Summer Stages: BWW’s Top Summer Theater Picks for Orange County/Costa Mesa
by Michael L. Quintos
Though the temperatures often escalate to oppressive record highs this time of year, summer is an opportune time to escape inside A/C-cooled theaters—well, unless, of course, the drama happens outdoors (luckily, much of that happens once the sun sets).
And this Summer, the O.C.—which includes Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Santa Ana, Irvine, and even cities just a hop over the county line like La Mirada and Long Beach—is so chock-full of hot stage goodies, that you may have to earmark a lot more time in the next three months to properly satisfy all your theatrical cravings.
Aside from three major national tours all arriving back-to-back-to-back at Segerstrom Center for the Arts this summer (JERSEY BOYS, GHOST and ONCE), Orange County will also see intimate theater premieres of Broadway favorites THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, SPAMALOT, and IN THE HEIGHTS. And the area’s most critically-acclaimed production company, 3-D Theatricals, will be reviving DAMN YANKEES in Fullerton as well.
Below is a listing of our Top 5 Summer Must-See picks, plus a few other noteworthy shows to check out around the area, too!
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1. ONCE: THE MUSICAL (National Tour)
Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Costa Mesa
August 19 – 31
2. LES MISERABLES
La Mirada Theater for the Performing Arts, La Mirada
Now – June 22
3. THE DROWSY CHAPERONE
Theatre Out, Santa Ana
June 6 – July 26
4. JERSEY BOYS (National Tour)
Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Costa Mesa
June 24 – July 13
5. IN THE HEIGHTS
Chance Theater, Anaheim Hills
July 3 – August 3
Latin and hip-hop sounds converge in this uplifting, four-time Tony Award-winning Best musical. The Chance Theater has cleverly re-staged many large contemporary Broadway shows in their intimate stages to great success before, so expectations are high for their take on Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s winsome musical. www.ChanceTheater.com
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