BWW Reviews: West Coast Premiere of THE BOOK OF MORMON Finally Blesses Southern California
Arguably the most anticipated Broadway musical to ever hit the road in recent decades, the worship-worthy comedy THE BOOK OF MORMON--whose first national tour is now cheerfully spreading its gospel at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood through November 25--certainly lives up to its massive box office...
BWW Reviews: High-Energy MEMPHIS Tour Says 'Hock-a-doo!' to L.A.
While overly melodramatic and a bit cliched, MEMPHIS--the winner of the 2010 Tony Award for Best Musical now performing at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood through August 12--is, overall, a rousing, electrically-charged show that rightfully triumphs because of its slick production values and its in...
BWW Reviews: OC's Chance Theater Stages Reworked WEST SIDE STORY
Once again making the audacious gamble to re-work one of musical theater's most sacred properties, the little award-winning theater company with big visions, the Chance Theater, is currently staging an admirable, revamped version of the Laurents/Bernstein/Sondheim classic WEST SIDE STORY for a just-...
BWW Reviews: Sieber Draws Big Cheers in Smaller-Scaled LA CAGE AUX FOLLES
As presented in its current iteration, the current national tour of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, for the most part, remains a genuinely entertaining enterprise--a cheeky farce filled with super silly situations, wildly outrageous characters, a witty book by Harvey Fierstein, and a memorable Jerry Herman scor...
BWW Reviews: Stroman Brilliantly Re-Stages THE PRODUCERS for the Hollywood Bowl
Ridiculously silly in all the right ways and featuring a comically gifted, star-studded principal cast--headed up by Richard Kind, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Rebecca Romijn, Dane Cook, Gary Beach, and Roger Bart--that delivers the goods with infectious gusto, this large-scale revival on this outdoor aren...
BWW Reviews: Sondheim Shares First-hand Insights in Retrospective Concert
Making good on his promise to eventually show up in Orange County to speak about his enduring career in the theater, legendary Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim finally made his long-awaited appearance at the Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa for the landmark event STEPHEN SONDHEIM: IN CONVERSA...
BWW Reviews: MTW Serves Up Hilarious Regional Production of SPAMALOT
Musical Theatre West's latest top-notch production is the hilarious regional premiere of the Tony-winning musical Monty Python's SPAMALOT. Full of silly humor and absurdist gags that will have you laughing throughout the show, the show continues at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach ...
BWW Reviews: Epic 25th Anniversary Production of LES MISERABLES Shakes Up Costa Mesa
One of the most popular, highly-regarded stage musicals of all time, LES MISÉRABLES is, to put it simply, a moving, overtly theatrical epic. In this rich-looking--and rich-sounding--tour production, the emotional resonance seems more palpable than ever. The beautifully refreshed 25th Anniversary ed...
BWW Reviews: Cathy Rigby Flies Back to Neverland as PETER PAN
Something truly magical is happening right now in the city of La Mirada: almost 22 years after earning a Tony nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Musical for playing this very same role, the ever-so vigorous Cathy Rigby looks about as spunky and acrobatic as she's ever been in this brand-new produ...
BWW Reviews: THE ADDAMS FAMILY Musical Scares Up Laughs in L.A.
Now scaring up laughs at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood through June 17, THE ADDAMS FAMILY: THE MUSICAL is a charmingly corny, ghoulishly droll musical comedy that features hummable music and a made-for-TV-ready story that is genuinely hilarious from top to bottom. What a pleasant, wonderful surp...
BWW Reviews: Green Day's AMERICAN IDIOT Musical Rocks Costa Mesa
While watching the super-charged, though slightly frustrating Tony-nominated alt-rock musical AMERICAN IDIOT--whose national touring company recently spent a brief week at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Orange County, CA--one can't help but feel genuinely entertained by the spectacle of it al...
BWW Reviews: OC's 3D Theatricals Revives A CHORUS LINE
Orange County, CA-based 3D Theatricals presents a fine, top-notch revival of the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning A CHORUS LINE, now playing at the Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton through May 27. Buoyed mostly by its National Tour-caliber staging, choreography, lighting and costumes, this production ...
BWW Reviews: Elaine Stritch Sings All-Sondheim Show at Walt Disney Concert Hall
On May 19, 2012 the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles hosted Elaine Stritch's hilarious, anecdote-heavy Stephen Sondheim tribute concert ELAINE STRITCH: SINGIN' SONDHEIM...ONE SONG AT A TIME. Met with boisterous, well-deserved standing ovations both at the start and at the end of the ...
BWW Reviews: Brinkley Headlines CHICAGO Tour in L.A. Return
The six-time Tony-winning 1996 Revival of CHICAGO is still earning cheers and packing in audiences both on Broadway (now in its 16th year!) and its still-running national tour--the latter of which has shimmied its way back to L.A. for a return engagement at the Pantages Theatre through May 27. This ...
BWW Reviews: La Mirada Presents Impressive MISS SAIGON Revival
If you're looking for a good example of what great hidden gems are being produced at Southern California regional theaters these days, then look (and listen) no further than the enjoyable revival of the smash musical MISS SAIGON currently playing at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts thro...
BWW Reviews: MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET Rocks to Life in the O.C. through 5/6
Inspired by one fortuitous day that still resonates in the timeline of rock-and-roll history, the Tony Award-nominated Broadway hit MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET--now playing at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa through May 6--is a genuinely enjoyable, musically-rich stage show that's high o...
BWW Reviews: SCR Stages World Premiere Musical CLOUDLANDS, Ends 5/6
Despite an intriguing premise and a lovely-sounding score delivered by a brilliant cast, CLOUDLANDS--the stirring but jumbled new Adam Gwon/Octavio Solis musical now having its commissioned World Premiere production at South Coast Repertory through May 6--just doesn't quite wow your socks off. Thoug...
BWW Reviews: Funny Parodies Rule MTW's FORBIDDEN BROADWAY 2, Ends 4/29
Full of biting wit and hilarious parodies of various popular Broadway shows--and the famous actors that star in them--Musical Theatre West's cabaret-style send-up FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: GREATEST HITS, VOLUME 2 plays its final, laugh-filled set of performances this weekend ending April 29 at the Carpent...
BWW Reviews: Rousing BILLY ELLIOT Earns Worthy Cheers in L.A.
Charming and unabashedly buoyant, BILLY ELLIOT--which danced away with 10 fairly well-deserved Tony Award wins including Best Musical back in 2009--is a smile-inducing, pleasingly-staged musical based on the 2000 film. The stage musical version's national tour has finally stopped in Los Angeles for ...
BWW Reviews: SCR Stages Funny Debut Play THE PRINCE OF ATLANTIS
In THE PRINCE OF ATLANTIS, Steven Drukman's funny new play set in the heavy-accented neighborhood of Nonantum, Massachusetts, the characters all seem to believe that the key to good relations with others and living a good life (or at least a nicer-than-average one) is to make things appear better th...
BWW Reviews: Street-Savvy 'TRACES' Leaps to The O.C.
A recent critical hit in New York as well as in its stop in Los Angeles last year, the Montreal-based TRACES is a sensational e-ticket thrill ride of a show that mixes extraordinary circus feats with the easy-going vibe of urban cool. A refreshing, high-energy cross between Stomp! and, yes, Cirque d...
BWW Reviews: La Jolla Playhouse parks THE CAR PLAYS in San Diego
Produced by L.A. troupe Moving Arts from a concept by Paul Stein, THE CAR PLAYS is seriously one of the most thrilling theater experiences you will ever witness--or rather, get stuck in (and in a good way). A unique, site-specific theatrical offering that truly lives up to the idea of riveting, in-y...
BWW Reviews: Star Performances Invigorate MTW's MAN OF LA MANCHA Revival
With two impressive lead stars--Davis Gaines and Lesli Margherita--at the forefront of a fresh, dynamic re-staging of a classic work, Musical Theatre West's brand new production of the 1965 Tony Award-winning musical MAN OF LA MANCHA is, hands down, one of the most complex, beautifully-rendered musi...
BWW Reviews: Tony Winner ANDREA MARTIN Debuts New Variety Act in the O.C.
After seeing Andrea Martin's brand new, laugh-filled, autobiographical one-woman-and-a-pianist show ANDREA MARTIN: FINAL DAYS! EVERYTHING MUST GO!, it's quite clear to see why the ever-so-funny Tony- and Emmy-winning actress has had such a rich and storied career in entertainment. A born chameleon w...
BWW Reviews: OC's 3D Theatricals Revisits Classic THE SOUND OF MUSIC
While watching 3D Theatricals' largely pleasing stage production of the enduring Rodgers/Hammerstein Broadway classic THE SOUND OF MUSIC--now playing at the Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton, CA through February 26--one can't help but be reminded of just how great the more popular, Oscar-winning movie...
Videos
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Ah Ha! Bluebird Park (6/06-6/06) PHOTOS VIDEOS |
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The Book of Mormon (Non-Equity) Segerstrom Center for the Arts (12/29-1/03) |
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Gorillaz Oakland Arena (10/28-10/28) |
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The Sound of Music Segerstrom Center for the Arts (6/02-6/14) |
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Hershey Felder: The Piano & Me South Coast Repertory (6/10-6/21) |
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Segerstrom Center for the Arts (7/11-7/25) |
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C.S. Lewis On Stage: Further Up & Further In Irvine Barclay Theatre (7/09-7/10) |
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Fremont Ave. South Coast Repertory (4/25-5/23) |
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Alison Krauss and Union Station Pacific Amphitheatre (8/29-8/29) |
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Segerstrom Center for the Arts (7/05-7/25) |
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