-22, 25-14, 25-11 nonleague sweep on Thursday. Lucas Perreira contributed nine kills for Estancia. The Eagles (2-5) open Orange Coast League play at Laguna Beach on Tuesday at 6 p.m. * BOYS' GOLF Estancia 200, Lakewood 208 COSTA MESA - Senior Jake Knapp shot a two-under-par 33 to earn medalist honors in the Eagles' nonleague match Costa Mesa Mesa Linda Golf Course on Thursday.

The Little Angels Children's Folk Ballet of Korea are the South Korean people's roving goodwill ambassadors. On Wednesday night, before a sold-out Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa, the 32 members of the troupe's present-day generation of child performers brought their message of peace to Orange County, delighting their audience with a performance that featured a repertoire of Korean folk dances. During the two-hour show, the children - mostly girls ranging from 9 to 15 years old - changed in and out of an array of brilliantly colored costumes.

"He would watch you without winking/And he saw what you were thinking/And it's certain that he didn't approve/Of hilarity and riot/So that folk were very quiet/When Skimble was about and on the move. " — "Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat" * Now in its 31st year, Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit musical "CATS" has seen more than its share of nine lives. Performed across several continents, "CATS" got its start when Lloyd Webber picked up a copy of T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" in an airport bookshop.

It is the most glamorous social event of the year in Orange County. It may also be one of the most elegant parties on America's annual event calendar. Last week's Candlelight Concert to benefit the Segerstrom Center for the Arts celebrated its 25th anniversary in grand style. The 2011 gala was the 38th installment of the annual fundraiser for the Costa Mesa arts center and netted a smashing $1.3 million. The money will be earmarked for the center's artistic and educational programs.

Dreaming of a white Christmas in sunny Southern California? To see snow really fall in Costa Mesa, just buy a ticket for one of the holiday season's hottest tickets: the Broadway musical version of Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. The tale of two talented World War II Army buddies who make it big on Broadway, find their true loves, then help their former commander save a dilapidated New England inn has become an American classic. The musical version of "White Christmas," which debuted in San Francisco in 2004, shares the 1954 Bing Crosby film's plot, but takes divergences in plot details and in musical numbers.

CORONA DEL MAR - Corona del Mar High girls' basketball Coach Mark Decker knew it would take a big effort to beat Segerstrom on Thursday night, in the semifinals of the CdM Tip-off Tournament. The effort was there for the Sea Kings. Fine-tuned, it was not. CdM turned the ball over 24 times as Segerstrom pulled away in the second half for a 53-43 victory at CdM. The Sea Kings were denied their second straight final appearance in the tournament they co-host with Northwood.

"Riverdance," the first Irish dance show ever, will bid fans farewell after 16 years of highly-fueled, hard-shoe footwork that has torn up stages worldwide. During a limited Orange County engagement, "The Riverdance Farewell Tour" will play this weekend at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. The North American farewell tour, produced by Moya Doherty, will play 160 shows in 75 venues over 22 weeks. The production features international talent including some of Ireland's best-known designers and performers.

One of the most reclusive legends in modern American history will make a rare appearance in Costa Mesa on Oct. 29. Prolific Broadway composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim will speak with American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers head Michael Kerker at the one-night-only affair, which also will feature the vocal stylings of fellow musical legends Christine Ebersole and Brian Stokes Mitchell. The duo will perform many of Sondheim's best-loved songs. Sondheim has brought some of Broadway's most beloved characters to the stage - from Tony and Maria in "West Side Story" to the eponymous "Sweeney Todd," and from the passive-aggressive Cinderella of "Into the Woods" to the "decrepit Desiree" of "A Little Night Music," made famous by Judi Dench's unforgettable performance.

COSTA MESA - Movable "cities" were created - and just as quickly torn down - Thursday at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Elementary school students built forts, houses, buildings, tunnels, castles and secret rooms from thousands of empty brown-and white-cardboard boxes. The kids lifted boxes as big as themselves, or scooted them along, to stack on their creations at a frantic pace that barely contained their excitement. About 160 K-3 students from Grace Christian and St. Cecilia schools took a field trip to the center for the installation's last day. "It felt really exciting to build stuff," said kindergartner Sophia Pagan, 6. "It's really fun, because you build boxes and see what you're good at. " The Segerstrom Center's outdoor plaza was taken over for the last two weeks by cardboard boxes as it hosted "We Built This City," a large-scale participatory installation by an Australian children's theater company, Polyglot Theatre.