Seeing Stars: Live on Stage

600 Town Center Drive (at South Coast Plaza),
Costa Mesa, CA. / (714) 556-2122
This
massive legitimate theatre is to Orange County what the Shubert
Theater or the Music Center is to Los
Angeles: the home to major Broadway musicals such at "Phantom of
the Opera," "Cats," "Showboat"
and "Les Miserables," as well as concerts, ballet, the
symphony, and grand opera. Broadway musicals tend to come to this theatre
after they have already played Los Angeles. "Chicago,"
for instance, came to the Performing Arts Center immediately following
its run at the Ahmanson. But that can be a good thing - it gives theatre-goers
who missed the initial L.A. run a second chance to catch the show.
Located
next to the megacenter South Coast
Plaza, the Orange County Performing Arts Center is housed in an impressive
building made of polished red granite; its dynamic five-story exterior
features a massive proscenium arch, framing a dynamic sculpture entitled
"Firebird," with wings made up of a bold sweep of interweaving
gold, silver and red metallic strands. Just northwest of the theater is
a maze of manicured hedges and sculptures by Moore.
Inside, the theater's four
terraced levels of plush red seats can accommodate over 3,000 music lovers,
rivaling
the grand Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in both size and elegance.
As befits conservative Orange
County, OCPAC was the first performance hall in the U.S built and operated
entirely by private support. Since its opening in 1986, the stage has hosted
such stars as Bob Hope,
Mikhail Baryshnikov,
Johnny Cash,
Jay Leno,
Joel Grey,
Wynton Marsalis,
Tony Bennett,
Rita Moreno
and Henry
Mancini.
The Center's 2000-2001 Broadway season includes Disney's "Beauty
and the Beast," "Annie Get Your Gun," "Cabaret"
"Titanic," "Rent," "The Scarlet
Pimpernel," "Fosse" and "Saturday
Night Fever."
Other 2000 events include performaces by Harry Belafonte,
Lou Rawls,
Peter, Paul
& Mary and
magician David Copperfield.
Tickets to such events vary
in price, of course, from $70 down to around $17.
But
there is a way to sneak an intimate peek at the theater's posh interior
without paying a penny. Every Wednesday and Saturday, they conduct free guided tours
of the interior of both the original Segerstrom Hall and the grand new
Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Just show up at 10:00 a.m.,
and you will be admitted by a docent who will show you the inner workings
of the giant theaters (including the stars' dressing rooms, the rehearsal
halls, and the performer's lounge). There are separate tours for each hall.
(Also see the separate
page about theatrical premieres.)
Parking:
There is a huge parking structure on the north side of the Center, but
it costs $7 during events and even more during the daytime hours. If you
don't mind a short stroll, your best bet for the tour is probably the free
parking lots nearby at the adjacent South Coast Plaza mall, just west of
Bristol. (Valet parking is not available to the general public.)
Hours:
Free Guided
tours (mornings
only):
Wednesday & Saturday
at 10:00 AM.
For more tour info, call (714)
556.2122 ext. 4246.
(Tours are not held on certain
days due to conflicting events. Be sure to phone first for a recording
that will list the days when the tours will not be held.)
Getting
there:
The Center is located in the northeast corner of South Coast Plaza's Town
Center (in Costa Mesa), just east of the intersection of Town Center Drive
and Park Center Drive, east of Bristol. (See directions to South
Coast Plaza mall.)
[For more information,
and a complete schedule of performances,
you can access the Center's official website at: http://www.ocpac.org.]
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