Review: Tony Award Winner Sutton Foster Returns to the OC at Irvine Barclay

The last time I saw two-time Tony Award-winning Broadway star Sutton Foster singing live and in-person was just this past December, when she and the majority of the amazing company of the recent Broadway revival of ONCE UPON A MATTRESS transplanted that production directly from Broadway for a brief, four-week limited-run at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles as a sort of last hurrah. 

As expected, the charismatic Foster—looking like someone having the best time yukking it up with her fellow silly thespians on stage—was a luminous presence, blessed with a big powerful voice and the witty comedic skills that remained unmatched amongst her contemporaries. 

But the last time I saw Foster just as herself, in concert here in Orange County was waaaay back in January of 2011, when she performed a series of intimate, candlelit cabaret concerts at the Samueli Theatre at Segerstrom Center for the Arts—just a couple of months before she took on the role of Reno Sweeney in Roundabout Theatre Company's rousing revival of ANYTHING GOES, the show that would eventually win the actress her second career Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

I even got to have a quick chat with her for a Broadway World interview back then, which you can read HERE. 

She, of course, has been fairly busy in the 14 years that have passed since that debut OC appearance in Costa Mesa. 

Besides many more returns to the stage—including high-profile lead roles in the Broadway revivals of THE MUSIC MAN and SWEENEY TODD and even a wonderful turn as the Baker's Wife in the Hollywood Bowl star-studded production of INTO THE WOODS—Foster also cultivated a rich TV career, first in 2012 as the lead in Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino's Bunheads (which sadly lasted just one season) followed by seven seasons in the hit TV Land comedy/dramaYounger that began in 2015.

Musical theater, naturally, is her undeniable sweet spot, which became the primary source material for her first-ever concert at the Irvine Barclay Theatre that took place during a rain-soaked evening on January 25, 2025.

Playing to a enraptured, sold-out crowd eager to see (and hear) her up-close, Foster's exquisite one-night-only concert—accompanied by her longtime musical director Michael Rafter on piano—was a sublime showcase for not only her superb singing talents, but also for her effortless wit and charm via the sprinkled stories she shared about her life, her acting work, and the hilarious joys and frustrations of raising her precocious 7-year-old daughter… all of which were quite plentiful throughout the evening. As expected, her humorous overshares were just as impressive as her actual singing performances which, for the most part, felt like a needed warm hug on a cold night.

And much like her previous concerts she has performed throughout the years, Foster curated a lovely setlist for her Barclay show filled with selections that varied in genre— from familiar showtunes, some reimagined classic standards, and even a few surprising pop gems.

She opened the show with a playfully coy "Something's Coming" from WEST SIDE STORY followed by a piercingly tender "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory that set the tone for the kind of emotional highs-and-lows we were about to embark on with her show.

Next, Foster reached back to old-school jazz standards, first with a buoyant take on George and Ira Gershwin's "Slap That Bass," then by a pair of sublime Cole Porter songs: "I Get A Kick Out of You"—a song she got to sing nightly during her Tony-winning run on ANYTHING GOES—followed by the cute and playfully cheeky "Don't Look At Me That Way."

Foster then recalled the time when she would visit the public library to check out old Broadway cast recordings, which began her education into musical theater music. This is how she fell in love with specific writers, which she honored first with a beautifully heartfelt rendition of "Stars and the Moon" from Jason Robert Brown's SONGS FROM A NEW WORLD, followed by "Breeze Off The River" from David Yazbek's THE FULL MONTY.

Throughout the evening, Foster giddily references her now 7-year-old daughter Emily quite often, which she amusingly admitted has become, pretty much, her biggest influence on every decision and activity she does in her life—including what material has become top-of-mind for her at performances. This led to the very funny "Raining Tacos," a song that, apparently, was forcibly introduced to her by her daughter, followed by the snarky "Undecided," a song inspired by her funny frustrations living with a young girl. Foster, at one point, messed up the lyrics to the latter and hilariously restarts to everyone's delight.

"Mistakes are awesome!" she proudly boasted.

Of course, as she lovingly countered, motherhood also has its moments of simple joys that remind her about having unconditional love for another person. 

This had her reminiscing about the time she was doing the recent revival of THE MUSIC MAN (the same show where she met her current beau Hugh Jackman) and how it was challenging to be a new(er) mother at the time to a growing toddler while also being on stage for eight shows a week—which meant often missing out on key precious time with her kid. It was during that time that she decided to sing a nightly lullaby to Emily before she went off to bed: the super-sweet "Goodnight, My Someone," a song her character sings in the show.

Later, with Emily now a little older, Foster's new goal was to seem "cool" to her daughter, which prompted her to say yes to playing ONCE UPON A MATTRESS' unconventional princess Winnifred—an unabashedly unapologetic free-thinker who's more pungent than proper. This segued to her revisiting "Happily Ever After" from the show which I saw her sing in full costume just a few weeks before!

Moving beyond musical theater for a bit, Foster then moved on to a segment that featured music selections inspired by the tastes of her own mother, who introduced her to many of pop music's most prolific singer-songwriters who had a knack for deep storytelling. This included Dan Fogelberg's moving narrative "Same Old Lang Syne," Steve Wonder's poignant "If It's Magic," and Joni Mitchell's sentimental "A Case Of You."

Next, Foster sang a triumphant rendition of Jerry Herman's "I Don't Want To Know" from DEAR WORLD, a song that reiterated her sentiments of keeping precious moments of our lives everlasting—even if it means putting blinders on when things go sour. But she also expressed in song that she can't, as the song stated, want to be in denial of reality, realizing also that in our ever-changing world—especially with all that has already transpired in just a few weeks into a chaotic January—we sometimes have to just carry on and do our best.

This led to her gentle version of "Que Será, Será (Whatever Will Be Will Be)" which she prefaced with an introduction to her longtime love of crocheting—a pastime she has found to be a soothing, zen-like activity that has allowed her to be calm in the midst of craziness, which she detailed in her 2021 book Hooked: How Crafting Saved My Life.

In perhaps the most unique bit of performance art of the evening, Foster asked an audience member what her favorite color was…

"Green!" yelled the audience member.

At that point, Foster sat down and revealed a fairly large knitted blanket from her duffel bag and proceeded to crochet a green-yarned section of the blanket. She explained that in her tours and travels, she asks someone's favorite color which she then stitches it on the blanket, thereby creating this virtual travelogue in her creation! While she proceeded with knitting needles, the audience watched in rapt bliss as she also sang a beautiful and appropriately heartwarming version of John Denver's "Sunshine On My Shoulders," one of my personal favorite Foster covers from her 2011 live album An Evening with Sutton Foster that she also performed during her OC debut concert.

She ended the song having crocheted an entire line!

Next, Foster sang a sublime, torch song "Meantime," a bluesy song by Carol Burnett that I had never heard before, but actually got me a bit teary-eyed with its poignant lyrics. As she said her goodbyes for the night, Foster began with a line from "Goodnight Is Not Goodbye" then continued with "Thank You So Much" from DO I HEAR A WALTZ? As an encore, Foster concluded with a touching "Till There Was You" from THE MUSIC MAN, buttoning the show with a lovely musical punctuation that had everyone cheering.

Unsurprisingly, Foster received a massive standing ovation from the exuberant crowd, who just witnessed first-hand one of musical theater's brightest gifts. For the lucky few that were able to secure a ticket to this intimate, up-close and personal concert, it will remain a wonderful core memory. For myself—as someone who has performed on this very stage for more than 20 years as part of a local arts group—it felt like opening up one's home to one of your idols.

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Photos by Juho Choi, courtesy of Irvine Barclay Theatre.

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Tickets to upcoming future performances at the Irvine Barclay Theatre can be purchased online at www.theBarclay.org, by phone at 949-854-4646 or in person at the box office located at 4242 Campus Drive in Irvine, on the campus of UC Irvine. 

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