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)

The Orange County area is chock full of these small community theaters putting on tremendous shows…read morewith great ensembles and The Gallery Theater is right near the top of my list. Although, I have only been to this theater once to this point the place really left its mark with it's charm. Many of the shows I have attended outside of a couple have mostly been comedies, so when I received an email from GoldStar for a darker, edge of your seat thriller of a show I knew this would be a great change and was just what I was looking for. That show was "Wait Until Dark" and to see this masterpiece of a show in this quaint little 50 seat theater was a great experience. Everything from the stage backdrops, the cast, the music, the tension were all absolutely on point. Having been a viewer who has never seen the film version I had no idea what to expect and was thoroughly thrilled with the presentation as a whole. I can honestly say that the place is a bit hard to find as their isn't much in the way of signage to direct you here (I drove past it the first time) but it truly is a great theater to seek out for a show. It may not look like much from the outside but it is warm and inviting once you enter the doors and the staff is friendly and makes picking up your tickets a breeze. My hat goes off to this place for having the courage to bring a play as dark and dramatic as this to this small of a stage as many of the theaters around tend to lean more toward the comedies or dramas and less toward the suspense genre of shows which is a shame. These more dramatic and dark shows are really something that is needed to help diversify the shows in the area at any given time. Although small in stature this place is big in heart and it shows in their body of work. I have missed at least one show I was interested in since my first foray but am definitely keeping my eyes peeled at the schedule for whats to come. I hope to be back sometime real soon.

Scrolling through Goldstar in search of a performance, I came across a listing for "The Double…read moreBarrel Detective Story." A play based off of a short from Mark Twain, his first attempt at writing a detective story which includes the famous character Sherlock Holmes. I love a good mystery! Anyways the point is not about the play, but about the Gallery Theater. If it wasn't for the interesting play I would have never found out about this really cute, but really secluded place! I was actually shocked when the directions said to turn into a business area, that this place would be right next door behind some businesses. I would have missed it, if they didn't place out a tiny board pointing towards the theater. The big thing I liked about the theater was its intimate and small size. I think their website described it to be a 50 seater theater, but I actually think it was a bit less than that, which meant I can see the whole stage and be up close too! For our particular play, people were literally sitting on the stage hehe It seems like a place where professional actors can come and share their skills with the public and a place where students can develop their acting abilities. So for all you theater-goer, play-loving, performance fiends out there, give this place a try and you'll fall for its quaint stage.

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.

My fiance and I are avid consumers of theatre, having seen several shows at many different types of…read morevenue. We LOVED Parade by 3-D Theatricals, and after the show we decided to go to every show performed by them that we can make. The performance was top quality in every way, and you can tell that the whole company is passionate about the craft. Will definitely be back whenever we can!

I have been to 3D Theatric Performances since they started at the fullerton theater and followed…read morethem to Cerritos. Their productions are fresh and current. My favorite production was Million Dollar Quartet until tonight. Their off Broadway production of " ONCE " was truly a once in a lifetime performance. It is a MUST SEE. The musicians had to sing and act all at once. It was mind blowing talent unfolding before my eyes. Thank you for a memorable evening!!!

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.

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!

Munsters vs. The Addams Family is a themed burlesque show put on by the Yost Theatre in Santa Ana…read more The show itself was an hour and a half in length and featured 8 girls of various shapes and sizes. The show was filled with humorous jokes and quips between performers. The show started with an aerial act on silks which was cool to see in person but looked flawed in parts. The girl seemed to struggle a bit but did a good job overall. After the aerial act it went straight into the performances. Each performer portrayed a different character from either The Addams Family or Munsters universe and each did a good job. Would have been cool to see Uncle Fester (portrayed by a female of course) but it was not in the cards on this night. All of the performer did a great job and really had the audience interested throughout. They had a brief 20 minute intermission and a costume contest also mixed into the show. I had a good time and would definitely go to a themed show again down the line.

OMG! This show was so much fun!…read more I recommend seeing it if you haven't already. It is rendition with actors and no masks. It was fun and there are usually lots of seats available.

Based on previous reviews, this show was previously at DCA but now it has a home at the Fantasyland…read moreTheatre. The set is pretty cool. In comparison to the Broadway musical, I think this show is on par. I'm sure the cast changes but I felt the all-black cast I saw was something special. The singing was really great, I even teared during the opening song. My only complaint is that it's too short, being around 25 minutes. One of the tips I left (on the Yelp app) is based on my one and only visit to this theater. Before the show, I noticed most people were lined up behind the first gate. The wheelchair access is the furthest gate and there are 2 other gates in between. You may want to enter these further gates to get in to the theater faster and perhaps snag yourself a seat in the front section. I want to say they open the gates 10 minutes before the show starts.