Reopened two years ago following an extensive restoration, the Lido Theater has been returned to its full glory with art deco details, from the grand marquee outside to ornate mirrors and light fixtures, refinished mahogany columns, historic tiles and retouched murals throughout the interior. Originally built in 1939, the Newport Beach landmark was one of Orange County’s earliest cinemas and remains one of the area’s few single-screen theaters.
While the iconic venue has mostly shown films in recent years, management has launched an impressive lineup of concerts and performances by stand-up comedians through January, bringing new energy to the building.
“It was always the vision to be a wonderful gathering place for all sorts of entertainment: film, music, comedy, community events,” said Hollywood producer Joseph “McG” Nichol, who took over theater operations in 2024 with Jordan Otterbein through their River Jetty Restaurant Group, which includes Newport’s beloved A Restaurant.
“For me, stages are meant to be performed upon,” Nichol continued. “We have a lovely stage in front of our spectacular big screen. Bring on the performances.”
The fall/winter season kicked off in August with Prince tribute band Prince Again, ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro and comedian Billy Gardell. Coming up are shows by comedian and musician Morgan Jay on Sept. 4 and 5 (sold out, but a few more tickets may be released leading up to the shows), soul duo The Righteous Brothers on Sept. 10 and 11, Grammy Award-winning guitarist and composer Al Di Meola on Sept. 18, comedians Margaret Cho on Oct. 9 and Rita Rudner on Nov. 1, rock band Hinder on Oct. 11, swing band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on Nov. 19, singer-songwriter Andy Grammer on Nov. 29 and a solo acoustic show by musician Pete Yorn on Dec. 11.
There will also be tribute bands playing music by the likes of Rush, Depeche Mode, Oingo Boingo and Danny Elfman, and much more, culminating with a special evening dedicated to “Phantom of the Opera” and other music by Andrew Lloyd Webber on Jan. 30, featuring acclaimed performers from the Metropolitan Opera, Broadway and the International Opera Institute. A few live performances have been presented since the theater reopened, including two sold-out shows by comedian David Spade in June, but the latest announcement makes an even bigger push from the screen to the stage.
Nichol, who grew up in town, has fond memories of the theater as that’s where he basked in all the blockbusters of the day.
“The Lido Theater has always had a special place in my heart,” Nichol said. “All the movies of my youth, I grew up watching there. It made me fall in love with the dream of what could be – gigantic, transformative stories that take us to a world more extraordinary than our own.”
But, when Nichol and Otterbein took over theater operations, they had big plans for the space beyond the silver screen, which are now coming to fruition.
Singer-songwriter Andy Grammer will perform at The Lido Theater on Nov. 19. Photo courtesy of Andy Grammer 
Comedian Morgan Jay. Photo courtesy of The Lido Theater/Morgan Jay 
The renovated Lido Theater in Newport Beach has presented a few live events since reopening in 2024, including two sold-out shows by comedian David Spade this past June. Now, a full lineup of concerts and stand-up comedy shows are planned through January. Photo courtesy of The Lido Theater
Community Connections
This month, two nights of benefit concerts are planned Sept. 10 and 11, featuring The Righteous Brothers: original member Bill Medley – a part-time O.C. resident – and vocalist Bucky Heard, who stepped into the role after Bobby Hatfield passed away in 2003 to keep the group’s legacy going.
Medley, a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, teams up with Heard to perform top hits like “Unchained Melody,” “(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration” and “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ ” – the most played song in radio history until 2019, when it was surpassed by “Every Breath You Take” by The Police.
Medley’s deep, bass-baritone voice anchors the duo’s classic tunes, complemented by Heard’s tenor tones in a concert that’s sure to be a nostalgic journey for music fans. Intended to become an annual event, these inaugural Lido Legacy Live concerts will benefit the Newport Beach Junior Lifeguard Program scholarships and Friends of OASIS, which helps support the local senior center.
Before the concert on both evenings, a reception will kick off at 6 p.m. next to the theater along The Lido Walk. Light bites will be provided by Lido House hotel, Byblos Mediterranean Grill, zpizza and The Cannery, which will also be pouring cocktails. Auction items include a meet-and-greet with Medley following the concert, the opportunity to sing on stage with him during the concert, a rescue boat ride with the Newport Beach Junior Lifeguards and other items.
Ines Gandal, general manager of Lido Theater, said it’s exciting to see live events returning to this community venue as the operators envisioned.
The Lido Theater’s concession stand remains central to the lobby’s art deco styling following an extensive restoration. The theater closed in 2019 and reopened in 2024, now presenting both movies, live music and stand-up comedy shows. Photo courtesy of The Lido Theater/Bob Hodson Photography 
Lido Theater’s single-screen auditorium features a marine life mural that glows in the dark as well as restored art deco details. The theater closed in 2019 to undergo an extensive restoration – which was delayed by the pandemic – before reopening in 2024. Photo courtesy of The Lido Theater/Bob Hodson Photography 
Lido Theater’s single-screen auditorium features a marine life mural that glows in the dark as well as restored art deco details. Photo courtesy of The Lido Theater/Bob Hodson Photography
“It’s been such a fun, new experience hosting all these incredible artists and performers, and watching all of our guests experience Lido in a new way,” she said.
Gandal noted that the theater, with approximately 500 seats, is a great place to see these shows.
“You’re never in a bad seat,” she said. “Everything is never more than 200 feet away. You’re never going to be blocked by something. You’re never going to need a pair of magnifying glasses to see the artist. It feels really, really intimate. There’s also an accessibility level to The Lido. You know, you’re not driving to the Honda Center and parking a half hour away. Everything feels really convenient and cozy.
“It’s sort of like upscale entertainment in your backyard, in your neighborhood, classic family theater. So you could come and see free movies during the day with your kids, and then come back the next night for PG 13-rated comedy. We have everything.”
Gandal said she is particularly looking forward to shows by Jay, Rudner and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. “I love seeing everybody dance in the aisles,” she said. “That’s always really fun, and the fashion that people wear – people kind of dress for the artists.”
But mostly, Gandal appreciates the theater’s neighborhood feel, the history of the building and the loyal patrons.
“We’re a small part in the lengthy story … of Lido Theater and hearing so many folks tell me their stories of how they went on their first date or got married even at the Lido is really, really special,” Gandal said. “We have a lot of regulars. I know them by name. They send me pictures of their dogs …. It’s that really, really close-knit community feel, and yet top-tier talent – entertainment on a very A-list scale – that brings it all together.”
Keeping It Local
One of those big names is Rudner, who brings her stand-up comedy act to Lido Theater on Nov. 1. Local to the area, Rudner became a full-time Dana Point resident after she and her husband, Martin Bergman, sold their L.A. home during the pandemic. Already living part-time in Dana Point, they decided to stay in the scenic locale.
“Where we live, first of all, it’s very beautiful and there’s no traffic,” she said. “And it’s very quiet and peaceful.”
Previously, they lived for about 10 years in Las Vegas, where Rudner was performing at the time and had the longest-running solo female comedy show in the city’s history. She was named Comedian of the Year for nine years in a row by readers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and, in 2017, she was presented with the Casino Entertainment Legend Award.
“We started coming here (to coastal Orange County) when it got ungodly hot,” she said. “We started vacationing here. My husband’s parents would come, we’d get them a house to rent in the summer and we’d visit them. We just always loved it here. We got married … at the Orange County courthouse and we had our honeymoon at the Ritz-Carlton (in Dana Point) …. We always said, ‘This is where we want to live someday.’ And then, finally, I think it was 30 years later, we could afford it.”
Rudner has performed multiple times at nearby Laguna Playhouse, but this will be her first time at Lido Theater. “I didn’t know about it,” Rudner said, adding that she doesn’t travel much, even down the road to Newport. “But when I got the offer, we went and checked it out, and we love that area and love that theater. It’s really one of those historic sites that’s going to be a lot of fun.”
While Rudner has worked as an actress and also co-written plays and film scripts with her husband, she is perhaps best known for her comedy routines, which are full of witty observations about life and relationships. Impressively, Rudner got her start as a dancer on Broadway after graduating early from high school in Miami and moving to New York by herself at 15 — and staying at the Barbizon Hotel for Women, where Liza Minnelli also famously lived as a young actress. While Rudner’s talents have taken her from the theater stage to the screen, she loves stand-up comedy.
“It’s a lot of freedom to say what you want, wear what you want, and the audience is my boss,” Rudner said. “What I love about stand-up is I don’t have to work for anyone except the audience. When I was doing TV shows, you’d worry about ratings, and then Broadway, you worry about reviews. But with stand-up, you just get up and, if the audience laughs, I leave it in. And if they don’t laugh, I don’t say it again.”
Rudner said she finds plenty of comedic material through life in Orange County, from pickleball to plastic surgery to the endless different diets and the many digital ways that people want to be paid these days. Her ongoing struggle with technology also provides fodder.
“If I have to open up one more app or build another chair from IKEA …. To me, the easier they make life, the harder it gets,” she said.
If You Go
Live Shows at The Lido Theater
When: Various dates from September through January
Where: The Lido Theater, 3459 Via Lido, Newport Beach
Prices: Range from $40 to $250, depending on the show
More info: thelidotheater.com, 949-287-6034
Her show also touches on all of the medicines being advertised on TV for seemingly every ailment on the planet. “I have high cholesterol. Luckily, I have low self-esteem, so it’s all balanced out,” she said.
Rudner has released several HBO specials over the years including “Rita Rudner’s One Night Stand,” nominated for several awards, and ratings standouts “Born to Be Mild” and “Married Without Children.” In 2008, “Rita Rudner: Live From Las Vegas” was the first stand-up comedy special presented by PBS. She also has performed across the country, even filling New York’s Carnegie Hall three times.
And Rudner has written six books including her autobiography, “My Life in Dog Years,” published in 2022. On the cover is the couple’s dog, Betsy, whom they adopted during the pandemic. “She was a rescue and I say she was found in Hollywood with a broken leg and an unproduced screenplay. It was very sad,” Rudner said. “She looks like a combination poodle and terrier, so I call her a Perrier.”
When Rudner first started out, while most people were listening to the latest rock music, she was studying other comedy acts for inspiration. “I was listening to Rodney Dangerfield and Woody Allen,” she said. “I went and looked at old TV shows from Jack Benny because I figured, ‘Who am I like?’ I’m Jewish and I’m quiet, so let’s look at Jack Benny and Woody Allen because I figured there wasn’t a female Jack Benny or Woody Allen, so I thought I would go in that direction and it kind of worked for me.”
These days, Rudner and her husband enjoy going to see performances by their daughter, Molly Bergman, a budding musician who recently graduated from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. A singer-songwriter who also plays piano, guitar and some other string instruments, she just released an EP, “Treading Water,” and has performed with her band at the Troubadour in West Hollywood and Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach.
Rudner also spends her time working on her comedy act and likes to play tennis. “I have a tennis clinic tonight,” she said. “I’m the only one without an artificial body part and I’m still the worst. I don’t know how that happened.”
Golf is another of the couple’s favorite pastimes – and a source for several jokes. “I have a lot of golf material,” she said, “because, you know, anything that’s painful is good for a laugh.”
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