Outdoor Plays and Concerts Will Deliver a Last Blast of Summer That’s Fun and Exciting
Under-the-stars theater productions and concerts – of both the classical and pop music variety – are singular ways to enjoy the breezes and cooler temps evening brings during the dog days.
August 5, 2024
‘Hallmark Movie Musical’ is Supercharged with an Immersive Audience Experience
Irvine Theater Company is combining the O.C. premiere of ‘My (unauthorized) Hallmark Movie Musical’ with ‘Dr. Love’s Rom-Com Experience’ to create a singular, evening-long event.
July 29, 2024
South Coast Repertory is Heartbroken That It’s Losing the Mission
Its successful partnership with Mission San Juan Capistrano for summer productions unexpectedly ends. Is there another place for SCR’s summer outdoor season?
July 12, 2024
California’s Budget is in the Red – Its Arts Programs are Black and Blue
Just two scant years ago, California was sitting plush with a $97 billion budget surplus. The state budget for 2022-23 was a healthy $307 billion and funded a long list...
July 1, 2024
Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Kooza’ is a Return to Its Origins
This vibrant performance, held under the big top, circles back to what made the circus group popular in the first place.
June 14, 2024
Longtime Friends Come Together to Bring ‘Hedwig’ to Life at the Maverick
Dennis Tong arrived around 5 p.m. to Fullerton’s Maverick Theater on a recent Friday to begin his transformation. On his way, he made a stop to buy some tomatoes. “We...
June 12, 2024
Summer Preview: A Look at the Best in OC Arts and Culture
We’ve made it past Memorial Day weekend, so what does that mean? The summer season has officially begun! So instead of falling back on the usual, conventional options – movies,...
May 29, 2024
Four Productions – Two Plays, Two Musicals – Grab the Lion’s Share of O.C. Theatre Guild Awards
Curtis Theatre’s ‘Gentleman’s Guide…,’ Costa Mesa Playhouse’s ‘Clybourne Park’ and Chance’s ‘Ride the Cyclone’ and ‘Curious Incident…’ are the big winners. You can never say the outcome of any awards...
May 15, 2024
Classical Music is Booming. Theater? Not So Much.
We look at what ails theater, still struggling to recover four years after the pandemic. The dark days of the pandemic are several years behind us now, but the performing...
May 10, 2024
SCR at 60, Part 2: The Investment in New Plays Pays Off
Editor’s Note: This is PART 2 of a two-part series recognizing SCR’s 60th anniversary season, which continues through August. South Coast Repertory founders David Emmes and Martin Benson had every reason...
May 6, 2024
With ‘Prelude to a Kiss, The Musical,’ SCR Adds New Wrinkles to the Play it Originated 36 Years Ago
REVIEW: Playwright Craig Lucas and company have, for better or worse, wrought a different theatrical animal, seemingly missing key emotional dynamics. In the opening scene of “Prelude to a Kiss,...
April 21, 2024
Biblical Times, a Musical ‘Prelude’ and More at the Pacific Playwrights Festival
The Costa Mesa company’s 26th showcase unveils two standalone productions of new shows, plus a quintet of staged readings. If new plays are indeed the life blood of theater companies,...
April 19, 2024
