SAN DIEGO THEATER REVIEWS

THE NOTEBOOKS  OF LEONARDO DA VINCI at The Old Globe brings a visually sumptuous peek into the mind of a creative genius.  The production is so much more than a play; it is art, movement, dance, math, and philosophy all brought to life on stage....

Loud Fridge Theatre Group started off its 2023 theatrical year with an excellent and thoughtfully nuanced look at a sexual assault on a college campus.  RIPPED from Loud Fridge Theatre Group is playing through February 5th at OnStage Playhouse....

What did our critic think of ANNE AKIKO MEYERS AND THE SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY at The California Center For The Arts, Escondido? Review: A New Violin Concerto Delights the Audience!...

ROMANCE OF THE WESTERN CHAMBER is a lovely and lyrical operetta telling ”A modern love story from long ago.”  With only two performances this weekend, through January 8th, this show is making its West Coast Premiere at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts....

It seems appropriate that the musical AIN’T TOO PROUD - THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE TEMPTATIONS, like the band its story tells, is consistently entertaining, and full of impressive musical performances. Playing through January 8th at the San Diego Civic Theatre by Broadway San Diego....

“We love you, Poncho!” came a shout from the audience before the musicians had played their first note. And a few tunes later, even some silver-haired members of the La Jolla community were dancing in the aisles. The Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band has that effect on people. It’s hard to keep y...

An interview with the young performers of DR. SEUSS’S HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! Playing at The Old Globe through December 31st....

2 PIANOS, 4 HANDS is a love letter to classical music, the work it takes to dream of a life in music, and to the piano itself.  With two talented and entertaining performers, the show is funny, bittersweet, and music to your ears.  2 PIANOS, 4 HANDS is playing at North Coast Repertory Theatre thro...

THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP playing at Diversionary Theatre through December 24th provides a lot of laughter in this zany, fast-paced comedy.  A send-up of Victorian Gothic literary tropes, Sci-fi B movies, and more this two-person farce offers queer, high-camp humor making this a great show option fo...

THE YELLOW WALLPAPER from Write Out Loud showcases a wonderful performance by Rachel VanWormer as a young woman who is on a restorative holiday that turns from tranquil to traumatic.  Based on the classic short story of the same name, this solo performance brings the story vividly to life through D...

Mezzo Isabel Leonard and classical-guitarist Pablo Sáinz-Villegas are stars in their fields. Leonard has sung on two Grammy-winning opera recordings and won a Beverly Sills Artist Award at the Metropolitan Opera--and even guested on Sesame Street. He's garnered 30 international awards, including th...

If you’re looking for a holiday season show that is as cuddly as a warm cup of cocoa on a chilly night, then you can’t get more festive than PLAID TIDINGS from San Diego Musical Theatre playing through December 24th on the SDMT stage....

THE OCTOBER NIGHT OF JOHNNY ZERO at Backyard Renaissance is a play that has a lot of mystery and secrets woven into the plot - which makes it difficult to write about without spoiling.  What can be said is that it brings some excellent performances to the stage as the dramatic tensions raises, but ...

TO KILL  A MOCKINGBIRD from Aaron Sorkin and directed by Bartlett Sher offers a reimagined framing of the classic novel and movie.  The excellent cast, including Richard Thomas as Atticus, brings a moving confident, and powerful story to the stage about a time gone by with issues that feel as rele...

The talented cast of  AS YOU LIKE  IT, now playing at La Jolla Playhouse through December 11th proves how false it is when other places say that casting in a representative way is too difficult to do. With lively performances and songs, along with gorgeous costumes, and scenery, there is much to l...

THE CHILDREN, a play by Lucy Kirkwood now playing at MOXIE Theatre through December 4th is a funny, and thought-provoking play brought to life through strong direction and excellent performances.  Set in a world after a disastrous event, it asks how much are we willing to mortgage the future to avo...

It can seem a reasonable question to ask of a musical that was so explosively popular that it dominated music charts, history lessons, current-day politics, and social issues all at once - now that some time has passed, is it worth the hype?   Well, the touring production of  HAMILTON now playing ...

What did our critic think of SAN DIEGO OPERA'S WORLD PREMIERE OF THE LAST DREAM OF FRIDA AND DIEGO at San Diego Civic Theater? ​ ​The San Diego Opera, reveling in modern phantasies, has followed its successful production of Aging Magician with El último sueño de Frida y Diego (The Last Dream ...

Behind-the-scenes antics, a play within a play, and costumed comedy are well loved because they work, and INTO THE BREECHES! combines them in wartime for a fun night at the theatre.  INTO THE BREECHES! is playing at North Coast Repertory Theatre through November 13th. ...

On this storm-threatened evening, Symphony CEO Martha Gilmer was clad in a yellow rain-slicker worthy of a bout with a North Atlantic gale as she told a surprisingly full outdoor-amphitheater audience, 'Now I know how much you love your San Diego Symphony!' She went on to explain a late change in co...

What is funny, with a charming and talented cast, and has many moments that will make you laugh?  The musical FIRST DATE now playing at OnStage Playhouse through November 6th....

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS is an audience favorite any time of year, but San Diego Musical Theatre has brought it back just in time for a killer, man-eating plant to fit right in for the spooky month of October.  Playing on the San Diego Musical Theatre stage through October 30th, this show is delightf...

KRISTINA WONG, SWEATSHOP OVERLORD,  playing at La Jolla Playhouse through October 16th performance artist Kristina Wong gives a funny, sweet, and bittersweet journey of how one woman accidentally became a mask sewing overlord from behind her Hello Kitty sewing machine. It's the comedic rundown of t...

 AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ is a fun musical visit to the age of the Harlem Renaissance and a tribute to the music of Fats Waller. By the end of the show, the joint is definitely jumpin'....

The opera DIDO AND AENEAS may clock in under an hour, but this production by Bodhi Tree Concerts is a delightful evening spent at a theatre. Performances are only this weekend through Sunday, September 25th so don’t delay!...