Just saw a preview production of Evita. Wonderful. Great staging an an amazing cast. Leads were first rate. Corus super. Do yourself a favor and support this amazing Theater Company Congratulations to Paul Garmen. He has been producing for 64 years. He looks amazing. What is your secret Paul read more

Why I will not be returning to the Carpenter's Center of the Performing Arts and to any Musical Theatre West Productions, or for that matter to any Live Theatre in SoCal. I will find other forms of entertainment. Before I tell the why of my first sentence. I want you to understand that for 22 years I had season tickets to a live theatre in Glendale till they went under due to Covid and owners' divorce. I've have seen a lot of live theatre what happened at the Carpenter Center is the last straw. Goodbye live theatre. First the Actors, Actress, and Musicians. Thank you for sharing your talents. As a person who can miss all the notes all the time, I truly appreciate your talents and abilities. I hold the Producers and Directors responsible for the Show. As for the Carpenter Center, Musical Theatre West, and other places and production companies. I'm done. When you advertise you are doing "Joesph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" or any other production this is what I expect to see. If you are making a new adaption of the play, let everyone know before they spend their hard-earned money. This visual experience is part of the performance. Your new adaption was for the most part very poor. As my mother of 85 said, "I kept closing me eyes hoping it would change." I laughed, yet never having been to a "Chip and Dale" review it's the only thought that came to my mind to describe what was being presented. Last note Bruno Mars is not a King, sorry, a very disappointing part of the performance. You didn't want Elvis okay, then use a King... Michael Jackson, the king of pop or James Brown the king of Soul. I just love the Pharo as Evlis. read more

Most productions are top drawer New York quality. But recently the Joseph and His Technicolor dreamcoat production left a very bad impression. This hypersexualized version was very homoerotic. The two gay men next to us were visibly embarrassed for us and apologized for the content of the musical. I can't believe there is any part of this that you would do as a demonstration for our children in schools. My wife and I continue to support the arts but this production was over the edge and inappropriate. read more

The Buddy Holly Story is now playing at the Carpenter Center. All the actors are talented and play musical instruments. The songs are very memorable. They elicit audience participation which makes it even more relatable and appealing. read more

Good talent for the shows. Nice variety of shows. ADA seating available. Seats trail upwards for clear viewing. Parking can be a little challenging with tight spacing. Pay for parking through app with your car license number. Concessions available and bathrooms. EXTREMELY cold at every show so come prepared in your attire with a jacket. read more

Musical Theatre West - Season ticket holders - Performing Arts Near Me - Long Beach, California

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One late stormy night somewhere in a far away land... ok, maybe not late and not stormy but it almost seemed like it was a far away land. A place called Long Beach. Not the one in New York but here in Southern California. A month earlier, Stephanie P. asked me if I wanted to see this play with her called Big Fish. I've only heard of it as a song and didn't know there was a movie let along a play about it. This play was showing in this theatre from October 31 to november 16 last year. After dinner, we drive heading East looking for this theatre not knowing it was part of the Cal State Long Beach campus. That's where we found it from the street as everyone pulls into the parking lot. Not sure what the deal was but the kid directing traffic was asking for $5 to park. I didn't see anyone stopping so we proceeded ahead too. It wasn't really chilly walking up to the building but it was a really nice building to look at. Just dodging traffic a few times was better than standing there taking a picture of a building. Once we figured out the tickets and entered there was a request for the restroom. I don't remember if we bought any drinks but we did have to walk all the way to the otherside of the building to find our seats. It was a really nice theatre with cushy seats and not a bad seat in this house. I was surprised because it looks like it was recently remodeled. It was not a play with elementary school kids, this was a really big production of a play. It was a great story with great imagination following the character through magical songs. The costumes were amazing and the sets were colorful. I wouldn't mind coming back here to this theatre for another show. read more

Musical Theatre West - Big Fish musical program cover - Performing Arts Near Me - Long Beach, California

This is our first year with season tickets for Musical Theatre West, and it is one of the best entertainment choices we have made! We have enjoyed a first-rate performance of 42nd Street and possibly the best version of Oklahoma! yet. We are eagerly anticipating their take on A Chorus Line next month, too! Their shows are at the Carpenter Center, which is a a great venue that we are fortunate to have in Long Beach. There is not a bad seat in the house, and the lighting and sound are always first-rate. Remember that MTW is a local theatre company, because it is easy to forget when you see the kinds of shows they put on. Their cast and crew are always great, but with their budget they cannot always have the newest and greatest sets and costumes. But they always get the job done, and there is nothing there to distract me for enjoying the show. Besides, the ticket prices are still quite reasonable, so I am not complaining! Next season looks very promising too, with my favorite musical of all time, The Music Man, on the schedule. We have already signed up and are looking forward to next year! read more

Nice theatre. We saw Les Miserables, which was awesome. Drinks / Food were the usual price at theatres to bring money back to the theatre, so happy to contribute. The only complaint I had was the bathroom lines at intermission were ridiculous, but the average age of the patrons had to be 50+ so I understood... I liked the way they did the backdrop. I can only compare to the movie, which the show had some minor differences (some that I liked and some I didn't), but one of the nicer theatres I have been to on West Coast read more

We just saw Big Fish. It was fantastic! the costumes and the stage are from the Broadway show. Fine cast and superb music. The theater has ample parking and the seats have a pretty good view overall. read more

Musical Theatre West - Ready for the Big Fish - Performing Arts Near Me - Long Beach, California

MTW is a good choice for seeing shows that may not be touring nationally. I would tell you to not quite expect Broadway level productions but just a notch or two below that. Still very good theater and if you can get the tickets off Goldstar, very affordable. The theater itself is at the CSULB Theater and has plenty of $5 parking. Make sure you get a parking permit or pay the attendant at the front, they will give you tickets. read more

MTW has the best productions! We've had season tickets here for many years. The shows are excellent with talented performers, great sets and hit shows. We love it. read more

This review is for the theatre director, not the show itself. I've been to five shows at Musical Theatre West, and prior to this week, had a pretty good time. They tend to get good cast as far as singing ability, and they seem to have a good budget for production value (lighting design is always solid, and costumes/sets are well made and always seem strong). They also tend to get good directors in place, so it seems like the production quality is high, though I've seen better regional theater in other places nearby - but I would consider them a mid-range quality that tends to sell out. I was disappointed however by the (I think) artistic director's introduction last evening. He spent a lengthy spiel going over how frustrated he was that the theater had to do renovations to get up to code for disabled patrons. It was insulting and appalling to hear any theater director try to shame people with disabilities, but to go on for that long was especially sad. I have many disabled family members, and I'd bet since the crowd at theaters tends to be 40+, there are a number of folks with disabilities or who have friends and family with disabilities who had to listen to his talk. I understand theater is suffering and it's hard to make money in this day and age; the renovations will mean losing nearly 50 seats, and subscribers will likely have to be re-seated. I used to work in theater, so I know how frustrating that can be; that said, I've been going to and working in theater for over 30 years, and never once have I heard such a negative and shameful introduction to a play. Usually, the director comes out and tells you to turn off your phones, pitches future productions, and welcomes everyone. He had the opportunity here to discuss what a great chance this would be to open the theater to new audiences and ensure the arts could be seen by everyone no matter their ability; instead, he chose to shame his audience and complain about the inconvenience this caused. Well, he should be ashamed that, in 2017, his theater isn't accessible to those in need. The arts are supposed to be a celebration for all, not closed off to those who can't access them. He and the company won't be getting a single penny from me in future. I told my friends, and they also won't be going (a few mentioned they would cancel their subscriptions, as they should in this instance). I recommend other regional theaters in the area, as a crass and discriminatory introduction put a bad taste in my mouth and quite frankly ruined the show. There are better quality theaters in Southern California, and certainly ones without ableist producers. The quality of performances is good here, and I'll be sad to cross it off my list, but I recommend trying other theaters instead of supporting this attitude and quite honestly bigoted behavior. read more

I have seen three performances that Musical Theatre West has put on - Les Miserables, Singin' In the Rain, and My Fair Lady. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about them. I've seen lots of Broadway tours at the Pantages, the Ahmanson and Segerstrom Hall and I almost prefer the Musical Theatre West performances because of the smaller theater, price of tickets, and enthusiasm of the performers.. We first went because a friend was performance in Les Mis and I wasn't expecting much. I was blown away by the performance. Their performers are top notch, the sets are wonderful, and the orchestra is great. The venue is just the right size and there doesn't seem to be a bad seat in the house. We just saw My Fair Lady this past weekend and their Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins were fantastic. She nailed all of her songs. read more

Young Frankenstein is now in performance here and it is a laugh riot. Some shows are already sold out which is good for Musical Theater West. We have thoroughly enjoyed their productions for years, and I'm glad we have season tickets this year. The productions are very professional with fine orchestration and very talented actors. The sets for Frankenstein were ingenious. The Carpenter Center on Atherton has comfortable seating with easy sight lines throughout. I don't understand why more young people are not lining up for tickets, as they are missing out. I have been a theater goer all my adult life and would have missed a lot if I had not been. Ticket prices can be economical there. I'm very glad we have such a fine professional Broadway type theater company here in Long Beach. read more