Costa Mesa Theatre + Broadway News

BWW Reviews: FLASHDANCE Splashes Down on the OC

(5/18/2013) - Despite having a cast of incredible triple threats, overall, FLASHDANCE: THE MUSICAL---the new, Broadway-bound stage musical based on the popular 80's-era movie of the same name---seems like a well-meant endeavor that needs a serious overhaul in its disjointed execution. The national tour company continues its Costa Mesa stop at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts through May 19.

BWW Reviews: Tony Winner Betty Buckley Brings Her Class Act to Segerstrom's Samueli Theatre

(5/17/2013) - It is easy to understand why Betty Buckley has been called the 'Voice of Broadway'. To begin, she has an astounding instrument with an incredible range. She can belt out the lyrics from 'Come Back to Me' from On a Clear Day You Can See Forever and then in the next breath bring her voice down to almost a whisper, like a prayer, in essaying 'Maria' from West Side Story. Secondly, she is a dynamic actress who feels the story the song is telling. Most of all, through living this material, there's great soul, a deep sense of humanity lurking beneath. I have always said it takes a great actress to be a great singer. Betty Buckley is most definitely among the small group of Broadway divas who consistently hit the mark. Her unique contribution is an unparalleled grace and class which emanate from every phrase she utters.

South Coast Repertory's Theatre for Young Audiences Series Closes with THE NIGHT FAIRY

(5/17/2013) - A very small fairy encounters very big creatures in South Coast Repertory's final production of the Theatre for Young Audiences series: a new adaptation by John Glore of Newbery Medal-winning author Laura Amy Schlitz's book "The Night Fairy." The production runs May 24-June 9 on the Julianne Argyros Stage. Schlitz's book is illustrated by Angela Barrett and published by Candlewick Press. Learn more online: http://www.thenightfairy.com.

Photo Flash: Sneak Peek - Jillian Mueller Teaches FLASHDANCE on KTLA-TV Tonight

(5/16/2013) - Tonight during KTLA-TV 6 p.m. news broadcast, Jillian Barberie, host of the new Hollywood Mix, visits with Jillian Mueller 'Alex' of Flashdance - The Musical. They go over the iconic splash-segment. Check out sneak peek photos from the taping below!

BWW Interviews: Tony Winner Betty Buckley Talks Upcoming OC Cabaret

(5/16/2013) - Tony Award-winning stage and screen star Betty Buckley---who has been called 'The Voice of Broadway'---will be headlining a series of concerts as part of Segerstrom Center for the Arts' Cabaret Series from May 16 - 18 at the Samueli Theater. Called 'Ah, Men! The Boys of Broadway,' the show will feature the living legend giving her own inimitable spin on classic Broadway tunes that have traditionally been written for male characters (the show also has a companion CD with a similar title). Buckley will be accompanied on stage by Grammy and two-time Emmy winner John McDaniel. Before she took her male-centric cabaret concert to Orange County, the 2012 Theater Hall of Fame inductee fielded questions from BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos.

BWW Interviews: Jillian Mueller of FLASHDANCE National Tour Answers Our Silly Query

(5/14/2013) - After spending time on Broadway and on tour, triple-threat actress Jillian Mueller can now be seen dancing up a (ha ha) storm in the National Tour production of FLASHDANCE, in which she plays leading lady Alex Owens---yes, the sexy steel mill worker who moonlights as a maniac, maniac, on the floor. The stage incarnation of the hit movie of the same name continues performances through May 19 at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. While settling into her final week of shows here in Orange County, Ms. Mueller agreed to some of our silly questions. Thankfully, she played along!

Now Playing Onstage in Costa Mesa - Week of 5/12/2013

(5/12/2013) - Upcoming Shows - Week of 5/12/2013 for Costa Mesa

SCR Announces Summer Events

(5/10/2013) - A carnival midway of magic, mischief and theatrical thrills! Amanda Dehnert, celebrated throughout the American theatre for re-imagining classics, has added a multitude of visual delights and fantastical illusions to the original charm and beautiful ballads (like the haunting "Try to Remember") of The Fantasticks. When two scheming fathers conspire with the mysterious El Gallo to keep their daughter and son apart (to be sure they'll fall in love!) the dewy-eyed lovers venture into the real world. But as fantasy turns to reality, El Gallo is there to remind them that "without the hurt, the heart is hollow" in one of the most popular musicals of all time, which the Washington Postcalls, "Fresh and alive again."

3-D Theatricals Presents PARADE, Now thru 5/26

(5/10/2013) - 3-D Theatricals presents PARADE, tonight, May 10 - 26, 2013 at Plummer Auditorium, 201 East Chapman Ave, Fullerton, Calif., directed by T.J. Dawson, choreographed by Dana Solimando and musically directed by David Lamoureux.

THE FANTASTICKS Closes South Coast Rep's 2012-13 Season, Now thru 6/9

(5/10/2013) - A charming love story, magical illusions and memorable music will bring South Coast Repertory's 2012-13 season to a close with the world's longest-running musical, The Fantasticks by Tom Jones, book and lyrics, and Harvey Schmidt, music. Performances on the Segerstrom Stage run tonight, May 10-June 9.

CELTIC WOMAN Performs at Marin Center, 5/28 & 29

(5/9/2013) - The enchanting Irish musical ensemble Celtic Woman, currently performing across America on an expansive four-month concert tour will perform at the Marin Center. Celtic Woman combines the talents of four gifted Irish women-vocalists Chloe Agnew, Lisa Lambe and Susan McFadden, and violinist Mairead Nesbitt-whose dazzling performances combine the sounds and sensibility of Irish traditional music with memorable original compositions and contemporary pop standards. Celtic Woman is backed by a bag piper, championship Irish dancer, full band and six-member choir.

FLASHDANCE Makes Orange County Premiere at Segerstrom Center, Now thru 5/19

(5/7/2013) - FLASHDANCE - THE MUSICAL, the stage adaptation of the 1983 hit film that defined a generation, will make its Segerstrom Center premiere tonight, May 7 - 19, 2013.

SISTER ACT Comes to Orange County, 8/6-18

(5/6/2013) -

THE WIZARD OF OZ North American Tour to Launch from Las Vegas in September 2013; Danielle Wade to Play 'Dorothy'

(5/6/2013) - Producers Bill Kenwright, The Really Useful Group, David Mirvish, Troika Entertainment & Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures have just announced that the first North American tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's new stage adaptation of THE WIZARD OF OZ will commence on September 10, 2013 at The Smith Center in Las Vegas, NV.

Now Playing Onstage in Costa Mesa - Week of 5/05/2013

(5/5/2013) - Upcoming Shows - Week of 5/05/2013 for Costa Mesa

BWW Reviews: Delany and Weber Star in SCR's Witty World Premiere of THE PARISIAN WOMAN

(5/3/2013) - In South Coast Repertory's amusingly naughty World Premiere production of Beau Willimon's THE PARISIAN WOMAN (now playing through May 5), 'Body of Proof' star Dana Delany plays Chloe, a morally ambiguous but undeniably tenacious Washington DC housewife with high political aspirations, especially for her husband (Steven Weber) who's seeking to be the next Attorney General. Armed with wit and sexuality, Chloe seduces her way through the intoxicating pursuit of power.

Voting Opens for the 2013 BroadwayWorld Awards! Vote Now for the Best of the 2012-13 Theatre Season...

(5/2/2013) - The Tony Awards Nominators had their say earlier this week and now it's your turn! We're pleased to announce that voting has now opened for the 11th Annual BroadwayWorld.com Awards!

THE FANTASTICKS to Close South Coast Rep's 2012-13 Season, 5/10-6/9

(4/30/2013) - A charming love story, magical illusions and memorable music will bring South Coast Repertory's 2012-13 season to a close with the world's longest-running musical, The Fantasticks by Tom Jones, book and lyrics, and Harvey Schmidt, music. Performances on the Segerstrom Stage run May 10-June 9.

Now Playing Onstage in Costa Mesa - Week of 4/28/2013

(4/28/2013) - Upcoming Shows - Week of 4/28/2013 for Costa Mesa

BWW Reviews: SCR Stages World Premiere of SMOKEFALL

(4/28/2013) - This year's main-stage attraction of SCR's annual Pacific Playwrights Festival, SMOKEFALL---a co-production with Chicago's Goodman Theatre directed by Anne Kauffman---starts off initially intriguing, as if first unveiling itself as a dark dramedy that follows three generations of an eccentric family living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the tolls that the passage of time imposes on their lives. But instead, what actually transpires through the course of its three acts is an uneven play that ultimately gets too bogged down in its own randomly structured quirkiness.

BWW Interviews: Janet Dickinson, On the Road with BILLY ELLIOT

(4/23/2013) - Each night---and sometimes even twice in a single day---actress Janet Dickinson gets to pretend to be a sassy, chain-smoking Brit in charge of a bunch of rowdy, screech-happy pre-teens at a community center ballet class in the current national tour production of BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUSICAL, now playing through April 28 at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa. Before the tour's arrival in Orange County, Dickinson answered a few silly questions from BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos while on the road...

BWW Reviews: Orange County Welcomes BILLY ELLIOT Back to So. California

(4/23/2013) - I first reviewed the national tour of BILLY ELLIOT - THE MUSICAL during its triumphant five-week stop at Hollywood's Pantages Theatre a year ago (which you can read HERE) and found it to be quite an entertaining, well-executed show. Now an entire year has passed and the show has finally returned to Southern California, this time playing at Costa Mesa's Segerstrom Center for the Arts through April 28. Does it still hold up? In a special guest column, Robert Neale offers 'A Second Opinion' Review.

Photo Flash: First Look at Dana Delany, Steven Weber and More in South Coast Rep's THE PARISIAN WOMAN

(4/21/2013) - THE PARISIAN WOMAN by Beau Willimon, inspired by Henri Becque's La Parisienne and directed by Pam MacKinnon, runs now through May 5, 2013 on the Julianne Argyros Stage. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Now Playing Onstage in Costa Mesa - Week of 4/21/2013

(4/21/2013) - Upcoming Shows - Week of 4/21/2013 for Costa Mesa

3-D Theatricals to Present PARADE, 5/10-26

(4/17/2013) - 3-D Theatricals presents PARADE, May 10 - 26, 2013 at Plummer Auditorium, 201 East Chapman Ave, Fullerton, Calif., directed by T.J. Dawson, choreographed by Dana Solimando and musically directed by David Lamoureux.

BWW Reviews: OC Hosts Tony-winning Legend Barbara Cook's 85th Birthday Concert

(4/16/2013) - Billed as Barbara Cook's Special 85th Birthday Concert, the Tony Award-winning soprano's one-woman concert of musical theatre songs, rare selections, and jazz standards at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa was met with well-earned---and well-deserved---adoring cheers throughout the evening. And if the concert was Cook's master class in musical performance, her latter interview with ASCAP's Michael Kerker was a symposium on how to be the best entertainer one can be.

BILLY ELLIOT Dances Through Segerstrom Center, Now thru 4/28

(4/16/2013) - Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films Old Vic Productions and NETworks Presentations, LLC bring the multi-award-winning Billy Elliot the Musical to Segerstrom Center for the Arts from tonight, April 16 - 28, 2013.

Now Playing Onstage in Costa Mesa - Week of 4/14/2013

(4/14/2013) - Upcoming Shows - Week of 4/14/2013 for Costa Mesa

THE PARISIAN WOMAN Opens Tonight at South Coast Rep

(4/14/2013) - South Coast Repertory's world premiere of Beau Willimon's The Parisian Woman opens tonight, April 14.

Broadway's Barbara Cook Celebrates 85th Birthday at Segerstrom Center Tonight

(4/13/2013) - Broadway legend Barbara Cook returns to Segerstrom Center to celebrate her 85th birthday year with a performance in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall tonight, April 13 at 8 p.m.

HELLO DOLLY Will Open 4/19 at SCERA Center

(4/12/2013) - One of the most successful musicals to ever play on Broadway is coming to the SCERA Center for the Arts this month for a three-week run April 19 through May 11.

Tutus Announce the Arrival of BILLY ELLIOT at Segerstrom Center, 4/16-28

(4/10/2013) - Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films Old Vic Productions and NETworks Presentations, LLC bring the multi-award-winning Billy Elliot the Musical to Segerstrom Center for the Arts from April 16 - 28, 2013. Based on the international smash-hit film and featuring music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, choreography by Peter Darling and direction by Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot the Musical has earned critical acclaim around the world and was the winner of ten 2009 Tony Awards including Best Musical.

FLASHDANCE Comes to Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 5/7-19

(4/9/2013) - Full casting has been announced for the Orange County engagement of FLASHDANCE - THE MUSICAL, the stage adaptation of the 1983 hit film that defined a generation. Joining Jillian Mueller as Alex and Matthew Hydzik as Nick are Katie Webber as Tess, Kelly Felthous as Gloria, DeQuina Moore as Kiki, Jo Ann Cunningham as Hannah, David R. Gordon as Jimmy, Matthew Henerson as Harry and Christian Whelan in the role of C.C.

HELLO DOLLY Begins 4/19 at SCERA Center

(4/8/2013) - One of the most successful musicals to ever play on Broadway is coming to the SCERA Center for the Arts this month for a three-week run April 19 through May 11.

Photo Flash: First Look at South Coast Rep's SMOKEFALL World Premiere

(4/7/2013) - In three short acts, Noah Haidle's play 'Smokefall' tells the story of three generations of a middle-American family that lives in Grand Rapids, Mich. Join South Coast Repertory for the world premiere of Smokefall, running now through April 28, 2013. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Now Playing Onstage in Costa Mesa - Week of 4/07/2013

(4/7/2013) - Upcoming Shows - Week of 4/07/2013 for Costa Mesa

Terrapin Puppet Theatre Debuts at Segerstrom Center, 4/6-7

(4/6/2013) - Segerstrom Center's Family Explorer Series opens with the Terrapin Puppet Theatre from Australia performing the moving and poetic play Boats today, April 6 and tomorrow, April 7, in Samueli Theater. Boats is the story about a man named Jof, as told by his friend Nic. These two life-long friends and mariners, who met through bizarre circumstances involving a chicken, a deserted island and a sombrero, escape their past and embrace the unknown future with a great sense of adventure.

BWW Interviews: The Newest 'Must-See' Show in Palm Springs! Steve Connolly is SPIRIT OF THE KING at Spa Resort Casino

(4/2/2013) - Veteran Las Vegas performer Steve Connolly stars as the legendary Elvis Presley in the stage production SPIRIT OF THE KING, which premiered March 6 for an open-ended engagement in the Cascade Lounge of the Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs. Dubbed "The hardest working KING in show biz," Steve Connolly has performed as Elvis Presley more than 4,000 times in his career and was chosen by the Las Vegas Review Journal's staff as "Best Elvis in Las Vegas" in 2006 and 2007. I had the chance sit down recently with Mr. Connolly to talk about his career and "all things Elvis". He was charming, funny, charismatic -- and, holds "The King" and his legacy in great reverence. Here are a few highlights from our brief chat:

Photo Flash: Todrick Hall, Rachel Davis and More Sing Disney Songs for Cabaret at The Merc in Temecula

(3/31/2013) - Cabaret at The Merc returned to beautiful Old Town Temecula on March 24th, 2013, for a magical evening of Disney music, featuring songs from Mary Poppins, Aladdin, Beauty and The Beast, The Little Mermaid, Mulan, Hercules, and more! Scroll down for photos from the concert!

Now Playing Onstage in Costa Mesa - Week of 3/31/2013

(3/31/2013) - Upcoming Shows - Week of 3/31/2013 for Costa Mesa