Review: OC Welcomes Weekend Holiday Concerts from Megan Hilty and Linda Eder
In December 2023, the OC welcomed back two powerhouse vocalists who each gave their own respective holiday-themed concerts: Broadway fave Megan Hilty at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa; and recording artist Linda Eder at the Irvine Barclay Theatre. To no one's surprise, both entertained...
Review: THE GRINCH Stage Musical Slithers Back into OC's Segerstrom Center
The touring stage adaptation of Dr. Seuss' cheeky holiday tale returns to the OC's Segerstrom Center with a non-equity cast. While the show itself is still a charmer—especially for young audiences—the bad audio mix at Costa Mesa's largest theater leaves most of the show's lyrics and dialogue ind...
Review: FORBIDDEN BROADWAY Returns to OC's Segerstrom Center
On November 16-18, 2023, Segerstrom Center for the Arts's Samueli Theater welcomed back FORBIDDEN BROADWAY, the hit Broadway-skewering parody show that pokes fun at the Great White Way. Aimed as a 'greatest hits' iteration, the show was a (mostly) funny 2-Act program, but a lot of its material prove...
Review: Carole King's Life Story Blossoms in BEAUTIFUL at La Mirada
McCoy Rigby Entertainment is currently presenting a superb, highly-entertaining Southern California Regional Premiere production of BEAUTIFUL at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, which continues performances through December 3, 2023. To put it simply, this production is quite well done....
Review: East West Players Presents Energetic SPRING AWAKENING
Based on Frank Wedekind's controversial 1891 play about a group of young students ill-informed about their budding sexuality, this 2006 Broadway adaptation is buoyed by its alt-rock score by Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik. EWP's new production boasts a pleasantly diverse cast blessed with excellent s...
Review: Superb A RAISIN IN THE SUN Moves In at South Coast Repertory
Directed with engaging, often riveting pacing by Khanisha Foster—and featuring some of the absolute best, deeply-searing acting performances I've witnessed so far this season—this brand new, powerfully-staged SCR production of Lorraine Hansberry's groundbreaking 1959 play is just too damn good t...
Review: Musical Theatre West's Heartwarming THE SOUND OF MUSIC Blesses Long Beach
MTW's pleasantly perky, traditionally-executed production comes across as a show that's very eager to please, armed with a keen, fine-tuned goal of making sure both fans and newbies to this beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein classic are left feeling uplifted and happy. The show continues through Novemb...
Review: AIN'T TOO PROUD Revisits The Temptations' Hits at Segerstrom Center
A surprisingly enjoyable jukebox musical featuring phenomenally-performed song-and-dance spectaculars (but with an awkwardly delivered story structure), this touring version of the 2019 Broadway musical about the founding of Motown's R&B supergroup The Temptations is a fun evening at the theater, es...
Review: A Legend is Reimagined in Octavio Solis' QUIXOTE NUEVO at South Coast Repertory
On the immediate surface, QUIXOTE NUEVO is a feast for the senses. On a deeper level, the play explores relevant issues, particularly those affecting the Latinx community. Sandwiched in between, however, is a distracting use of sophomoric humor that slightly threatens to counter all of the good mess...
Review: The Scorching-Hot Rhythm of ON YOUR FEET! Is Gonna Get You at La Mirada
La Mirada Theatre’s new production of the Estefans’ aspirational life story reverberates with high-octane, vivacious Latin rhythms presented via enthusiastically-performed dance numbers and beautifully-sung songs—elevated by its terrific, talented ensemble. This engaging production (going on t...
Review: Tony Winner Kelli O'Hara Performs Exquisite Concert at Irvine Barclay
Tony Award-winning Broadway star Kelli O'Hara has established herself as true theater royalty, one of a handful of go-to leading ladies that have amassed a rabid, fanatic following that can elicit frequent deafening kudos from audiences and critics alike. She brings undeniable evidence of this in he...
Review: Thunderous LES MISERABLES Tour Storms Back into Segerstrom Center
Don't let the show's overall over-the-top theatrics dissuade you from experiencing this visually-stunning, showstopper-filled production which continues at Segerstrom Center through October 1. A boisterous, grandiose spectacle of overtly expressed emotions and overtly belted show tunes, LES MISÉRAB...
Review: Remarkable New Production of RENT Takes Up Residence at Anaheim's Chance Theater
Featuring distinctively intuitive direction from Matthew McCray, and an amazing, youthful ensemble cast that are consistently giving it their all, this latest OC iteration of Jonathan Larson's Tony-winning 1996 rock opera is much more impactful than even past stagings that have toured---and is one o...
Review: South Coast Repertory Brings LA HAVANA MADRID to Mission San Juan Capistrano
While the play-with-music has its fair share of interesting and even poignant moments, SCR's overall production feels surprisingly low-stakes, and only really becomes much more lively when it reaches its celebratory music-filled finalé. With its stories delivered via monologues, it becomes difficul...
Review: TINA - THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL Pulsates at Segerstrom Center
Now at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa through July 23, 2023, the musical is mostly engaging and passionately performed. But a chaotic, sped-through first act only provides brief vignettes of a challenging life. The better second act focuses on Ms. Turner's comeback, concluding with a m...
Review: THE WIZARD OF OZ Drops Into Musical Theatre West in Long Beach
Delightfully charming but also now slightly dated, MTW's expectedly family-friendly, colorfully saturated production is indeed a lovely, mostly entertaining stage recreation of the movie classic. But curiously, at times, the show feels subdued and tamed-down, and in dire need of an extra jolt of ene...
Review: Powerhouse Vocals Energize SIX - THE MUSICAL at Segerstrom Center
A musical theater show disguised as a kick-ass pop-rock concert with some powerful vocals delivering catchy songs, SIX - THE MUSICAL is a surprisingly absorbing, historical musical comedy that manages to convey several fully-formed character-driven narratives that have depth, gravitas, and spunk. Ea...
Review: JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT Wows at La Mirada Theatre
Joyful, dazzling, and an all-around delight, this fresh, smile-inducing new production---now on stage through June 25,2023---is a wonderful, pleasant surprise to say the least… and has easily become, hands down, this reviewer's absolute favorite iteration of this musical theatre staple ever....
Review: Emotionally Impactful World Premiere Play COLEMAN '72 Debuts at South Coast Repertory
In between wiping tears from my eyes, what I witnessed was, by far, one of the most emotionally-impactful dramas I have seen this year, filled with heart-wrenching scenes, nuanced acting choices, and plenty of funny, incredibly relatable moments that pierced through the tension. A unique yet familia...
Review: Jason Robert Brown Shares His Gifts at OC's Segerstrom Center
It's a rare treat when an actual living legend of musical theatre like Jason Robert Brown comes to our neck of the woods to talk about his work, let alone perform some of these works live in an intimate cabaret setting. But thanks to Segerstrom Center of the Arts, the composer gave us a spectacular ...
Review: New Production of THE KING AND I is Simply Glorious at the La Mirada Theatre
Presented by McCoy Rigby Entertainment, this beautiful, mesmerizing, Broadway-caliber production of THE KING AND I has all the ingredients of a great revival done right, from its dazzling visual and technical components to the vibrant musical magic created by both its rousing orchestra and the talen...
Review: Drag Race Star Nina West Leads Hilarious New HAIRSPRAY Tour at Segerstrom Center
As if the universe knew that our increasingly divisive country is in desperate need to revisit this hit 2002 Tony Award-winning musical again, HAIRSPRAY has now embarked on a brand new non-equity national tour starring RuPaul's Drag Race fan favorite Nina West. The show, now at Segerstrom Center for...
Review: Musical Theatre West's AN AMERICAN IN PARIS Dances Into Long Beach
Though this song-and-dance spectacular first emerged as a lush, hypnotic stage adaptation of a classic movie musical that combined sophisticated ballet with exuberant show tunes, MTW's new 2023 regional production, now performing through April 30, 2023 somehow feels less mesmerizing---particularly d...
Review: DID YOU SEE WHAT WALTER PAISLEY DID TODAY? Scares Up Tons of Laughs in La Mirada
An admirable, absurdly funny first full production of a brand new musical, WALTER PAISLEY, is perhaps one of the most enjoyable work-in-progress shows this reviewer has seen in a long time. This delightful world premiere production---filled with madcap antics and a humorously pulpy plot---continues ...
Review: Funny (and 'Fetch') MEAN GIRLS The Musical Arrives at OC's Segerstrom Center
Featuring dynamic choreography from director Casey Nicholaw and new songs from Fey's hubby Jeff Richmond and lyricist Nell Benjamin, this stage adaptation of the cult hit movie (that will also soon be re-adapted into a movie musical) admirably recreates its quote-heavy 'fetch'-ness and anthropologic...
Videos
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Gorillaz Oakland Arena (10/28-10/28) |
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Ah Ha! Bluebird Park (6/06-6/06) PHOTOS VIDEOS |
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UB40 Fred Kavli Theatre (10/25-10/25) |
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The Sound of Music Segerstrom Center for the Arts (6/02-6/14) |
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Segerstrom Center for the Arts (7/11-7/25) |
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Jekyll & Hyde the Musical Rose Center Theater (6/12-6/28) |
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Segerstrom Center for the Arts (7/05-7/25) |
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Alison Krauss and Union Station Pacific Amphitheatre (8/29-8/29) |
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Fremont Ave. South Coast Repertory (4/25-5/23) |
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Hershey Felder: The Piano & Me South Coast Repertory (6/10-6/21) |
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