Review: New Regional Production of Disney's FROZEN Debuts at La Mirada
Touted as the first 'non-replica' regional production of this Disney stage musical mounted in Southern California, La Mirada Theatre's fresh iteration of FROZEN - THE MUSICAL still has plenty of Disney-esque magic to offer young and old audience members alike seeking to revisit the land of Arendelle...
Review: LIFE OF PI Comes to Vibrant Life at OC's Segerstrom Center
There is definitely an easy-to-surmise draw behind the now-touring version of the Tony Award-winning play LIFE OF PI, now currently enchanting audiences at OC's Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa through June 15, 2025. Filled with innovative visual trickery and remarkable, human-powered pu...
Review: South Coast Repertory Presents World Premiere Play THE STAIRCASE
Set in the part of the 'real' Hawaii that tourists are unlikely to ever see, THE STAIRCASE—the World Premiere play from Noa Gardner directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch—is an admirable new play that features a superb acting ensemble, relatable themes, beautifully authentic cultural representation, a...
Review: Omigod! LEGALLY BLONDE - THE MUSICAL Is a Winner at La Mirada
Filled with catchy, pop-infused songs, engaging characters, vibrant choreography, and a not-so-subtle message of female empowerment and self-confidence, LEGALLY BLONDE - THE MUSICAL is back in SoCal in a brand new, awesomely-entertaining, Broadway-caliber regional production at the La Mirada Theatre...
Review: Tony Award-Winning Musical HAMILTON Returns to OC's Segerstrom Center
Now ten years old, HAMILTON—which was birthed during a more welcoming time when such a creative, innovative endeavor felt like a step in necessary progress—still lives up to its initial hype, but also now feels more groundbreaking and particularly poignant than ever before....
Review: A FABULOUS 50TH Celebrates CHICAGO and A CHORUS LINE Golden Anniversary
In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of two groundbreaking, iconic musicals CHICAGO and A CHORUS LINE, Segerstrom Center for the Arts in association with Spot-On Entertainment presented a one-nigh-only star-studded concert featuring the music of John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Marvin Hamlisch. The line...
Review: Cheyenne Jackson Makes OC Cabaret Debut at Segerstrom Center
With a notable career that spans stage and screen, musically-gifted actor Cheyenne Jackson delivered a wonderfully charming, wickedly hilarious OC solo debut set during his three-night run at Segerstrom Center for the Arts' Samueli Theatre from April 10-12, 2025. Backed by the superbly talented Will...
Review: South Coast Repertory Presents YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO THE END OF THE WORLD!
Poignant, hopeful, sardonic, jubilant, and hilariously wicked, YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO THE END OF THE WORLD! is a brilliant new World Premiere play that revels in its eccentricity yet, thankfully, doesn't quite shield you from genuine, gut-wrenching emotions that tug at your heart strings. Buoy...
Review: Musical Theatre West Ventures Back INTO THE WOODS in Long Beach
For Musical Theatre West's new, winning large-scale production—now on stage at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach through April 13, 2025—director Kari Hayter and a company of terrific performers have revived the musical in an expected, true-to-the-classic staging, bursting with t...
Review: RENT In Concert is a Symphonic Triumph at OC’s Segerstrom Center
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from experiencing RENT - IN CONCERT—a symphony orchestra-backed concert version of Jonathan Larson's iconic musical which recently played to a full-capacity crowd for a one-night-only performance on March 15, 2025 at OC's Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa—...
Review: Claybourne Elder Makes Charming OC Cabaret Debut at Segerstrom Arts
For his debut OC cabaret engagement, Broadway actor Claybourne Elder—who recently played Andy in the Tony Award-winning 2021 revival of Stephen Sondheim's (mostly) gender-bent COMPANY—brought his witty charm and sublime musicality to Segerstrom Center for the Arts' Samueli Theater for three perf...
Review: Tony Award Winner Sutton Foster Returns to the OC at Irvine Barclay
Fresh off her final set of performances in the L.A. transfer of the new Broadway revival of ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, the two-time Tony Award winning stage and screen star recently returned to Orange County, CA for a one-night-only sold out concert at the Irvine Barclay Theatre accompanied by music dire...
Review: Segerstrom Center's Cabaret Series Welcomes Broadway Talents to the OC
For two weekends in a row in January 2025, Segerstrom Center for the Arts presented some powerhouse talents from the world of Broadway to their enjoyable Cabaret Series. First up was the returning Jason Robert Brown, the Tony Award-winning composer of musicals such as PARADE and THE LAST FIVE YEARS ...
Review: THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG is Rightfully Funny at La Mirada
Overall, the show is an expertly-crafted piece of unapologetically silly live comedic theatre that demonstrates the power of precision in the guise of 'random' chaos. By blending slapstick humor, meta-theatrical elements, and sheer physical comedy-laced energy, this theatrical enterpris creates an u...
Review: Tony-Winning Musical KIMBERLY AKIMBO Amuses at OC’s Segerstrom Center
Winner of 5 Tony Awards including Best Musical, this quirky musical comedy with an intentionally-diffused serious undertone continues performances at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa through February 2, 2025. A generally entertaining show with lots of laughs in spite of its title charact...
Review: South Coast Repertory Presents WISH YOU WERE HERE
Directed by Mina Morita, the play—an emotionally-absorbing drama with sprinkled bits of comedy—is, at its core, a poignant exploration of deep friendships, colored by a devotion to cultural and religious identity and the fears of displacement and upheaval set against the backdrop of Iran's polit...
Review: BACK TO THE FUTURE Musical Tour Zooms Into Segerstrom Center
A riotous, mostly silly, but also sometimes laughably odd theatrical entity, this touring production of this enjoyable, endearingly-familiar stage musical adaptation of the hit 1985 sci-fi comedy is definitely a fun time—but mostly due to its visual wow factor. For those who cherish the original f...
Review: Jason Alexander Leads Outstanding FIDDLER ON THE ROOF at La Mirada Theatre
Led by a brilliant performance by Jason Alexander, this lively, emotionally-grounded, classic-leaning staging still somehow manages to feel fresh, reinvigorated, and much more searing than prior iterations.This latest SoCal-area revival of the landmark 1964 musical—here directed by Lonny Price—i...
Review: South Coast Repertory Presents World Premiere Play JOAN
Featuring a remarkable, gutsy performance by Tessa Auberjonois as the legendary comedienne, JOAN is an absorbing and hilarious new work that also feels like an on-going work-in-progress. The world premiere production continues performances at South Coast Repertory through November 24, 2024....
Review: Eric McCormack and Laura Bell Bundy Reunite for OC Cabaret at Segerstrom Arts
Eric McCormick and Laura Bell Bundy recently stopped by Segerstrom Center of the Arts to present the OC debut of their cabaret show “A Blonde, A Brunette, and Some Duets: From Primetime to Sondheim,” a fun and cheeky night of silly songs and even sillier stories for a limited three-night engagem...
Review: Musical Theatre West Presents Spirited AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'
Structured as a non-stop song-and-dance revue without any dialogue, the Fats Waller tribute musical relies on its spunky live band and its crazy-good, five-person cast to sing a songbook filled with (mostly) joyful and (some) sorrowful jazz tunes. The show continues through Nov. 3, 2024 at the Carpe...
Review: Chance Theater Presents OC Premiere of Dark Comedy GLORIA
Offering a sharp and multi-layered commentary on modern workplace culture, unchecked ambition, and the public-stoked commodification of trauma, playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' intriguing play GLORIA—a riveting new dark comedy that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize—is currently having its ...
Review: South Coast Repertory Presents LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
For SCR's impressive, must-see local revival, the show gets a hyper-hybrid treatment that combines nostalgic elements inspired by the original but infused with 21st-century sass and sensibilities. Alongside its visual splendor, the show also features a superb ensemble cast, resulting in a blissfully...
Review: OC's Segerstrom Center Welcomes MRS. DOUBTFIRE Musical
As silly and nostalgic as one might expect, the stage musical adaptation of MRS. DOUBTFIRE—based on the beloved 1993 hit film—has finally arrived to say 'hellooooo' to audiences at OC's Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, where its national tour stop featuring Tony nominee Rob McClure ...
Review: La Mirada Theatre Serves Up A Satisfying Slice with WAITRESS
Now having its So. California Regional premiere production at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts thru Oct. 13, 2024, this funny, endearing, and ultimately empowering show is easily, hands-down, this critic's favorite iteration of this musical—in no small part thanks to Desi Oakley's return ...
Videos
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Ah Ha! Bluebird Park (6/06-6/06) PHOTOS VIDEOS |
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Encore Hits the Road Grossmont College Performing and Visual Art Center (6/12-6/13) |
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C.S. Lewis On Stage: Further Up & Further In Irvine Barclay Theatre (7/09-7/10) |
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Hershey Felder: The Piano & Me South Coast Repertory (6/10-6/21) |
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Gorillaz Oakland Arena (10/28-10/28) |
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UB40 Fred Kavli Theatre (10/25-10/25) |
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Jekyll & Hyde the Musical Segerstrom Center for the Arts (6/12-6/28) |
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Segerstrom Center for the Arts (7/11-7/25) |
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Alison Krauss and Union Station Pacific Amphitheatre (8/29-8/29) |
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Pageant of the Masters “The Greatest of All Time” Festival of Arts (7/09-9/04) |
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