Costa Mesa Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 6

BWW Review: Semi-Sweet CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY Gets Sprinkled Into OC's Segerstrom Center
by Michael Quintos - June 05, 2019

Despite its general pleasant nature, many cute moments, and a plethora of genuine talent on stage, this stage musical adaptation of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY---Roald Dahl's beloved 1964 children's novel about a sweet, affable kid who wins a meet-and-greet (and more!) with an eccentric Candy ...

BWW Review: Updated M. BUTTERFLY Springs to Life at South Coast Repertory
by Michael Quintos - May 31, 2019

To close out its 55th season, Orange County's Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory is mounting David Henry Hwang's intriguing and mysterious play M. BUTTERFLY, using the playwright's much more layered and riveting 2017 Broadway revival as its source material. Marked assuredly by powerful, grippi...

BWW Review: Latest Revival of Musical Classic FIDDLER ON THE ROOF Rises at OC's Segerstrom Center
by Michael Quintos - May 16, 2019

In the latest North American touring production of what continues to be one of Broadway's laudable theatrical staples, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF's amiable patriarch Tevye is now being played by Israeli-born actor Yehezkel Lazarov, who gives the iconic role a fresh, less geriatric delivery that still shine...

BWW Review: Chance Theater's Superb SKYLIGHT Reunites Flawed Ex-Lovers Scarred by their Affair
by Michael Quintos - May 12, 2019

The specific highs and lows---and all the cloudy, uneasy details in between---of a failed relationship are all picked apart and analyzed by a pair of distressed former lovers in British playwright David Hare's absorbing 1995 play SKYLIGHT, currently on stage at Anaheim's Chance Theater through May 1...

BWW Review: Riveting New Play SHEEPDOG Has Impressive World Premiere at South Coast Repertory
by Michael Quintos - May 06, 2019

In playwright Kevin Artigue's riveting and thought-provoking new two-person play SHEEPDOG---which finishes up its World Premiere run at Orange County's South Coast Repertory through May 5, 2019 as part of the theater's annual Pacific Playwrights Festival---the ripped-from-the-headlines plot point th...

BWW Review: Hilariously Audacious Sequel POOR YELLA REDNECKS Premieres at South Coast Repertory
by Michael Quintos - April 22, 2019

If you are wondering whether it's necessary for you to have seen Qui Nguyen's critically-acclaimed 2015 play VIETGONE in order to enjoy its superior new sequel POOR YELLA REDNECKS, then don't worry too much about it. This incredibly funny, incredibly innovative, and incredibly well-acted follow-up i...

BWW Review: Aaron Lazar Presents BROADWAY TO HOLLYWOOD at OC's Segerstrom Center
by Michael Quintos - April 15, 2019

If you were fortunate enough to be one of the many who caught the touring production of the Tony Award-winning musical DEAR EVAN HANSEN during its Southern California stops at L.A.'s Ahmanson Theatre or, more recently, at O.C.'s Segerstrom Center of the Arts this past January, then you, no doubt, wo...

BWW Review: Musical Theatre West Brings CATCH ME IF YOU CAN Musical to Long Beach
by Michael Quintos - April 05, 2019

Musical Theatre West's entertaining, high-energy new production of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN---which continues performances at the Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts in Long Beach through April 14, 2019---is, for the most part, a sleek, stylish, and abundantly entertaining piece of theater, filled w...

BWW Review: ALADDIN and his Genie Conjure Up Fun and Magic at OC's Segerstrom Center
by Michael Quintos - March 15, 2019

Remarkably glitzy and broadly amusing, the delightful stage version of Disney's ALADDIN is a fun, lively, and entertaining repackaging of the originally fun, lively, and entertaining animated film classic, which will please both fans of the original and those in the mood for a great big dazzling (an...

BWW Review: Infamous Scandal Gets Punk Rock Concert Treatment in LIZZIE THE MUSICAL at Chance Theater
by Michael Quintos - February 19, 2019

Many have, of course, heard of the infamous Lizzie Borden, a young woman, who was charged with---but later acquitted of---the brutal axe murders of her father and stepmother in 1892. Strong curiosity and speculation remain til this day about the tragic events that took place more than a century ago,...

BWW Review: Heartfelt COME FROM AWAY Exudes the Best of Humanity at OC's Segerstrom Center
by Michael Quintos - February 12, 2019

Currently a welcome, much-lauded presence in each city it visits, the top-notch first national tour of the multi-award-winning 2017 Broadway musical COME FROM AWAY---currently enchanting audiences at OC's Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa through February 17---is just the kind of timely s...

BWW Review: Thrilling New SWEENEY TODD Slays at OC's South Coast Repertory
by Michael Quintos - February 05, 2019

Admittedly, after experiencing South Coast Repertory's potent and captivating new production of SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET, I'm hard pressed to remember the last time I was both this deeply moved and this excitedly riveted by Stephen Sondheim's macabre tale of a murderous barber ...

BWW Review: Timeless Classic HELLO, DOLLY! Returns in Lustrous Revival at OC's Segerstrom Center
by Michael Quintos - January 29, 2019

As most people know with live theater, there is an underlying risk in promoting that a specific star will be there at every single performance, as advertised in a specific project. Unfortunately, that's simply not realistic nor is it always going to be the case, due to a multitude of factors beyond ...

BWW Review: Through Tears, DEAR EVAN HANSEN Wows at OC's Segerstrom Center
by Michael Quintos - January 10, 2019

A powerful, emotionally-riveting, dynamically-staged original stage musical, DEAR EVAN HANSEN is a truly incredible, phenomenal show that I happily admit-in just a few years of its existence-has quickly become one of my favorite Broadway musicals of all time. Not only does it feature gorgeous, memor...

Review: BWW's Michael L. Quintos Picks Best of O.C. and Beyond for 2018
by Michael Quintos - December 29, 2018

As with each passing season, 2018 proved to be another exceptional year for theater not only in Souther California in general but also in Orange County---my home base. This year, the OC finally welcomed the debut of what has become this century's most awarded and most renowned stage musical ever abo...

BWW Review: Musical Adaptation of Jane Austen's EMMA Beguiles at OC's Chance Theater
by Michael Quintos - December 19, 2018

While watching Chance Theater's brand new OC-premiere of EMMA: THE MUSICAL--Paul Gordon's charm-filled 2007 stage musical adaptation of Jane Austen's beloved 1815 novel--I noticed a welcome sensation that took over me throughout most of the production… I could not stop smiling. Delightfully appealin...

BWW Review: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - A CHRISTMAS ROSE Panto Delights at Laguna Playhouse
by Michael Quintos - December 13, 2018

The cheeky PG-rated fun of British Panto, courtesy of Lythgoe Family Productions, returns for more holiday silliness at Orange County's Laguna Playhouse, this time with BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: A CHRISTMAS ROSE, which continues through December 30, 2018 in Laguna Beach under the direction of Sheldon Ep...

BWW Review: The Power Of Ten! The Ten Tenors Raise The Roof At The McCallum Theatre
by David Green - November 21, 2018

After surviving a tumultuous election season and, let's face it, a pretty scathing couple of years of anger, hatred and division, sometimes you just need to grab a couple hours of joy wherever you can find it. Last night I found my joy at The McCallum Theatre as The Ten Tenors opened a six show stre...

BWW Review: Hit Musical WAITRESS is the Sweetest Treat at Segerstrom Center
by Michael Quintos - November 20, 2018

Can you recall the last time you were truly enamored by a stage musical? Well, that is exactly what transpires while watching the all-together endearing hit Broadway musical WAITRESS, which continues its national tour stop at Orange County's Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa through Novem...

BWW Review: Political Play KINGS at South Coast Rep Exposes the Influence of Lobbyists
by Michael Quintos - November 05, 2018

As our divided country hurtles towards the all-important mid-term elections, it is becoming increasingly harder not to feel even a bit disenchanted with it all, as we surrender to the feeling that our political system seems to be unfairly rigged. Right smack at the center of the action are people wh...

BWW Review: VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE Brings Sibling Hilarity to South Coast Repertory
by Michael Quintos - October 17, 2018

Thank goodness my lack of knowledge of Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's library of theatrical plays and fictional stories didn't prevent me from enjoying Christopher Durang's wildly hilarious, Chekhov-inspired VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE, a modern-set play that won the Tony Award for Best ...

BWW Review: Intense Drama THE OTHER PLACE Stirs at OC's Chance Theater
by Michael Quintos - October 05, 2018

In award-winning playwright Sharr White's intriguing 2011 psychological drama THE OTHER PLACE, the play's compelling central figure, 52-year-old laboratory scientist turned drug company marketing exec Juliana Smithton, narrates her own fascinating story directly for the audience. For its stirring Or...

BWW Review: South Coast Repertory Presents Charming Stage Adaptation of SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
by Michael Quintos - September 18, 2018

To kick off its 55th Season, Orange County's Tony Award-winning regional theater South Coast Repertory is presenting a charming new stage adaptation of the Jane Austen literary classic SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, which continues performances in Costa Mesa through September 29. In tone, pacing, and castin...

BWW Review: ON YOUR FEET! Pulsates with High-Energy Rhythms at Segerstrom Center
by Michael Quintos - August 27, 2018

I believe the best way to describe the sensation one gets when experiencing the Broadway stage musical adaptation of multi-platinum selling recording artist Gloria Estefan's life story is to actually use one of her very famous songs: "The Rhythm is Gonna Get You." That is exactly what happens to an ...

BWW Review: Ingersoll's Garland Reincarnated in An Excruciatingly Raw END OF THE RAINBOW
by Gil Kaan - August 14, 2018

Playwright Peter Quilter's END OF THE RAINBOW packs a powerful punch in the gut under director Michael Matthews sure-handed guidance of his talented cast. Two moments of RAINBOW rate as the must, MUST-see moments for any Judy Garland aficionados - when the astonishing Angela Ingersoll totally morphs...