My family used to work here and I used to go to these performances all the time when I was a kid,…read moreback when they used to sell boxed brownies and fruit punch at intermission (so good!). Now that I have a family member that attends here, it's nice coming back to a familiar place. Cypress College is one of those gems in Orange County for theatrical performances- they have a great set/prop team and they have a vast range of performances from the classics to the esoteric. Parking is free for performances, and during intermission they offer water and snacks for $1. Also, it's surprisingly chilly in the theater, so bring a sweater if you're the type to get cold. I recently saw the musical Carrie, and props to the set crew! I loved how they projected images of screaming girls into the trees, and how Carrie projected her telekinetic powers throughout the show. I was wondering how they were going to take a disturbing Stephen King horror novel and transform it into a piece for musical theater. I realized I was watching a tale of someone constantly bullied, pushed to the brink of telekinetic disaster. Rather than horror, what I felt was disturbing heartbreak (attested by the sniffles in the crowd) of someone struggling to fit in, and losing that battle. While the subject matter is certainly not my favorite for a musical, it doesn't take much to see the parallels Carrie and the horrific school shooting incidents in current times, and I felt this musical was a great thinking piece for today's culture. Bolstered by the strong performances of the lead singers, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed the show!

The Cypress College Fine Arts Theater has alot of potential. For having recently watched the…read moreOff-Broadway rock musical Little Shop of Horrors. (Remember the movie about the people-eating plant back in the 80's starring Rick Moranis and Steve Martin?) I wasn't expecting much but I completely enjoyed myself. The cast played their roles just right, always in character and always on point. Despite the small amount of stage room, the production team did a good job on props and portraying the different scenes. The theater itself isn't as grand as the Pantages. But, it's college theater, it offers you just enough. Their seating are stadium style seats and may squeak from time to time upon adjusting your derriere but serves it's purpose well. They offer refreshments during intermission. Gummy bears, candy bars, chips, soda and water. Unhealthy and inexpensive. Their restrooms need a little updating. i.e. more stalls. Women's restrooms never have enough stalls and the line can get pretty long. All in all, this place is what it is. It's local, it's decent, it's great for the smaller productions such as this one. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ 3/5 Ambiance - The mood, character, quality, tone, atmosphere. 2/5 Service -Helpful, accommodating, efficient, delivery and speed? 3/5 Food / Merchandise - Quality, taste, presentation. 4/5 Price - Reasonable, inexpensive, high priced? (Based on Irma's review rating rubric - http://static.px.yelp.com/photo/evXt-5kyL-guqoCwxaAxtQ/l)

Garden Grove has a brilliant Shakespeare Company bring well staged modern versions of the…read moreplaywright's ancient classics . Your high school play is a poor comparison and so would be most of the stodgier tradition stuff that you would imagine. The Tempest in this version takes place on an exotic island perhaps in Asia and performed with music, dance, rhythmic drumming and imaginative staging as with most of new theatrical companies. I can not say that I am a fan of Shakespeare's art but I enjoy good live performances of all types of theatrics & music. This Shakespeare Company does do that very well.

Amazing inexpensive Shakespeare, right here in downtown Garden Grove, CA of The OC…read more I have seen super star Hollywood actors plus actresses perform a radio show here. Then we went to their phenomenal production of William Shakespeare's Midsummer's Night Dream featuring a local OC-based Thaitian dance troupe. Pluses: An abundance of FREE Parking! They only have a very small dedicated parking lot. But no worries. You can readily park on the street for free all right within 1 block of the theater. Bring a picnic lunch and get here early. You can spread out and enjoy it on the grass of the park which is right outside of the theater. They sell beer, wine, and soda. Bring some singles with you. You won't be disappointed.

I highly recommend attending the Symphony's POPS Series where the symphony collaborates with other…read moreartists to present a very upbeat community style performance. The venue has allowed for attendees to bring in their own food and drinks which is nice. There is also sections reserved for those who want to get up and dance. I have attended the 80s Rock event as well as the Earth Wind and Fire show and both were very entertaining. The support staff was very welcoming and accommodating as well.

November 18, 2023…read more It is uncomfortable for me to lower my rating since the hard working, hugely competent orchestra is not the problem I have with last night's program. The dancers from the Long Beach Ballet gave a stunning performances for Bernstein's Fancy Free. The three choices preceding the ballet sounded hopeful but maybe the mix simply didn't work for me. I'm a fan of creative twentieth/twenty-first Century composition. Yet to my untrained ear, nothing seemed to gel or perhaps they were too cohesive. Expecting to hear something delightful from the opera Treemonisha, it seemed a dull yet hinting-at-greatness overture. Joplin dull? Never. Were the program to have an inclusive piece that invited inventive themes, it might work but the result for me was hoping this movie background music would be over fast. There were more empty seats than last season. I hate to see that happen.

Fabulous experience, bringing my theater group to see the opening season first show, Evita was just…read moreamazing!! The lead singer had such an incredible bio of opening and performing with the best entertainers in the world, her voice was exceptional, and she was the perfect lead to start the series. Che was powerful in his role as the MC and had a great voice, also with a very incredible "Who's Who" of performances, he even played Ricky Ricardo on the national tour of "I Love Lucy Live on Stage". Jane & Jon Peterson were the nicest people to work with, and had our seats arranged flawlessly. My theater group was very appreciative and amazed by their professionalism and the gorgeous old world art deco theatre setting they have in the Ernest Borgnine Theatre (historic landmark) building with high security and a enclosed safe parking lot. Thank you again to the cast & the Peterson's for a momentous evening, and I've already reserved our tickets for for Steel Magnolia's, Sordid Lives and Gypsy! My theater group will be at all of your 2019-2020 productions!!!

Absolutely fabulous production of Evita! Bravo!!! I randomly found this new theater company on…read moreGoldstar and got a pair of tickets to celebrate my birthday. Well, after the brilliant production I bought 19/20 season tickets. I cannot wait to bring my mother to see Evita and also await the other gems this group presents us this season. Re: Evita production... I was beyond impressed with the highly talented leads of Che and Eva - Gorgeous voices and wonderful acting. Also, the cast does a fabulous job of keeping us all entertained. I loved the rocking chair act where the men rock in sync. Also, we were brought to tears with the classic podium Eva Peron "Don't cry for me Argentina" act 2 opening scene. Thank you for the brilliant cast & reviving this classic theater. Much P3 love!

First time at The Blue Moon Theater. Located in the SCU campus. Cute but small venue. It felt…read morecasual and was perfect for the "Hard Days Night Tribute" concert we went to go see. Loved, loved, loved it!! Had a blast singing along to Beatles music and highly recommend both the location and the Tribute!! Hope they continue the show! Even thought the location had technical difficulties (felt like I was in a school auditorium at times) they fixed it quickly and just added to the lighthearted atmosphere. We parked inside the school campus for free but there appeared to be street parking available in the neighborhood. The only negative thing about the location is that there are no clear signs naming the auditorium as the Blue Moon Theater as you are driving by it. We just followed the people lol.

Finally!! After multiple visits at Disneyland, I had a chance to watch the show at the Royal…read moreTheatre Fantasy Faire at Disneyland while visiting Disneyland for the Halloween Half Marathon! It was pretty hot out, around 100, on a Saturday, when we were at Disneyland. There are multiple showtimes for the Royal Theatre Fantasy Faire! If you have the Disneyland Mobile application, you can check there for showtimes. My husband and I ended up watching the 12:30 show. The theatre is an open-air medieval-style tent next to Maurice's treats and near the entrance to Adventureland! The show is approximately 25 minutes long. It's all bench style seating, and there is no AC. It is fully covered, though! You can also sit on the floor near the performers, too! It was such a great show! Mr.Smythe and Mr. Jones are the hosts of the show! You'll either see Beauty and the Beast or Tangled. We ended up watching Tangled. You'll see actors portray Rapunzel and Eugene! Mr.Smythe and Mr. Jones will join in the actions of other characters from the movie and even as the evil Mother Gothel! This show is a lot of fun and great to stop at, especially if you're looking to take a break from the rides! There are a lot of funny scenes during the show, and the props used looked amazing! Next time, I'll try to watch the Beauty and the Beast if it's still being performed at The Royal Theatre Fantasy Faire!

The Royal Theatre is an open-air tent that holds little plays for everyone to enjoy. On our two…read moremost recent visits to the Disneyland Park we were able to catch two shows of "Tangled" featuring Rapunzel and Eugene (Flynn Rider). And who can forget the evil Mother Gothel. I felt that the show was well done highlighting all of the memorable moments from the storyline, so the actors and actresses alone deserve five stars. The low rating is for the way the ushers handled the crowd once the show ended. Once we stepped out of the tent and turned around, we had noticed that Rapunzel had come out in the front from the side of the stage to greet the guests who were fortunate to still be slowly exiting the theater. My daughter wanted to meet her as well, so we had asked the usher if we could step back in to meet her, but were told that we couldn't enter once we had exited. We had just exited and were maybe three steps out the of the theater. That is ridiculous. Instead we were told to go to the part of Fantasyland near the King Arthur's Carousel and Dumbo ride and wait in line for her at her tower. So we immediately dashed across the park to her tower to only find that the wait would be another forty-five minutes. So we waited. Fifteen minutes into our wait they closed off the back of the line saying that Rapunzel needed to head back to do her next show. When we finally made it in to "meet" Rapunzel, she looked rather frazzled and annoyed forcing a quick smile for the cameras with our daughter, not even engaging with us. First off, we had just come from the show and this Rapunzel looked nothing like the "Rapunzel" character in the show. Second, why doesn't Disney hire another girl to play Rapunzel so the girls don't have to rush back and forth and be so grumpy?! A not so happy experience in supposedly the happiest place on earth.

I went for the Glass, he went for the Kafka…read more May 5. While apparently the rest of the city was freely downing Cinco de Mayo tacos and tequila, we attended the final performance of the production of the opera In The Penal Colony at The Studio Theater CSULB. This is a fine small auditorium, well planned and comfortable. That comfort is essential for full attention to be given to the many aspects, somber and sober, of this excellent (with caveat) production. First, the raison d'être for my attending. I find that this opera is one of Philip Glass' most stunningly beautiful. The string quintet, though mounted out of sight, was the engine for this brilliant study of a killing "machine". The strong voices of tenor Doug Jones and baritone Zeffis Quinn Hollis were superb. I consider this an important work well developed and well measured by conductor Andreas Mitisek. I would not want to engage in criticism out of my realm. The book of Kafka's short stories is bedside awaiting me to pick it up. Somewhere along the line in the twentieth century, opera went slightly mad in its desire to stage productions that meet modern needs. (Next season's King Arthur [as a comic book superhero] by Henry Purcell in collaboration with whimsically juvenile-loving Musica Angelica arouses much curiosity. Get ready kids.) Kafka wrote of inhumanity and absurdity of humans over a hundred years ago. The added text from the student's ensemble personal incarcerations diminished that theme. There was an important point to make, no question, but youth personalized stories led to unanswered questions and reduced their message. Corral students freedom of speech, really? Really that's the kid's sugar treat. Poor staging revolved around stomping students many with muddy line delivery. Stage direction to place them behind a stark curtain (à la Julie Taymor, à la wayang kulit) and silent for ultimate expressiveness was inspired. Poorly developed as a Greek chorus but when given the opportunity to act, Morgan Pimental, John E. Pizzini, Matthew Limas and especially Mark Oliver ably shone through the ponderous choreography.

Long Beach Opera is a small company. Size doesn't matter. Most of the voices are good and the…read moreorchestra is stronger than their size would indicate. Their venue (the Terrace Theater) does not have the best acoustics, but they are doing edgier productions that what you see at the neighboring Los Angeles Opera. I am a fan.

I attended the eighth annual Sunset & Dine food festival in Hollywood through the invitation of…read moreAlana. We got the VIP pass so we were able to sample food, wine and beer from more than 20 restaurants before the regular ticket holders were let in. The ticket included food, beverages and entertainment and Proceeds benefit The Center at Blessed Sacrament. Exhibitors were vendors around the intersection of Sunset and Vine which included: Angel City Brewery Bibibop Asian Grill Bobby Salazar's Mexican Foods Ciabatta Bar Cleo Dave & Buster's Delicious Pizza Division 3 Farm Fresh To You Intelligentsia Jane Q McDonalds My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream Rubies + Diamonds Sculpterra Winery Spitz 25 Degrees Urban Masala Wood & Vine Not only did we feast on tons of free food and drinks but there's also DJs spinning cool tunes, freebies from amoeba and local studios. What's even cooler was a presentation from the cast of "Rock of Ages" which include Frankie, the brother of Ariana Grande. It was a very organized event with more than enough food and drinks for ticket holders. We really had a good time at this event that were considering to attend again next year.

One of my favorite events every year! I have been to the last 5 and am looking forward to the next…read moreone. Always fun, with delicious food and drink! The local restaurants come and it's always delicious whether it's a brand new one or a returning one. It's a great way to get acquainted with the neighborhood, as well.