Margaret O' Brien to Make Appearance at MTW's MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS 11/7 - 11/8November 4, 2009MUSICAL THEATRE WEST is pleased to announce that Margaret O'Brien, who starred as Tootie Smith opposite Judy Garland in the classic MGM film Meet Me In St. Louis, will be in attendance at two performances of the stage adaptation at the beautiful Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach. Oscar® winner Ms. O'Brien will be at the Saturday, November 7, 2:00 PM and Sunday, November 8, 2:00 PM performances, and will be available at intermission and after the performance to meet audience members and sign photos in support of the non-profit organization, The Southern California Motion Picture Council.
REVIEW: Musical Theatre West's Pleasant MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (Ends 11/15)November 3, 2009LONG BEACH, CA-There was once a simpler time in America, specifically at the turn of the 20th century, when hope and tradition were the norm and the promise of progress was tangible in the age of new mechanized machinery. That antiquated era of traditional family dynamics is the setting for MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, playing through November 15 at Long Beach's Musical Theatre West. Set within the proper backdrop of the Missouri Landscape as its citizens prepare for the arrival of the 1904 World's Fair, this family-friendly musical has charm, sweetness, and abundance of 'old-fashioned-ness' that it wears proudly on its sleeve with no amount of irony or a winking acknowledgment of its current modern audience. The show is filled with appeal but lacks the kind of edge or 'wow' factor that is so much more present in material that succeeded it. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's not exactly it's best asset either.
Laguna Playhouse presents MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS, October 6 - November 1November 1, 2009Making movie history is not easy! Just ask film producer David O. Selznick, who stops the filming of Gone with the Wind three weeks into production because he wants a rewrite of the unwieldy script. He hires playwright Ben Hecht to do the job-in only five days! Only one problem: Hecht has never even read the novel. So, Selznick summons Hecht and Gone With the Wind director Victor Fleming to his office, locks the doors and closes the shades. Subsisting on a diet of bananas and peanuts, the three men spend five days crafting a screenplay that will become the blueprint for one of the most successful films of all time. This wildly funny and engaging tale illuminates the behind-the-scenes business of movie-making during the golden age of Hollywood. A co-production with McCoy Rigby Entertainment and La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
Musical Theatre West Presents MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, Oct. 31 - Nov. 15October 31, 2009Musical Theatre West in Long Beach, CA opens its 57th season with MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, the stage adaptation of the beloved Judy Garland classic. Previews of this production begin on October 30th and opens October 31, 2009 and runs through November 15, 2009 at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach.
Frankie Valli and the Real Jersey Boys return to OCPAC Jan. 2, 2010October 29, 2009It's "Just to Good to be True!" Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons make a return visit to the Orange County Performing Arts Center on Saturday, January 2, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. in Segerstrom Hall for an evening full of classic hits such as "My Eyes Adored You" and "December '63 (Oh, What a Night)." Valli's incredible career as a solo artist and with The Four Seasons has produced 19 Top 10 hits and sold more than 100 million records worldwide. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and was named longevity champ of the rock era by Billboard magazine.
The Costa Mesa Playhouse presents 'Woman in Black' 10/30 - 11/22October 30, 2009Stephen Mallattrat's acclaimed play, The Woman in Black, from the novel by Susan Hill, has been frightening audiences in London's West End for 20 years and is now coming to Orange County to haunt the Costa Mesa Playhouse, October 30 - November 22.
Celebrate the Holidays with OC's Pacific SymphonyOctober 28, 2009'Tis the Season! For not-so-silent nights, visit Pacific Symphony during the month of December and discover a variety of ways to celebrate the holidays-from the Traditional to the new, presented by Orange County's Pacific Symphony. For more information visit www.pacificsymphony.org
The Costa Mesa Playhouse presents 'Woman in Black' 10/30 - 11/22October 28, 2009Stephen Mallattrat's acclaimed play, The Woman in Black, from the novel by Susan Hill, has been frightening audiences in London's West End for 20 years and is now coming to Orange County to haunt the Costa Mesa Playhouse, October 30 - November 22.
Photo Coverage: 2009 'BROADWAY WISHES' Benefit Concert After-PartyOctober 29, 2009On Saturday, October 24, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Orange County and the Inland Empire, a non-profit organization dedicated to granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions, threw a star-studded benefit concert that showcased unforgettable performances by some of the hottest talents on Broadway. The concert, BROADWAY WISHES, took place at the beautiful OC Pavilion Performing Arts Theater located in Santa Ana,CA.
Photo Coverage: 2009 'BROADWAY WISHES' Benefit Concert in O.C.October 29, 2009On Saturday, October 24, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Orange County and the Inland Empire, a non-profit organization dedicated to granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions, threw a star-studded benefit concert that showcased unforgettable performances by some of the hottest talents on Broadway. The concert, BROADWAY WISHES, took place at the beautiful OC Pavilion Performing Arts Theater located in Santa Ana,CA.
REVIEW: Moonlight and Magnolias provides laughs and history at Laguna PlayhouseOctober 27, 2009When you've got a prestige project like Gone With The Wind in your hands, your goal as a director or a producer or a writer or, hell, even a craft services caterer, is to make it be the Best. Movie. Ever. In 1939, in what seemed like a banner year for celluloid masterpieces, David O. Selznick was a young, ambitious, forward-thinking producer that knew this film, based on Margaret Mitchell's global best-seller, should be better than how it was progressing. Thus, according to Hollywood legend, he decides to shut down production on this massive film project, fire his original director, and bring in a trusted script doctor to fix the flaws in what would eventually prove to be one of history's most successful and celebrated pictures of all time. Thus is the premise of Ron Hutchinson's MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS, now playing at the Laguna Playhouse through November 1. There's plenty of laughs here, but can be slow and too long at certain moments.
OCPAC offers $20 Front Row Seats to RENT Tour, 10/20-10/25October 25, 2009Seats in the front two rows of the orchestra will be made available for just $20 for every performance of RENT: The Broadway Tour, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony® Award-winning musical, at the Orange County Performing Arts Center October 20 - 25. The $20 tickets go on sale at the Center's Box Office on the day of each performance only, two hours prior to the show and are available to anyone, cash only, with a limit of two tickets per person. The tickets will be distributed two hours before curtain on a first-come, first-served basis to those in line. The available seats are in two rows of chairs that have been set in front of the first rows of the house.
Orange County's Chance Theater presents West Coast Premiere adaptation of Chekov's THE SEAGULLOctober 25, 2009Orange County's Chance Theater presents the West Coast Premiere of Richard Nelson's adaptation of THE SEAGULL by Anton Chekov, which continues through October 25. The production is directed by Tony Vezner, Assistant Professor of Theatre at Irvine's Concordia University and director of the Chance's 2008 critically-acclaimed production of Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol. As one of the great works in the history of the theatre, THE SEAGULL is one of the most prolifically-produced plays in the world. From the original, famed production at Konstantin Stanislavski's Moscow Art Theatre in 1898 to the recent landmark revival in New York's Central Park, THE SEAGULL has enchanted and engaged audiences from across the world for the last 100 years.
Orange County's THEATRE OUT presents HAPPY ENDINGS ARE EXTRA October 1 - 25October 25, 2009Theatre Out, Orange County's gay and lesbian theatre, will present HAPPY ENDINGS ARE EXTRA as its next production, with performances starting October 1 and continues through October 25. This provocative story of love and betrayal unravels as one man comes to terms with the life he's leading and the one he left behind in a fascinating study of emotions that illustrates how intertwined the lives of two strangers can quickly become. This dark drama from playwright Ashraf Johaardien is rooted in the culture of South Africa's red light district and was inspired by the 2003 massacre of six rent boys. (October 1 - 25, 2009)
Eden Espinosa, Megan Hilty, Kate Shindle and More Take Part in 'Broadway Wishes' Benefit, 10/24October 24, 2009On Saturday, October 24, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Orange County and the Inland Empire, a non-profit organization dedicated to granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions, will benefit from the proceeds raised at an unforgettable evening filled with music and performances by some of the hottest and brightest stars on Broadway. The concert will take place at the beautiful OC Pavilion Performing Arts Theater located in Santa Ana on the evening of October 24, 2009.
Orange County's Chance Theater presents LITTLE WOMEN: THE MUSICAL 11/20 - 12/27October 23, 2009Chance Theater presents Tony®-Nominated Hit Show LITTLE WOMEN: THE MUSICAL, based on the Novel by Louisa May Alcott and directed by Chance Theater Managing Director Casey Long. Performances begin November 20 - December 27. Music by James Howland, Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, and the Book is by Allan Knee. Musical direction is by Mike Wilkins and Choreography is by Jessie McLean.
XANADU National Tour Begins at OCPAC 12/15 - 12/27October 23, 2009Xanadu, Broadway's Surprise Hit Musical based on the 1980 cult film, Hits the Road! The National Tour Starts at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, December 15 - 27. Tickets on sale beginning October 25 with free CD soundtrack giveaway event.
Guilty Ones, Rejoice! SPRING AWAKENING Arrives in Orange County 11/17 - 11/29October 28, 2009COSTA MESA, CA-One of Broadway's most talked about newer musicals and the biggest Tony® Award-winner in years is coming to the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Spring Awakening, the eight-time Tony-Award winning Broadway show, will visit Segerstrom Hall for a two-week engagement November 17 - 29. Spring Awakening swept the 2007 Tony Awards winning eight out of its 11 nominations, including Best Musical, Best Director (Michael Mayer), Best Book (Steven Sater), Best Choreography (Bill T. Jones), Best Orchestrations (Duncan Sheik), Best Lighting Design (Kevin Adams) and Best Featured Actor (John Gallagher, Jr.).