Costa Mesa Theater Reviews

BWW Reviews: FLASHDANCE Splashes Down on the OC

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. (more...)

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

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. (more...)

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

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. (more...)

BWW Reviews: SCR Stages World Premiere of SMOKEFALL

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. (more...)

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

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. (more...)

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

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. (more...)

BWW Reviews: SCR Stages Emotionally-Gripping Play THE WHALE

Beautifully acted and heartbreakingly stirring, Samuel D. Hunter's excellent, emotionally-gripping play THE WHALE, plays at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa through March 31. The play follows the story of Charlie (Matthew Arkin, in a truly transformative performance that many will remember for decades to come), a 600-pound online writing teacher whose health problems are coupled with deep-rooted emotional heartache. (more...)

BWW Reviews: Charmingly Flawed CATCH ME IF YOU CAN Lands in L.A.

While certainly a fun, buoyant little show---featuring some enjoyable music from HAIRSPRAY composers Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, as well as a very likable, extremely talented young actor, Stephen Anthony, at the center of its semi-autobiographical tale of successful grifting---CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: THE MUSICAL focuses much of its creative raison d'etre on its eye-catching razzle dazzle, and not enough on the fascinating story that's bubbling underneath. The non-Equity touring version of the short-lived 2011 four-time Tony nominated show, is now on a two-week layover at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles through March 24. (more...)

BWW Reviews: Revamped Broadway-Bound JEKYLL & HYDE Makes Hollywood Debut

Now in the final stretches of its 25-week national tour before ultimately making its sit-down Broadway transfer later this Spring, the brand-new, revamped revival of JEKYLL & HYDE - THE MUSICAL has finally returned to Southern California for the next few weeks, this time playing performances at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood through March 3. Although this loud, Vegas-style reboot's changes are swathed in good intentions, very little---not even its trio of impressively talented lead singers---can truly eradicate the show's laughably grandiose histrionics, its weak book, and that inescapable cheese-factor. (more...)

BWW Reviews: Hwang's Hilarious CHINGLISH Gets Translated for SCR

Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang's immensely funny CHINGLISH, a recent hit on Broadway, is now playing at South Coast Repertory through February 24. A co-production with the Berkeley Repertory Theatre -- and featuring almost the exact same cast from that Fall 2012 West Coast Premiere -- this witty, thoroughly engaging play examines the misunderstandings between two very diverse cultures that go well beyond a mere language barrier. Emerging from all the boisterous laughter is a play that truly illustrates the idea that for different cultures to really understand each other, they have to also really get each other, too. (more...)

BWW Reviews: Broadway Couple Mazzie & Danieley Offer HE SAID/SHE SAID Cabaret

Armed with twice the vocal power and awash with plenty of real, fiery chemistry, Broadway vets -- and real-life married couple -- Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley's romantically-themed cabaret showcase titled 'He Said/She Said' played to packed audiences at the Samueli Theater in Costa Mesa over Valentine's Day Weekend, February 14 - 16. The touring concert act was cheekily explained as the couple's true love story told via specially-selected tunes that span Broadway and the Great American Songbook. (more...)

BWW Reviews: Dinos Run Amok in TRIASSIC PARQ Musical in OC

If you've ever sat through Steven Spielberg's e-ticket cinematic blockbuster Jurassic Park and wondered to yourself… 'Gee, I wonder how those dinosaurs feel about this whole situation,' then this cheeky, oddly hilarious musical send-up is the perfect show for you. Silly and even surprisingly touching, TRIASSIC PARQ - THE MUSICAL -- now playing its West Coast Premiere to loud cheers at the Chance Theater in Anaheim Hills through February 24 -- is a fresh new stage show that offers a mosquito-on-the-wall look inside the electrified fences of that fictional dino-populated island, but this time from the point-of-view of the dinosaurs themselves. The result? A laugh-riot from start to finish. (more...)

BWW Reviews: Hypnotic Drama WAR HORSE Trots Triumphantly to the OC

Hands down one of the most hypnotic, creatively-staged plays ever conceived for the theater, the Tony Award-winning WAR HORSE--whose National Tour is now on stage at Costa Mesa's Segerstrom Center for the Arts through February 3--is an utterly stirring feat of theatrical magic, expertly combining dazzling technical wizardry with a touching story of hope and perseverance. (more...)

BWW Reviews: SCR Stages Funny and Provocative THE MOTHERF**KER WITH THE HAT

In Stephen Adly Guirgis' wickedly funny, intensely riveting 2011 dark urban comedy THE MOTHERF**KER WITH THE HAT -- now enjoying a superb, profanity-laced new production at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa through January 27 -- the idea of personal growth is explored mostly through the (cuss) words and actions of recovering addict Jackie, a volatile yet vulnerable NewYorican ex-con in desperate need to change himself and his wretched lot in life. Unfortunately, though, in this brilliant play, his optimistic trajectory is pretty much hindered by inescapable behavioral and environmental circumstances. (more...)

BWW's Michael L. Quintos Picks His Best of So. California Theater for 2012

As expected (thankfully) 2012 provided Southern California audiences--specifically here in Orange County and nearby Los Angeles and San Diego--a season full of outstanding, remarkable theater offerings from touring companies, impressive regional productions, and even some tiny black box theaters. And, of course, as is the common practice during the ushering of a new year, the enjoyable past-time of putting together a year-end 'best of' list is something contributor Michael Lawrence Quintos truly looks forward to doing, especially when there's a plethora of great work to choose from--many of which he had the pleasure of reviewing exclusively for BroadwayWorld. (more...)

BWW Reviews: O.C. Hosts Contrasting Pair of 'Family' Musicals for the Holidays

This holiday season, Orange County found itself playing host to two very different families that couldn't be more disparate from one another--well, at least on the surface. On this corner... LITTLE WOMEN: The Musical. In the other... THE ADDAMS FAMILY: The Musical. What do they have in common? A daughter willing to risk it all for a chance to fulfill her dreams. (more...)

BWW Reviews: TEATRO ZINZANNI Orders Up an Awesome Buffet of 'Love, Chaos, and Dinner'

The three-hour-plus extravaganza of food, frolic, and fun is so thoroughly entertaining, that it's hard to point out which of its many features is the best. It's no wonder, then, that this big hit that ran for years in Seattle and San Francisco has just been given a much deserved extended engagement through February 17, 2013 at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts' outdoor plaza in Costa Mesa. (more...)

BWW Reviews: Broadway's Murney, Mauzey Headline WICKED DIVAS Concert

No other feeling compares to the rousing excitement triggered by hearing a live, huge orchestra blasting out a Broadway overture. Even better? Add two powerhouse vocalists who played lead roles in the smash hit musical WICKED to sing in front of them. Under the valiant direction of conductor Richard Kaufman, Pacific Symphony opens its new season with the concert WICKED DIVAS, which continues nightly performances in Costa Mesa's Segerstrom Concert Hall through November 17. (more...)

BWW Reviews: MTW Opens 60th Season with Tap-Tastic 42ND STREET Revival

To high-kick-start its 60th anniversary season, Musical Theatre West in Long Beach, CA is presenting a glossy, high-energy revival of what could be the Great Grand-Daddy of all backstage musicals: 42ND STREET. This terrific, tap-tastic new production continues performances at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center through November 11. (more...)

BWW Reviews: Feinstein Honors Sinatra Songbook in OC Cabaret Concert

On the evening of October 27, 2012, an almost full-capacity house at Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa definitely had two reasons to celebrate: first, that five-time Grammy-nominated singer/composer Michael Feinstein is back in concert in Orange County; and, second, that he's brought with him an awesome, 17-piece big band to perform an enjoyable musical tribute to Frank Sinatra. The one-night-only concert -- part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts' 2012-2013 Cabaret series -- didn't disappoint, bringing the O.C. an entertaining mixture of rousing jazz-swing numbers, heartfelt ballads, and amusingly-delivered historical facts about the legendary icon, with Feinstein serving as both charming lecturer and talented headliner all in the same breath. (more...)

BWW Reviews: Joyful HAIRSPRAY Revival Gets Hold of O.C.

Orange County, CA- based 3D Theatricals presents an eye-popping, high-energy production of eight-time Tony Award-winner HAIRSPRAY at the Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton through October 28 before transferring to the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, November 2-4. This truly impressive revival is so much fun that even those who've seen the show numerous times will enjoy it--thanks primarily to its story, score, songs, and characters. (more...)

BWW Reviews: STOMP Tour Brings Lots of Noise, Lots of Funk

What kind of stage show do you get when you take random everyday objects--from plastic bags and basketballs, to brooms and garbage cans--and strike them every which way to create a symphony of percussion? Well, unless you've been buried under a giant scrap heap for the past few decades, then you'll no doubt know about (or at least have heard of) the show STOMP, that odd, hyper-kinetic novelty act that combines non-stop percussive beats with light choreography and G-rated humor. Its latest touring company is currently bringing in the noise--and, yep, the funk--to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts' Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa through October 14. (more...)

BWW Reviews: SCR Revives Brit Comedy ABSURD PERSON SINGULAR

British playwright Alan Ayckbourn's amusing 1972 comedy ABSURD PERSON SINGULAR--which celebrates its 40th Anniversary this year--is currently eliciting chuckles through October 7 at South Coat Repertory in Costa Mesa. Though very much a product of its era, the three-act play directed by SCR co-founding Artistic Director David Emmes still succeeds in mining genuine laughs thanks to its mixed bag of sharp one-liners, humorous (if clichéd) visual gags, and a stupendously gifted cast. (more...)

BWW Reviews: BATMAN LIVE Stays True to Comics, Makes a Good Time for Kids and Fans

Fitting three performances in one day can come at a cost depending on where you're playing. And though Batman Live World Arena Tour was only in San Jose for four short days (heading to Los Angeles next), Saturday evening's performance, the third showing that day, found the large HP Pavilion less than half full. The audience was there in spirit, though, spread out from the top boxes to the main floor seating. Children smiled and pointed at the show's spectacular visuals and semi-stellar acrobatics while the enthusiastic Batman fans were excited just to be near their favorite superhero. (more...)

BWW Reviews: OC's 3D Theatricals Presents Enjoyable Berlin Revue I LOVE A PIANO

Orange County-based 3D Theatrical's surprisingly ebullient new production of the Irving Berlin musical revue I LOVE PIANO--now performing through September 23 at the Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton before it moves to the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, September 28-30--is buoyed by its composer's indelible contributions to the Great American Songbook. Despite a paper-thin yet serviceable storyline, the show is redeemed by a six-member song-and-dance ensemble that will wow you with one beautifully-rendered musical performance after another. This heartwarming yet briskly peppy musical revue is definitely worth your time. (more...)