Performances+ Interactive Programs
The Program: Mark your calendar for these September SoCal performances.
Note: Though hours and formats are updated regularly, they can change without notice; best to confirm at venue websites.
SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY
Welcome Home!‑Jacobs Music Center Opening night
Sept. 28. The 2024/25 season opens in the newly renovated Jacobs Music Center with a program conducted by Music Director Rafael Payare. The evening opens with a World Premiere by composer Texu Kim written in honor of the occasion. Jacobs Music Center, 750 B St., San Diego. sandiegosymphony.org
THE WALLIS
Schubert’s Trout
Sept. 28. LA Chamber Orchestra begins with 19th century Romanticism with Juho Pohjonen and a program of seminal masterworks by Schumann and Schubert. Bram Goldsmith Theater, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. thewallis.org
BROADSTAGE
Maria Bamford
Sept. 27. Experience comedian Maria Bamford (Netflix, ABC, Comedy Central) live on stage in BroadStage’s first ever stand-up comedy presentation! Bamford is the first female comic to have two half-hour Comedy Cenrtral Presents specials and has been dubbed “the funniest woman in the world” by Judd Apatow. 1310 11th St., Santa Monica, broadstage.org
PACIFIC SYMPHONY
Rachmaninoff & Beethoven
Sept. 26-28. Join the Pacific Symphony, led by conductor Carl St. Clair, for Opening Night featuring Ticheli’s musical fireworks “Shooting Stars” which gives way to Ravel’s musical portrait of Spain in “Alborado del gracioso”. Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. pacificsymphony.org
A JOLLA PLAYHOUSE
Primary Trust
Sept. 24-Oct. 20. Kenneth, a 36-year-old bookstore worker in a small upstate New York town, spends his evenings sipping mai tais at the local tiki bar with his best friend Bert. When he’s suddenly laid off, Kenneth faces challenges he has long avoided—with transformative and heart-warming results. Primary Trust is a touching story of new beginnings, old (and new) friends, and finding the courage to see the world for the first time. Mandell Weiss Forum Theatre, 2910 La Jolla Village Dr, La Jolla. lajollaplayhouse.org
SOUTH COAST REPERTORY
Little Shop of Horrors
Sept. 21-Oct. 19. Based on the film by Roger Corman is a musical production that tells the story of a skid row florist who pines for his beautiful co-worker when he stumbles upon a strange new plant that thirsts for human blood. Emmes/Benson Theatre Center, 655 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. scr.org
LA OPERA
Madame Butterfly
Sept. 21-Oct. 13. James Conlon opens the 2024/25 season conducting Puccini’s unforgettable classic starring Korean soprano Karah Son as the tragic heroine trying to find her way in a world dominated by men. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. laopera.org
BROADSTAGE
Future Sounds of Jazz Festival
Sept. 21. Stanley Clarke has curated a special day of art, culture, community and jazz that includes performances by Judith Hill, Gretchen Parlato with Gerald Clayton, Alan Hampton, and more; as well as Jazz Residency students from Santa Monica High School. 1310 11th St., Santa Monica, broadstage.org
THE RADY SHELL AT JACOBS PARK
Classic Albums Live Performs Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours
Sept. 21. Classical Albums Live performs Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, their eleventh studio album released in 1977, note for note, cut for cut. Enjoy live performances of their immortal classics like “The Chain,” and “Second Hand News”. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, 222 Marina Park Way, San Diego. theshell.org
SEGERSTROM CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Brian Regan
Sept. 21. Brian Regan is one of the most respected comedians in the country with Vanity Fair calling Brian, “The funniest stand-up alive,” and Entertainment Weekly calling him, “Your favorite comedian’s favorite comedian.” Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 615 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. scfta.org
THE OLD GLOBE
Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors
Sept. 20-Oct. 20. Famed vampire hunter Jean Van Helsing and her motley crew chase Count Dracula around the English countryside in a madcap race to save his innocent victims. Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage, 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego. oldglobe.org
LA MIRADA THEATRE
Waitress
Sept. 20-Oct. 13. Brought to life on Broadway by a groundbreaking all-female creative team, Waitress features original music and lyrics by six-time Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles and book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson. It is inspired by the beloved film about finding happiness in unexpected places. La Mirada Theatre, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada. lamiradatheatre.com
SEGERSTROM CENTER FOR THE ARTS
An Evening with Samara Joy
Sept. 20. Samara Joy’s first full-length album, Linger Awhile, became a critical smash and earned Joy an incredible two 2023 Grammy Awards including Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best New Artist. Joy returns to the Center after her sold-out performance as the Jazz Club Discovery Artist of 22/23. Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. scfta.org
SEGERSTROM CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Joaquina Kalukango
Sept. 19-21. Tony Award winner Joaquina Kalukango makes her Center debut in our 2024/25 Cabaret Series with her phenomenal vocals and stellar cabaret performance! Samueli Theater, 615 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. scfta.org
THE RADY SHELL AT JACOBS PARK
Amos Lee & Indigo Girls
Sept. 19. AEG/Goldenvoice presents Amos Lee and Indigo Girls live for an evening of hits and singalongs. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, 222 Marina Park Way, San Diego. theshell.org
SEGERSTROM CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Classic Albums Live Performs Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours
Sept. 15. Classical Albums Live performs Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, their eleventh studio album released in 1977, note for note, cut for cut. Enjoy live performances of their immortal classics like “The Chain,” and “Second Hand News”. Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 615 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. scfta.org
LAMB’S PLAYERS THEATRE
The Importance of Being Earnest
Sept. 14-Nov. 10. Lamb’s Players Theatre produces Oscar Wilde’s brilliant comic masterpiece about two men who assume the identity of a fictional man named Ernest and the journey, the love and the challenges they find themselves in along the way. 1142 Orange Ave., Coronado. lambsplayer.org
PACIFIC CHORALE
To the Hands
Sept. 14-15. Pacific Chorale’s chamber choir joins a string quintet to perform Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw’s To the Hands, Buxtehude’s Ad Manus, and more in a moving theatrical presentation leveraging music’s power to center the voices of refugees and the unhoused. Samueli Theater, 615 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. pacificchorale.org
CALIFORNIA CENTER FOR THE ARTS, ESCONDIDO
Jersey Boys
Sept. 13-29. Jersey Boys is the international musical phenomenon that takes you behind the scenes – and behind the music – of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. California Center for the Arts, Escondido, Center Theater, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. artcenter.org
CYGNET THEATRE
Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Sept. 11-Oct. 20. A satirical tribute to the science fiction and B-list horror movies of the 20th century, the show centers around two naïve lovers, Brad and Janet. Stripped of inhibitions – and their clothes – Brad and Janet embark on a wild, unforgettable journey of pleasure and self-discovery. Old Town Theatre, 4040 Twiggs St., San Diego. cygnettheatre.com
CENTER THEATRE GROUP
Duel Reality
Sept. 11-22. Duel Reality from The 7 Fingers, also known as Les 7 doigts de la main, makes their Center Theatre Group debut, featuring their signature electrifying—and endearing—mix of circus, theatre, illusion, music, and dance. Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. centertheatregroup.org
THE OLD GLOBE
Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express
Sept. 7-Oct. 6. Tony Award-nominated playwright Ken Ludwig reimagines Agatha Christie’s Orient on the Express. Enter world-famous detective Hercule Poirot, who must navigate a train full of suspects and solve the murder before the killer strikes again. Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage, 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego. oldglobe.org
PACIFIC SYMPHONY
Tchaikovsky Spectacular
Sept. 7. Enjoy Tchaikovsky’s passionate Violin Concerto performed by violinist Philippe Quint. Plus, Rimsky-Korsakov’s colorful Capriccio Espagnol, hailed by Tchaikovsky as a colossal masterpiece of instrumentation,” a dance from The Nutcracker and Tchaikovsky’s thrilling “1812” overture, complete with a brilliant fireworks finale! Great Park, 8000 Great Park Blvd., Irvine. pacificsymphony.org
PASADENA SYMPHONY & POPS
California Dreamin’
Sept. 7. Award-winning music from stage and screen with songs from Oklahoma, Gigi, Wicked and Chicago with composers Henry Mancini, Alan Menken and more.LA County Arboretum, 301 N Baldwin Ave, Arcadia. pasadenasymphony-pops.org
PASADENA PLAYHOUSE
Cyrano de Bergerac
Sept. 4-29. One of the greatest plays ever written is radically reborn in this critically acclaimed adaptation of a timeless and heartrending love story. 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena. pasadenaplayhouse.org
A NOISE WITHIN
The Skin of Our Teeth
Sept. 1-29. This Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Thornton Wilder is set in 20th century New Jersey and the Ice Age. It is an ambitious, funny, wildly unruly story of humankind told through the lives of the Antrobus family using humor, history and mythology to highlight humanity’s drive to carry on. 3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena. anoisewithin.org
THE RADY SHELL AT JACOBS PARK
The Beach Boys: Endless Summer Gold
Sept. 1. The Beach Boys are one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful bands of all time, with over 100 million records sold worldwide. Between the 1960s and today, the group had over 80 songs chart worldwide, 36 of them in the US Top 40 (the most by a US rock band), and four topping the Billboard Hot 100. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, 222 Marina Park Way, San Diego. theshell.org
THE OLD GLOBE
Henry 6 Part Two: Riot and Reckoning
Through Sept. 15. The plays chronicle two ruling families of medieval England, the Yorks and the Lancasters, as they fight each other in a civil war known as the Wars of the Roses. Presented as a two-part event. Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego. theoldglobe.org
THE OLD GLOBE
Henry 6 Part One: Flowers and France
Through Sept 15. The plays chronicle two ruling families of medieval England, the Yorks and the Lancasters, as they fight each other in a civil war known as the Wars of the Roses. A two-part event. Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego. oldglobe.org
A JOLLA PLAYHOUSE
Velour: A Drag Spectacular
Through Sept. 8. Part memoir, part manifesto about the rise of a superstar, inspired by Sasha Velour’s own origin story and the history of Drag. Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre, 2910 La Jolla Village Dr, La Jolla.lajollaplayhouse.org
Photo Credits: All Images are are courtesy of the venues and businesses featured.
