Costa Mesa Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 12

BWW Review: Promising New Pre-Broadway Musical EMPIRE Debuts in La Mirada
by Michael L. Quintos - January 27, 2016

It's no surprise that a palpable, uproarious reception greeted the opening night performance of EMPIRE - THE MUSICAL, a brand new stage show featuring book, music, and lyrics by Caroline Sherman and Robert Hull---currently having its 'out-of-town' premiere at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing...

BWW Review: EMPIRE THE MUSICAL Aims for the Sky
by Ellen Dostal - January 27, 2016

EMPIRE THE MUSICAL has been knocking around in the wings ever since Caroline Sherman and Robert Hull began writing it in 1999. Its first fully-staged production took place at the Hudson Theatre in Hollywood in 2003 and it has had periodic readings through the years in both Los Angeles and New York. ...

BWW Review: Idina Menzel Concludes Final Week in IF/THEN Tour at OC's Segerstrom Center
by Michael L. Quintos - January 21, 2016

Much like the opening night performance I experienced at the show's debut at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood last month, I was once again blown away by Menzel's incredible musical gifts with the show's opener at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa (which plays through January 24). Even be...

BWW Review: Non-Equity BULLETS OVER BROADWAY National Tour Kills in Fun L.A. Premiere
by Michael L. Quintos - January 21, 2016

While certainly far from a perfect show (both in staging and execution), the bus-and-truck version of BULLETS OVER BROADWAY - THE MUSICAL---the quirky and highly-amusing stage musical adaptation of the 1994 big screen comedy penned by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath---is nonetheless a supremely fun ...

BWW Reviews: A Definitive 'Morning Glow' Lingers After a Glorious PIPPIN at The McCallum Theatre
by David Green - January 13, 2016

The National Tour of PIPPIN is, hands down, the finest touring production to land at The McCallum Theatre during my tenure in the desert cities. Passionate. Polished. Near Perfection! It is a glorious spectacle of sight, sound and immaculate storytelling that, despite its mesmerizing visual feast of...

BWW Review: HOME ALONE Parody Holiday Hit!
by Aimee Curameng - January 04, 2016

The holidays aren't over at Rockwell (nor should they be!) and you have two more chances to catch their current great parody show of the '90s Christmas classic Home Alone. Previous parodies included Scream and Cruel Intentions which brought a flurry of nostalgia for those who grew up in the '90s, bu...

BWW Review: Tony Winner Idina Menzel Leads National Tour of IF/THEN in Los Angeles
by Michael L. Quintos - December 14, 2015

As expected, Tony Award winner and Broadway superstar Idina Menzel drew thunderous applause a mere second into the the start of IF/THEN's opening night performance at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre last Wednesday night. It's no stretch then to say that her mere existence in this very same role she h...

BWW Review: GUYS AND DOLLS, Reinvented and Rich with Life at The Wallis
by Ellen Dostal - December 11, 2015

Luck has nothing to do with it. Mary Zimmerman's GUYS AND DOLLS is a well thought out, surprisingly fresh reinvention of one of the best golden age musicals ever written. The charming production just concluded a 9-month run at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and can now be seen on stage at the Wallis An...

BWW Review: Coyote Stageworks' Zippel-Directed BEING EARNEST IN NEW YORK a Triumph at the Annenberg
by David Green - November 25, 2015

For one 'wonderfully entertaining' night only, Coyote Stageworks brought to the stage an all-star cast in a tremendously engaging staged-reading of Oscar Wilde's THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST -- with a twist! Helmed, and created, by Tony Winner David Zippel, this EARNEST was set in modern day Manh...

BWW Review: Rousing New 42ND STREET Tour Dazzles OC with Its Fancy Footwork
by Michael L. Quintos - November 16, 2015

Need a pick-me-up from a bad day? Aching to smile heartily through a pleasantly peppy stage musical? Then you need not look further than the rousing, just-launched new touring production of the Tony Award-winning hit 42ND STREET, now currently entertaining audiences at Orange County's Segerstrom Cen...

BWW Review: South Coast Repertory Revisits Beth Henley's Grand ABUNDANCE
by Michael L. Quintos - November 09, 2015

It was 25 years ago when South Coast Repertory first staged the World Premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Beth Henley's dark comedy ABUNDANCE. Fast forward to 2015, and Orange County's Tony Award-winning regional theater saw it fitting to once again revisit the property in a brand new prod...

BWW Review: Desert Theatreworks Presents a Top-Notch Production of STEEL MAGNOLIAS
by Audrey Liebross - November 02, 2015

Desert Theatreworks, in Palm Desert California, has mounted a top-notch production of STEEL MAGNOLIAS. The acting is Broadway-quality, and the sets and costuming are also superb....

BWW Review: Irresistibly Beguiling MY FAIR LADY Blooms at Musical Theatre West
by Michael L. Quintos - November 01, 2015

Fourth time's the charm for Musical Theatre West as the award-winning regional theater company opens its 63rd season with the 1956 Lerner and Loewe Broadway classic MY FAIR LADY. Retaining the effervescent wit and jubilant spirit of the original, MTW's irresistibly beguiling, top-notch local revival...

BWW Review: Top 10 Reasons Why Disney's THE LION KING Is Still Worth Seeing On Tour
by Michael L. Quintos - October 26, 2015

18 years and billions of box office receipts later, Disney's Tony Award-winning global hit THE LION KING is still going strong both on Broadway and on various touring and sit-down productions across the world. The show's North American tour is currently finishing up its four-week return engagement a...

BWW Review: York and Pinchot Lead Kooky ADDAMS FAMILY at OC's 3D Theatricals
by Michael L. Quintos - October 20, 2015

Appropriately enough, the supposedly haunted Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton is currently playing host to the happy spooks of 3-D Theatricals' regional production of THE ADDAMS FAMILY, which continues performances at this historic theater through October 25 before migrating south to the Redondo Beac...

BWW Review: Chance Theater's A BRIGHT NEW BOISE Mixes Dark Comedy with Heartbreaking Spiritual Catharsis
by Michael L. Quintos - October 16, 2015

Full of the Obie-winning playwright's amusingly observant and stirringly poignant portraits of ordinary people in extraordinary flux, Samuel D. Hunter's 2010 play A BRIGHT NEW BOISE is now being staged in a terrific production currently in performance at Orange County's Ovation-winning Chance Theate...

BWW Review: So Cal Premiere of FIRST DATE a Surprise Charmer at La Mirada
by Michael L. Quintos - October 06, 2015

So does FIRST DATE---the relatively new musical comedy now playing its Southern California regional premiere at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts through October 11---merit an outing? Sure! If you're looking for a cute, charming little musical that's giddy and entertaining and features a...

BWW Reviews: MICHAEL FEINSTEIN'S A NIGHT AT THE MOVIES Brings Nostalgia with the Pasadena Pops
by Aimee Curameng - October 02, 2015

The Pasadena Pops held their final event of the summer at the Los Angeles Country Arboretum and Bontanic Garden on September 12, 2015. Michael Feinstein, performer and principal Pops Conductor led the full orchestra and featured soloists Shelea Frazier and Broadway's Jeremy Jordan....

BWW Review: Hilarity and High Jinx Abound in ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS at South Coast Rep
by Michael L. Quintos - October 01, 2015

To put it succinctly, be ready to laugh your ass off. A brilliant, witty melange of slapstick, sight gags, silly absurdity, hyperbolic acting, and even bits of good ol' reliable audience participation, ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS, Richard Bean's exceedingly hilarious comedy of errors, misdirections, and mi...

BWW Review: MAN COVETS BIRD and Delivers Magic at 24th Street Theatre
by Ellen Dostal - October 01, 2015

You can tell when a theatre company cares about its audience, especially when that audience is largely made up of young people. It doesn't talk down to them and it doesn't assume they will only understand the obvious. Instead, its directors take the time to seek out work that is worthy of engagement...

BWW Review: Desert Rose's LOOT is a Bizarre, Irreverent Hoot
by Audrey Liebross - September 29, 2015

LOOT, a 1965 satirical farce -- a bizarre, dark parody of an English drawing room comedy -- by British enfant terrible Joe Orton, is a difficult production. Desert Rose Playhouse, in Rancho Mirage, California, pulls it off. Excellent acting and directing result in a great deal of hilarity....

BWW Review: MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL Leaves the Crowd Laughing and Dancing at Riverside's Fox Performing Arts Center
by Audrey Liebross - September 28, 2015

MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL-THE SURVIVOR TOUR is a great deal of fun. Each bouncy number has plenty of clever lyrics and deliberately silly choreography to keep the audience laughing. It is almost impossible not to clap and dance along with the performers as they perform such antics as playing instruments...

BWW Review: Desert Theatreworks Mounts a Brilliant, Must-See Production of DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE
by Audrey Liebross - September 21, 2015

Palm Desert's Desert Theatreworks has mounted a must-see production of Sarah Ruhl's edgy, comedic, metaphysical play, DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE.The director has created such a visual and musical feast that it doesn't matter if anyone understands the story, any more than it does with a ballet....

BWW Reviews: ISC's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is a 1940s Charmer
by Ellen Dostal - August 12, 2015

One of the keys to providing great entertainment is understanding your audience. For a theatre company that means knowing what your audience wants and then being able to provide it so they keep coming back for more. Independent Shakespeare Co. has done a brilliant job of both. Not only do they play ...

BWW Reviews: THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is a Beautiful Production, Well Worth the Trip from the Coachella Valley and Inland Empire
by Audrey Liebross - August 10, 2015

The new touring production of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, currently playing at the Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa, is a must-see. The music, costumes, and sets are hauntingly beautiful and the performances are generally superb. Katie Travis, as Christine Daae, is a standout....