The latest reviews and critic recommendations from Costa Mesa.
To celebrate the musical's 40th anniversary, South Coast Reportory recreates INTO THE WOODS with a decisively different approach, one that both entices and, at times, triggers an uneasy vibe (at first) that seems to have permeated out from the show's darker second half.
The brand new McCoy Rigby Entertainment production of the cheeky, macabre classic musical LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS—now on stage through October 11, 2026 at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts—is quite possibly the most eye-popping, delightfully entertaining iteration of the stage show yo
To kick-off the 2026-2027 run of their often Broadway-centric Cabaret Series, Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa tapped not only a proven Broadway star, but an OC native, too for a triumphant homecoming concert: Krysta Rodriguez.
Featuring book and lyrics by Dan Marshall and music by composer Julianne Wick Davis, WILD CHILD is an ambitious, sincerely earnest, and, at times, cleverly innovative new musical about a group of teenagers who are forced to join an outdoor wilderness therapy program where they must grapple with iden
Beautifully and tenderly directed by Matthew McCray, this ferociously performed and often visually hypnotic intimate production of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical is such a pleasant surprise, instantly becoming one of Chance Theater's most piercingly emotional new musicals it has ever produc
In the fantastical, visually-enchanting stage play HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD—the theatrical continuation of J.
Musical Theatre West's brand new presentation of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT marks the fifth time the 74-season-old institution is revisiting this ubiquitous musical, this time starring hunky Broadway alum and America's Got Talent standout Brian Justin Crum.
I'll say this now: this Summer's most beguiling, most enchanting theatrical surprise is perhaps the brand new, gorgeously opulent regional production of ANASTASIA - THE MUSICAL, now on stage at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts through June 20, 2026.
You may ask yourself—is seeing a touring stage production of the globally and generationally ubiquitous 1959 musical THE SOUND OF MUSIC still worth experiencing live on stage in 2026? While the stage musical in its current touring form certainly doesn't offer anything revolutionary or new to the s
It's a very rare treat—particularly all the way here in Orange County, California—to hear Broadway songs and the stories behind them performed directly by the legendary composer himself, even for just a one-night-only event.
Beautifully acted, engagingly riveting, and populated with impactful characters, Reggie D.
First developed and workshopped at South Coast Repertory’s annual Pacific Playwrights Festival in 2025, celebrated new “it” playwright Talene Monahon’s freshly birthed play EAT ME is currently being presented at OC’s Tony Award-winning regional theater as a fully-formed World Premiere prod
Now having its Southern California regional production, MEAN GIRLS - THE MUSICAL continues performances at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts through May 3, 2026.
Bursting with contagious rhythm, irrepressible heart, and an abiding sense of community pride, Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony Award-winning 2008 original Broadway musical IN THE HEIGHTS remains one of the most vibrant and emotionally resonant contemporary musicals to emerge from the early 21st century.
Initially billed as a show that was 'lovingly ripped off' from the 1975 cult classic film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the Tony Award–winning 2005 Broadway musical comedy MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT™ gleefully gallops back onto the stage in a brand new production with its signature coconut-clack
Directed by James Vásquez with musical direction by Ryan O'Connell and choreography by Shani Talmor, this remarkably solid new production of the 1965 Tony Award winner boasts haunting visuals and superb performances from its assembled ensemble, led by a trio of excellent leads that offer three dist
Wildly surprising and deliciously savage, Yasmina Reza's machete-edged 2006 dark comedy GOD OF CARNAGE—here directed by Marco Barricelli and continues performances at OC's South Coast Repertory through March 21, 2026—has to be one of the most ferocious dissections of modern-day performative civi
In what is clearly proving to be the must-see stage production of the new year so far here in Southern California, McCoy Rigby Entertainment's stunning new production of the 1979 Tony Award-winning classic SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET—now playing a limited engagement at the La Mi
Adapted from Nicholas Sparks' ubiquitous 1996 novel (and its popular 2004 film iteration featuring Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling), THE NOTEBOOK - THE MUSICAL re-stages a generational love story into a quietly sweeping, memory-fractured stage romance that subtly promotes emotional accumulation over
If the longevity of a Broadway classic is judged by its ability to reflect both its historical significance and its present existence in popular culture, this new revival of THE WIZ is somehow caught somewhere between reverence and reinvention.
Filled with a seemingly non-stop parade of awww-shucks delivered puns—of both super naughty and super corny varieties—the show, for lack of a more eloquent description, is so frikkin silly and stupid in the best possible ways a comedy can get.
Now presenting an even more over-the-top follow up compared to their first go-round in THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG staged here last February, the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and McCoy Rigby Entertainment revisit the earnestly bumbling folks at the fictional Cornley Polytechnic Drama Socie
An intermission-less, two-character, conversational-centric play that focuses on a pair of women's specific immigrant experiences—marked with loneliness, hopes, fears, and puzzlements big and small—Pulitzer Prize finalist Lloyd Suh's absorbing, touching, and occasionally (thankfully) very funny
After making a splash when it first visited the OC back in 2022, MOULIN ROUGE! - THE MUSICAL—the dazzling, Tony Award-winning 2019 Broadway stage adaptation of Baz Luhrmann's groundbreaking 2001 movie musical—is back full throttle at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa for a limited wee
During the recent opening night performance of Musical Theatre West's vibrant new production of the 10-time Tony Award-winning 1964 musical HELLO, DOLLY!, the enthusiastically appreciative audience might as well have chanted 'Hello, Tami!' judging from the reactions during the show's finalé bows.
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Elton Dom: The Young Elton Experience Rose Center Theater (10/16-10/18) |
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Rent Phantom Projects Theatre at La Habra Depot (11/06-11/22) |
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Long Yu Conducts Rachmaninoff Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall (2/25-2/27) |
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Stand and Deliver The Phantom Projects Theatre at La Habra Depot (5/14-5/30) |
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Gorillaz Oakland Arena (10/28-10/28) |
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Candlelight: 90s Unplugged at Lido Theater The Lido Theatre (12/06-12/06) |
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Sci-Fi Showdown: A Galactic Journey Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall (5/07-5/08) |
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The 39 Steps The Laguna Playhouse (10/27-11/22) |
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Adventures of Tortoise & Hare The Laguna Playhouse (1/30-1/30) |
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UB40 Fred Kavli Theatre (10/25-10/25) |
