Orange County Theatre Reviews

Musical
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July 28, 2021 | Musical, Review, Santa Ana, The Wayward Artist, Theater, Uncategorized Comments Off on Streamed performance: Ordinary Days @ The Wayward Artist Ensemble – Review |

Streamed performance: Ordinary Days @ The Wayward Artist Ensemble – Review

(Photo credit Francis Gacad)

Written by Patrick Chavis

Kimberly Tiongco (Deb) David Albulario (Warren)

It was night, and I found myself sitting in my silver Prius surrounded by all types of trucks and cars on top of the Mess Hall parking structure in Tustin, waiting for the premiere of Ordinary Days, a musical put on by the Wayward Artist Theater Ensemble and the Frida Cinema.  I’ve been to a drive-thru before, but this was definitely a different experience. The production is a mixture of live theater performance production with film cuts and cinematography seamlessly moving with the story and transitions. If you didn’t make the one-time drive-thru premiere, you could watch the same recorded performance streamed from the Wayward Artist website through August 7th. Continue Reading

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July 27, 2021 | Musical, Review, The Chance Theater, Theater, Uncategorized Comments Off on Orange County Premiere of EDGES @ Chance Theater in Anaheim Hill – Review |

Orange County Premiere of EDGES @ Chance Theater in Anaheim Hill – Review

All photos by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio

Written by Patrick Chavis

The Chance Theater brings back live, in-person theater for the first time since the pandemic with the Orange County premiere of EDGES, a musical written by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, the award-winning songwriters of La La Land, The Greatest Showman, and Dear Evan Hansen. EDGES is an earlier work from the award-winning duo, and the signs of their talent are all over this script. Still, this script’s bones (structure) feel uneven, and this striped-down production shows off the flaws in the material instead of improving on it.  Continue Reading

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May 15, 2021 | Anaheim, Musical, Review, The Chance Theater, Theater, Uncategorized Comments Off on A Heart Breaker : The Story of My Life @ Chance Theater in Anaheim – Review |

A Heart Breaker : The Story of My Life @ Chance Theater in Anaheim – Review

(All photos courtesy of Chance Theater)

Written by Patrick Chavis

Heartstrings, heartstrings, heartstrings — writer Brian Hill hits you and keeps hitting you in the heart until the curtain closes at the end of the production.  He understands the heart — or at least a portion of it — in this grounded two-hander about friendship, loss, and life now playing at the Chance Theater in Anaheim through a digital live streaming production. Continue Reading

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December 31, 2020 | Anaheim, Musical, Review, The Chance Theater, Theater, Uncategorized Comments Off on A Very, Very Chance Holiday Cabaret @ Chance Theater in Anaheim – Review |

A Very, Very Chance Holiday Cabaret @ Chance Theater in Anaheim – Review

Written by Patrick Chavis

A Very, Very Chance Holiday Cabaret is a streamed show full of Holiday Musical performances. The musical performances are split up by the comedic styling of well-known Chance Performers Alex Bueno (Loch Ness) and Matt Takashi (A Charlie Brown Christmas). While some of the songs are quite moving, the choice of mostly slow songs and ballads drags the show quite a bit. If you’re patient enough and can see through the 90’s style video production quality, the show can be quite charming and a throwback in a way. Continue Reading

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November 8, 2019 | Costa Mesa, Musical, Review, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Theater Comments Off on Anastasia The New Broadway Musical @ Segerstrom Center for the Arts – Review |

Anastasia The New Broadway Musical @ Segerstrom Center for the Arts – Review

 (Photo by Matthew Murphy, MurphyMade)

Written by Daniella Litvak 

From the Russian Revolution sprang up a legend — Grand Duchess Anastasia (Little Anastasia played by Delilah Rose Pellow and Eloise Vaynshtok), the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II (Brad Greer) and Tsarina Alexandra (Lucy Horton)— survived the communist takeover and vanished.  Speculation about what happened to her has formed the basis of plays, movies and Anastasia The New Broadway Musical — currently playing at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Continue Reading

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October 28, 2019 | Musical, podcast, Theater, Uncategorized Comments Off on 1st Annual LA Theatre Bites Awards/ 4th Annual Orange Curtain Awards 2019! |

1st Annual LA Theatre Bites Awards/ 4th Annual Orange Curtain Awards 2019!

Hello Orange Curtain readers in conjunction with LA Theatre Bites, here is a list of our favorite shows in Los Angeles and Orange County in 2019.  Continue Reading

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