SAN DIEGO THEATER REVIEWS

Music, muses, and magic, XANADU at San Diego Musical Theatre brings the stage adoption of an infamous 1980’s movie to life through June 4th....

Who knew murder could be so much fun?  North Coast Repertory Theatre brings the world premiere comedy of MURDER ON THE LINKS to the stage with a talented cast through May 21st....

Nicolas Reveles was diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer shortly after completing Ghosts, and it is tragic that he died just weeks before its world premiere in a San Diego Opera production. A sincerely religious man, his spirit lives on in the minds of the many grieving friends and admirers ...

EXOTIC DEADLY: OR THE MSG PLAY is a wild, wonderful show that explores the ideas of heritage, misinformation, and identity with a talented cast in a fast-paced, graphic novel, 90s pop culture-inspired production and is playing at The Old Globe through May 7th....

Love, laughter, and latchkeys are the main tenants to Cygnet Theatre’s PRESENT LAUGHTER, playing through April 29th which brings a strong cast to bring the laugh in this fizzy, funny farce.  ...

THE EMPIRE STRIPS BACK brings Star Wars-inspired sexy, nerdy fun to San Diego through April 30th. This burlesque brings comedy, pop culture,  humor, and the art of the strip tease to the stage for an incredibly entertaining time. See what our critic had to say. ...

“On a clear day,” is the opening and closing of NEAT by Charlene Woodard, as she recounts her coming of age in 1960s and 70s America and her relationship with her disabled aunt. A co-production of the Loud Fridge Theatre Group and Scripps Ranch Theatre, this play is beautifully performed and dir...

WhaThe San Diego Opera has outdone itself with its most recent production of Puccini’s Tosca. The three major roles are sung by appealing voices with exceptional power; the company’s chorus and the city’s children’s choir combined for thrilling moments, especially in the riveting Act I final...

The new musical adaption of THE OUTSIDERS at the La Jolla Playhouse brings all of the restless energy and the building tensions of the novel, written by S.E.Hinton to the stage with dynamic performances and choreography. Extended through April 9th  at the La Jolla Playhouse, see this show before i...

The Old Globe Theatre is going for the gold with their World Premier  THE XIXTH (The 19th).  The show is funny, and thought-provoking, and shows that sadly, the issues of protesting systematic racism and looking for freedom and equality are still as relevant now as it was then.  THE XIXTH is p...

Puccini is one of Michelle Bradley’s favorite composers, and she’s in San Diego to sing his Tosca for the San Diego Opera company. We were originally scheduled to talk in person, but a rehearsal change meant Zoom was going to work better for an hour discussion. “I'm happy to be back, and I kn...

It took 3 years and one pandemic, but Will Cooper’s world premiere satire gUnTOPIA has finally opened to audiences at The Roustabouts Theatre Co. The show is a dark comedy pondering what life and society could look like if gun ownership was universal, and not carrying a weapon was against the law....

Backyard Renaissance pulls no punches with their current production of GOD OF CARNAGE- where two couples have come together to resolve a fight between their children, but it quickly devolves from polite pretense to a delightfully chaotic and comedic confrontation as the gloves start to come off.  G...

THE CHERRY ORCHARD at North Coast Repertory Theatre brings a contemporary contemplation to a classic play with strong performances and a lovely set.  THE CHERRY ORCHARD is playing through April 2nd at North Coast Repertory Theatre....

Edo de Waart is now in his fourth year as Principal Guest Conductor of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. In his long career he’s headed orchestras on four continents and taught in this country’s finest music schools. It’s no coincidence that his frequent conducting appearances in San Diego hav...

GHOSTS, an opera Nicolas Reveles completed shortly before his recent death, premieres on Friday, April 14. He was visibly ill when I interviewed him in January, but excited and enthusiastic about the coming production. Part 1 of my interview described how the new opera came to be written. This concl...

SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE may be a beloved musical,  but it isn’t staged that often- it requires an excellent cast to perform a show based on a classic painting by George Seurat, with the complicated but gorgeous Sondheim music to perform in order to make it great.  Luckily, this show by CC...

 San Diego has deep ties to baseball well before the Padres arrived on the scene. The Old Globe’s new play UNDER A BASEBALL SKY, set in Logan Hieghts shows how baseball can become an important thread in the tapestry of individuals and their communities. This 90-minute play has mystery, family, ma...

The big question for the evening was how mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe would do as the first woman in professional opera to sing the baritone title role in Gianni Schicchi. But the question wouldn’t be answered until the second one-act opera in San Diego Opera’s “Puccini Duo.” Blythe was fi...

BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA now playing at Moxie Theatre through March 5th is a moving and thoughtful show about a father and daughters relationship, and is anchored by two excellent performances.  ...

Full of tap dancing, classic Cole Porter songs, and high seas hijinx,  ANYTHING GOES now playing at San Diego Musical Theatre through March 12th is a delovely time at the theatre....

R-E-S-P-E-C-T playing at Lamb’s Players Theatre welcomes everyone back to the ’60s with the fun and entertaining musical tribute to the women singers and songwriters of the 1960s  playing through March 26th....

Usually, the vanishing act is everyone’s favorite magic trick on stage, but for one family the magic is in the memories, and tragedy strikes when those start to disappear.  EL HURACÁN  at Cygnet Theatre explores the matriarchs, the memories, and the magic of one family in Miami through February...

What did our critic think of TARMO PELTOKOSKI As He MAKES HIS U.S. DEBUT WITH THE SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA at Southwestern Colleges Performing Arts Center? We seem to be going through an unprecedented flood of young conducting talent. Finnland's Tarmo Peltokoski is an example. At 22 his recent-c...