The DMTC is a super cool little theater tucked away in east Davis! I had never been before and showed up for an evening production of Little Shop of Horrors. Something that sets it apart from other community theaters is the setup of the stage and audience, which feels more intimate than most theaters do. I really enjoyed that they also have a live orchestra. The staff are all super friendly and helpful and the performances and drinks are affordable. I'll definitely be back! read more

Came to see Into the Woods for our first time attending a DMTC production. It was well done with some solid talent. Ticket prices can't be beat and the theater is cute! Not a bad seat in the house. Only complaint was the orchestra/pit. It's under the stage and the actors have to rely on a camera broadcasting to a TV behind the audience to keep an eye on the conductor. For a show with such a technically tricky score as Into the Woods, it proved difficult to keep the cast on key and tempo. Also, I think the musicians made some frequent errors whixh pulled me out of the magic and pushed me into "come on, you can do it" anxious mode. That was the only bummer, though. read more

Such a gem for the arts in Davis! Entertaining performances from super talented and dedicated cast and crew. The price is great and the theatre is friendly, welcoming and comfortable. They always have fantastic productions on their main stage and for the young performers' shows. My family really loved "The Little Mermaid". My kid was so happy to meet Ariel and get a dinglehopper souvenir from her! The costumes and sets are beautifully made, too. read more

My family and I attended Seussical the Musical for New Year's Eve. The food served was delicious and there was plenty of it! There was a midnight toast to welcome 2024 and we were provided with hats, horns, beads, and champagne/apple bubbly. The performance was enjoyable. We sat on the left side of the stage in Row D...the seats were great! The theater is small so all seats are good seats with a view. I would return for other performances/venues! read more

Love this place! I've seen Into the Woods, the Producers, Peter Pan and Spamalot. Some great shows at very affordable prices ($11-20). Seating is great as the theatre is small, so you have very good view. The costumes are creative, and the actors are talented and passionate. Plenty of parking here, and they sell snacks and alcoholic drinks (they usually have special concoctions named after what ever show that is playing). Support your local artists! read more

Quality musical theater at affordable prices. For about what you'd spend at a movie theater you can see live performers singing and dancing their hearts out. It's Broadway without the cost of a plane ticket. Ok, not quite at that scale but enjoyable theater none the less. It is my understanding that everyone affiliated with DMTC is a volunteer. You can tell that everyone involved loves making the productions possible. Most of all the founder, Steve Isaacson. I don't know how he does it. He's everywhere during the productions. Before the show starts he is in the ticket booth cheerfully greeting people. He introduces each show and often is a cast member. Kudos to everyone who gives their time and talents to DMTC. It is a local treasure. read more

Mary Poppins! DON'T MISS IT! The actors are all superb. Their singing is impressive and we absolutely LOVED THIS SHOW! The actor who plays Bert and actress who plays Mary Poppins are professIonal, and the entire cast was first rate. Bring your kids!! read more

Went to see the youth production of Bye Bye Birdie and it was fantastic!! Tickets were $10, very reasonable and the auditorium seats were very comfy. They had a nice selection of alcoholic beverages, including one specialty cocktail themed with the play, as well as candy and snacks. The show was a little longer than two hours and I was entertained the whole time. The cast was great, singing was spot on, the actual script was super funny! I would love to go back and see the adult shows!! They have some upcoming youth shows I highly recommend for anyone with kids. read more

Davis Musical Theatre Company - Enjoyed Bye Bye Birdie - Performing Arts Near Me - Davis, California

I got season ticket passes for the 13-14 year (for a pretty reasonable price!), and so far, I'm loving it!!!! The musicals aren't high, expensive productions, but that doesn't deter the musical talent and acting. Great performers! The theatre is relatively small, and the cast does not rely on lapels or mics. Its been fine for me, and I really like how you get to experience a LIVE performance. If you love musical productions, definitely check out a Davis show. With very reasonable priced tickets, you will be supporting the Davis community and getting a great performance. Bravo! :) read more

Been here twice now, first for "Chess" and recently for "Chicago." Goldstar was able to have discounted tickets ($11, originally $20) available, seats assigned to you. Parking wasn't too bad (shared with the fitness place further down Pena?) and although only one box office window was open, a staff member came out into the lobby personally to hand out will-call tickets to move things along quickly before showtime. The discounted cheap seats happened to be toward the backmost upper row, but the venue is small enough that seeing the stage wasn't a problem. I do agree that hearing the songs was tough unless the performers were near stage right or left where the single mic stands were strategically placed. Maybe have at least mics hanging from the ceiling above the center of the stage, or the wireless mics for each lead? "Chicago" was a great show, nonetheless, from start to finish. read more

I went to this theater for the second time to see Peter Pan! It was absolutely adorable! The play was so much better than I expected. They even have microphones now so I felt the need to update my Yelp review. The people who run the theatre are so nice and friendly. They take pride in their little theater and it definitely shows. They even sell wine and beer! Nothing like kicking back with a cold beer and watching a great show. I absolutely love this place! read more

Since I don't live in Davis, I've only been to this theatre twice: Into The Woods and Frog and Toad. The latter was a Young Performer show but it was exceptionally well done. (However, they inserted a jungle bell song before the ending, which is not appropriate at all) The theatre is nice size, not too small or too large and there are plenty of toilet stalls and parking area. If I lived in Davis, I'd subscribe their season. The only thing that I wasn't pleased about is not about their productions or theatre but a person who are related to the theatre. I don't know the name, but when I attended Patti LuPone's concert last year, a couple sat next to me. The husband was clearly working in Davis Musical Theatre company as they were talking about the company's upcoming season (insider talk). Before the second act started, the usual announcement of "please turn off your cellphone etc." was announced but he did not turn it off, and put it under his leg. Of course during the show he checked his e-mails or something. That was very annoying and I was sad that of all people, a theatre person does not obey the theatre rule. read more

Oh my goodness! I just saw the opening show of Bye Bye Birdie.... IT WAS SO DARN GOOD!! I mean really great! The cast was amazing. Some young, some older... all worked well together! The production was, in my opinion, absolutely a hit! It looks like I will be going to the DMTC more often! read more

What a massive disappointment this was! We went to see Jesus Christ Superstar and it was such an awful experience we actually left at intermission as did some other patrons. We were directed into the theater by two girls who had no clue of the seat layout. Our seats were a good view of the stage, however were way too low and very uncomfortable. The audience was greeted by a friendly and funny fellow who talked about the theater and the production... and then it began...as the music begun to play on the new state of the art sound system all you could hear was the stomping around on stage and the swishing of the costumes because you could not hear the orchestra. The volume was so low you had to strain to hear the horrible playing from underneath the stage. Then the singing began and you could hardly hear them because their mikes didn't work. You could only hear them when they were singing right in font of you. For the most part they were off key and out of sync with the music (probably because they couldn't hear it). We had all to do to not bust up laughing because it was so bad. I have seen grammar school productions with more talent than this one. From the complete lack of stage props (3 risers painted black) to the total lack of volume and talent, I was totally disappointed in this production. It's an hour of my life I'll never get back. I've seen this musical numerous times (including one with Ted Neeley) and all were terrific and this one was just way off the mark. Needless to say, we won't be coming back. read more

We attended Rent on 06/22/19. This is a small theater so don't stress about getting a good or bad seat. There were ample snacks and drinks available in the lobby. The restrooms were very clean and the staff was polite. The small orchestra was well rehearsed and very good. There were some intermittent issues with sound here and there and a few songs were quite out-of-tune but the cast was enthusiastic and we all enjoyed the production. read more

What a great show tonight. We were fortunate enough to catch the opening weekend of Shrek the Musical. What a wonderful show!! Highly entertaining and what a great cast. Never knew that this little production existed here in Davis. We will definitely be back for more musicals in the future. You won't be disappointed! Go catch a show! read more

Legally Blonde is one of my favorite "guilty pleasure" musicals, and with no prior experience at the DMTC, I was so excited seeing all the positive reviews! Though the night was undoubtedly entertaining, many times, it was for the wrong reasons. Everyone and everything here has such a great feeling of community, and I feel so guilty only giving it 3 stars. The facility is very cute and the bathrooms are spotless, and I love the fact that they have a mini bar and concessions! Everyone was super friendly, and you could just feel the excitement and the fun in the theater. The production itself was mostly pretty good. Elle was fantastic, and most of the ensemble was great as well! The girl playing Margot was absolutely amazing and she had the greatest energy. However, the orchestra and the lack of a sound system almost ruined the whole thing. Singing and talking were very hard to hear from our seats at the center back of the theater. My boyfriend couldn't hear a lot and missed a lot of the lines. I was glad I was familiar with the musical because I had to explain some of the jokes to him during intermission and afterwards. The orchestra was just awful, think cumpolsory middle school orchestra sight reading awful. With their location under the stage or seat, they were hard to hear at times which was almost a blessing. They were constantly out of tune, playing wrong notes at the wrong time, and just didn't mesh together. Unfortunately this often affected the singing onstage, and the singers understandably struggled to sing their harmonies in tune with each other while a jumble of notes blared in their ears. I think it's great that they have so many willing volunteers who are so passionate about theater, but the passion just couldn't save the lack of rehearsal, practice, or whatever it was. Though I largely prefer having a live orchestra over a pre-recorded track, I strongly believe the production would have been miles better with one. Without a decent sound system in place yet, I guess that just isn't possible yet. Maybe it goes against their philosophy to have a pre-recorded track. I want so much to love this place, and will give it another shot when the new mics are working and the speakers and put in the proper place. Hopefully then, if the instrumentals are still not up to par, the great singing will at least drown it out. read more

I came here to see Charlotte's Web and the production was put on very nicely. The students' that are cast members show by their talents that they work hard at what they do. They seem intelligent which gives me the impression that they are doing well in school. Most of the student actors live within Davis and it seems that most of the ages of these actors are from elementary school. Davis Joint Unified School District has some very talented kids. I hope this place stays successful! read more

Thank you, Kaoru C. for your review of our productions. I am the president of DMTC's board of directors. We strongly encourage our audience members to be courteous to others during performances, and we hold ourselves to the same standards. In regards to your encounter at the Patti LuPone concert, that person is no longer associated with our company. read more

Davis Musical Theatre Company - Performing Arts Near Me - Davis, California

We really enjoyed Chicago, the performers were all very good. They could benefit from a sound system though. When one performer sings alone, it is a struggle to hear the softer parts of the song. We have been to quite a bit of local theater lately and find the quality of Davis to be very very high. Just a side note, the consessions are wonderful - save room for a cookie when you go. read more

Great performance of Chicago. Been to this local theater several times and it's really first class in having that family run business feel with high caliber performers and professionalism. Every seat is great and it's a small venue so you get to see all the performs well. Unfortunately the lack of a sound system makes it a little difficult to hear at times but you can still appreciate the singing. read more

Just watched Legally Blonde......EXCELLENT! Fabulous cast, amazing staff, excellent production. This is my first time at Davis Musical Theater and I am very impressed. Looking forward to coming again soon! read more

This is a quaint theater. We came here to see Legally Blonde. The building had clean restrooms and a nice selection of snacks and drinks. They take credit cards! The only downside is the sound system. I could barely hear singing or speaking at times and other times one or two of the cast members were louder than the rest of the cast. read more

Went here for the first time with my family tonight. Looking over and seeing the smiles on my kids faces was priceless! Loved this small theater and were enthralled with all the talented actors. We saw the Man of La Mancha and I would highly recommended it. And we had no problems what so ever hearing the actors! Can't wait to see another production! read more

DISNEY'S THE LITTLE MERMAID - closes today, July 8th: final performance at 2 pm. 'Sit back, relax, and enjoy ...'; thus, before the show, does Steve Isaacson conclude his introduction to Disney's "The Little Mermaid". And Disney's it unmistakably is. Probably most of its sell-out audiences have seen the Disney animated movie - that's been with us for 29 years already - and as with other stage musicals bred out of their animated parents, we're presented with more or less the same costumes and characterizations as in the originals. Maybe it's on Disney's insistence, maybe it's just to give audiences what they think they want, either way, it's nearly always a let-down. In place of the flowing, visually witty movie creations, we're presented with kinda clunky versions of the animated eye-candy: Ursula's un-prehensile, tapering tentacle-sausages, and a wig that looks like it was discovered in a corner of the costume store at the last minute, and hastily plonked, un-dusted-down, on top of her head moments before she waddled on stage for the first time; the familiarly blue-and-yellow Flounder with legs for God's sake; oh, and not to mention Ariel's and her sisters' legs clearly showing through the gauzy bottom sections of their dresses (Why display them like this? Isn't the point about mermaids that they have no legs??). As for the characterizations, some are quite all right in this production: Ariel is played with sweet clarity by Julia Hixon, despite the orange wig that, er, looks like an orange wig; Amaralyn Ewey's Sebastian is played with panache and energy; and Gavin Mark as Flounder is one of those young chaps one always wants in a production: clearly-enunciated, energetic and sassy. At the not-OK end of the spectrum, we have Scott Minor's flabby, disappointingly un-tanned Triton, trotting back-and-forth like a frustrated walrus in a cocktail dress; and Cindy Wall's thin-voiced, un-vibrant, undefined Ursula. An arresting variation on the normal is Hugo Figueroa's Eric, who, while portrayed with sincerity and a restrained dignity, does not resemble at all the muscular, slim-waisted movie Eric, whom Ariel would obviously die for. Isn't it de rigueur that Disney heroes and heroines should look like more or less like Ken and Barbie - conventionally lovely, handsome, slim, tanned, cute, etc. etc.? After all, isn't watching Disney versions of folk tales about living an idealized glamor-fantasy that ends with 'happily ever after'? Else where are 'the glory and the dream?'* But the real problems here are the clumsy, unimaginative direction (Steve Isaacson) and choreography (Allison Weaver), who seem to operate on the following principles: move in straight, two dimensional lines; resort to the old front-line step-over move when in moments of doubt (and there are plenty in this show); declaim those good old Disney movie cliché-lines with ham-and-egg gusto (ham it up as much as you can, even though you'll end up with egg on your face); oh! and just to remind the audience that a lot of the time we're 'und-err tha sea', wave your arms up and down - not all the time, whenever you can remember to will do; and just to liven things up when things are getting really soggy, let's have a quartet of tap-dancing seagulls. WHY? WHY? I'll admit that good quality tap-dancing can be impressive, like sky-diving, or baking that purr-fect sponge: but in this show, it looked and sounded like morris-dancing in clogs. Having said all that, most of the sell-out audience sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the whole thing! I guess they and the show deserved each other. *From 'Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood', by William Wordsworth. By Iago ('I am nothing if not critical). read more

Urinetown!! OMG, what a name, but go see it! Fun and fabulous! I have NEVER been disappointed with a production and I have been going since 2002, but this one I almost passed on. You will always enjoy the shows!! read more

Clean, friendly, fantastic performances at a wonderful price. They have a great snack bar. They also have a young performers program and it is a great opportunity for young people to learn and attain acting skills. I recommend it for anyone who likes watching live acting. Support this wonderful asset to our community! read more

I have been to two musicals and plan to buy season tickets. The tickets are affordable, not a bad seat in the theater, performancers are professional, scenery well done, accustics good and the orchestra plays beautiful music. One of the things I enjoy is it's small and not overwhelming crowds to contend with. read more