San Diego Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations

Review: KNOCK LOUDLY! at OnStage Playhouse
by ErinMarie Reiter - April 19, 2025

OnStage Playhouse brings the golden age of movies to the stage in this new play Knock Loudly! playing through April 27....

Review: THE HOT WING KING at Cygnet Theatre Cooks with Heart
by ErinMarie Reiter - April 19, 2025

Katori Hall’s 'The Hot Wing King,” now playing at Cygnet Theatre through May 2nd, has plenty of humor, heart, and heat. ...

Review: REGENCY GIRLS at The Old Globe
by ErinMarie Reiter - April 12, 2025

“Regency Girls' is The Old Globe's hilariously clever and entertaining new musical, which is playing through May 11....

Review: San Diego Opera Presents Strauss's SALOME at the San Diego Civic Theater
by Ron Bierman - March 31, 2025

What did our critic think of SAN DIEGO OPERA PRESENTS STRAUSS'S SALOME at San Diego Civic Theater? Richard Strauss’s eerie and perverse Salome is based on Oscar Wilde’s play of the same name, as adapted by librettist Hedwig Lachmann. Wilde was inspired by the Biblical tale of Princess Salome and Jo...

Review: 3 SUMMERS OF LINCOLN at La Jolla Playhouse
by ErinMarie Reiter - March 05, 2025

“3 Summers of Lincoln” at the La Jolla Playhouse brings you a vibrant musical about a friendship between President Lincoln and Frederick Douglass that changed the course of American history. ...

Review: WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME at North Coast Repertory Theatre
by ErinMarie Reiter - March 05, 2025

When was the last time you thought about the Constitution?  I mean really thought about it and how it impacts your life?  Probably not that often, but that will change after seeing North Coast Rep’s stellar production of ‘What The Constitution Means To Me,” which is playing through March 30th....

Review: THE DARK HEART OF DOOLEY STEVENS at Backyard Renaissance
by ErinMarie Reiter - March 02, 2025

The world premiere of “The Dark Heart of Dooley Stevens,” written by Backyard Renaissance Artistic Director Francis Gercke, will play through March 15th. This play is a mix of horror, drama, and things that may be hard to explain....

Review: WE ARE CONTINUOUS at Diversionary Theatre
by ErinMarie Reiter - March 01, 2025

“We Are Continuous” is an intimate play with an unusual recurring monologue and some in-scene format. Luckily, this production is very well-cast with Marti Gobel, Elliott Sagay, and Eli Wood and is excellently directed by Kian-Kline-Chilton. “We Are Continuous” is playing at Diversionary Theatre thr...

Review: ALABASTER at OnStage Playhouse
by ErinMarie Reiter - February 28, 2025

It’s not unusual to talk to your pets, though usually, when they start to talk back, it’s a cause for concern.  Instead, “Alabaster,” playing at OnStage Playhouse, uses Weezy the goat, who does talk back to her owner, to add a sweet touch of magical realism to this play about love, loneliness, and h...

Review: THE LONDON SYMPHONY and PIANIST YUNCHAN LIM at San Diego Jacobs Music Center
by Ron Bierman - February 23, 2025

What did our critic think of THE LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY PRESENTS THE LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA at San Diego Jacobs Music Center? Standing Ovations showed the audience's appreciation of pianist Yunchan Lim in Rachmaninov's second piano concerto and the orchestra's excellence under conductor Sir Anto...

Review: HELLO, DOLLY! at San Diego Musical Theatre
by ErinMarie Reiter - February 22, 2025

San Diego Musical Theatre and Dolly Levi invite you to Yonkers to sing, dance, visit Harmonia Gardens, and maybe even fall in love with “Hello, Dolly!” This classic musical brings the songs and fun of the story to life through March 9th at San Diego Musical Theatre....

Review: SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY PREMIERES A NEW WORK BY BILLY CHILDS at Jacobs Music Center
by Ron Bierman - February 06, 2025

What did our critic think of SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY INTRODUCES A WORLD PREMIERE at Jacobs Music Center? Alexander Malofeev was 13 when he won the prestigious International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians under 18. His technical prowess was exceptional, but his musicality at such a young age ...

Review: SOME LIKE IT HOT is tap-tastic at Broadway San Diego
by ErinMarie Reiter - January 30, 2025

“Some Like It Hot,” now playing at Broadway San Diego, brings an updated classic film to the stage in a high-energy, tap-tastic show with big Broadway staging.  ‘Some Like it Hot” is playing at Broadway San Diego at the Civic Theatre through Sunday, February 2nd....

Review: 26 MILES at Different Stages
by Sabrina Wallace - January 15, 2025

Different Stages production of “26 Miles” is a heartfelt road trip through family, culture, and identity. Cantu and Medina shine as a mother-daughter duo reconnecting across the cultural divide. Highly Recommended!...

Review: THE HEART SELLERS at North Coast Repertory Theatre
by ErinMarie Reiter - January 13, 2025

“The Heart Sellers’ at North Coast Repertory Theatre is a lovely testament to the hope and loneliness of new beginnings and the power of friendship....

Review: THE HISPANIC/LATINO/LATINA/LATINX/LATINE VOTE at TuYo Theatre
by ErinMarie Reiter - January 13, 2025

'The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote” by TuYo Theatre makes its San Diego premiere as part of the National New Play Network's Rolling World Premiere. This timely and thought-provoking play is running through January 19th. ...

Review: The La Jolla Music Society Presents the SPANISH HARLEM ORCHESTRA at The Conrad
by Ron Bierman - December 18, 2024

What did our critic think of THE LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY PRESENTS THE SPANISH HARLEM ORCHESTRA at The Conrad? The La Jolla Music Society has featured exceptional musicians in many genres over the years. Best known for staging classical concerts, since the opening of its intimate home at the Conrad th...

Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A GHOST STORY TOLD BY JEFFERSON MAYS at The Old Globe
by ErinMarie Reiter - December 16, 2024

The Old Globe Theatre offers a delightful holiday gift with “A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story Told by Jefferson Mays” a solo show that is a masterclass in storytelling.  Playing only through December 22nd, make this show a part of your holiday present before it becomes a regret of your holiday past....

Review: San Diego Symphony Perform Richard Strauss and Shostakovich at The Jacobs Music Center
by Ron Bierman - December 13, 2024

This year’s final subscription concert at the new Jacobs Music Center began with Richard Strauss’s tone poem Don Juan and ended with his equally familiar Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks. In between, Inon Barnatan was featured in two 20th Century piano concertos by Dimitri Shostakovich. The usual p...

Review: “YOUR LOCAL THEATER PRESENTS: A CHRISTMAS CAROL, BY CHARLES DICKENS, AGAIN” at La Jolla Playhouse
by ErinMarie Reiter - November 26, 2024

La Jolla Playhouse offers a new perspective on a holiday classic in “Your Local Theater Presents: A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, Again,” which plays through December 15th....

Review: MISERY at Backyard Renaissance
by ErinMarie Reiter - November 24, 2024

Backyard Renaissance cuts through the seasonal sweetness with a shiver down your spine with Stephen King’s “Misery” through December 7th....

Review: LITTLE WOMEN: THE BROADWAY MUSICAL & OUR DEAR DEAD DRUG LORD At MOXIE Theatre
by ErinMarie Reiter - November 22, 2024

Moxie Theatre presents two radically different repertory shows with compelling performances reflecting girlhood's myriad experiences, “Little Women: The Broadway Musical” and the dark thriller “Our Dear Dead Drug Lord.” Both are running with the same core cast through December 8th....

Review: ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE at Blindspot Collective
by ErinMarie Reiter - November 21, 2024

Blindspot Collective brings “Another Day in Paradise,”  a new play with music that highlights the lives and challenges of the unhoused community through the true stories of people around San Diego through November 24th. ...

Review: HADESTOWN at Broadway San Diego
by ErinMarie Reiter - November 09, 2024

This weekend through Sunday, November 10th, Broadway San Diego will take you to hell and back with the fantastic touring production of the musical “Hadestown.”...

Review: MIDNIGHT AT THE NEVER GET at Diversionary
by ErinMarie Reiter - November 06, 2024

Midnight at the Never Get is an intimate show that offers a wonderful musical experience and an entertaining and emotional look at how love, social justice, ambition, and some torch songs can create a life—but can they create a happily ever after?...