I love community theaters! So many good actors and musicians are able to showcase their talents. Don't forget to recognize the backstage crew for preparing the props, lighting and maintaining the sound system. The Curtis Theater has an impressive schedule of plays and musical performing acts. You may want to check their website and purchase a subscription or buy an individual ticket to their shows. On this occasion, I was invited to the performance of the RANDOM 1s (follow them on Instagram), who played a medley of Classic Rock songs from the 60s and 70s. Not just any popular song, but the music from bands who made a blockbuster hit, but did not continue with more hits or an album. These are referred to as the "One Hit Wonders." Special Guest this evening is radio personality, Shotgun Tom Kelly. He published a book and was the Emcee for the evening. A book signing event was held in the lobby before and after the show. His book is entitled "All I Wanna do is Play the Hits." SONGS PERFORMED (partial list): -Gloria -Grazing in the Grass -Louie Louie -Love You More Today Than Yesterday -Play that Funky Music -Spirit in the Sky -Stuck in the Middle w/You -What's Your Name -Wipe-Out VENUE HIGHLIGHTS: - Clean theater - Comfortable seats - Polite staff helping with the ticket sales and concessions. - Drinks and snacks are allowed inside the theater. - Free onsite parking Sincerely, Rosemary read more

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Loved it! We came here for a live radio play of "It's a Wonderful Life." Plenty of parking (Free) on Birch Street, right after the drop off/Pick up loop. Structure parking lot, right under the theater. Use the elevator or stairs. Beautiful play, we may have to begin a new Christmas tradition! We enjoyed the show, 2 hours, a 10 minute break in the middle. You can buy snacks right outside. Highly recommended! read more

Wonderful theater! Just the right size to feel intimate but large enough to not feel uncomfortable. The sound and quality are great and the seats are comfy too. A small little bar in the entry way with adult drinks and various small snacks. Not too pricey either. The staff is always helpful and make sure you know where your seats are and the bathrooms. Performers have been spot-on too! Whether you are there to see a play or a certain performer, always top notch! We have seen a couple musicals here and also Charles Phoenix here (twice). Each seat we've had has been a perfect, unobstructed view of the stage. Parking is a little tricky, but typically there are many spots underground. Several places around the theater to grab a bite or a drink before and/or after your event too. Brea is a fantastic city! We are seriously contemplating season tickets, looking forward to our next visit! read more

Curtis Theatre - 2nd time seeing Charles Phoenix here, so fun! - Performing Arts Near Me - Brea, California

Great staff great productions always just a great time out with friends or family. Can't wait to attend this holiday season.

Every time I come to this theater for a musical or a play, I always feel this place is very simple but elegant and beautiful. It may be small but it does its job. Their seats are very comfortable so even though you sit for two hours, you have no problem. Love coming to this place anytime! read more

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Was doing some Christmas shopping back in December of 2023 and saw the sign for this theatre. Being a fan of the performing arts, I immediately looked them up online when I got home. I was happy to see the the musical Once was going to take place February of 2024. What a great idea for Valentine's Day, I thought. So I bought tickets off their website which was very easy to navigate. You cannot beat their prices! When my husband and I arrived for the February 17th show at 8pm, we were happy to see that parking was easy, plentiful and free. Furthermore, the theatre is a small, intimate venue that I really loved. There was no bad seat in the house! The performance was full of heart and the energy from both the performers and the audience was magical! I'm in love with this place and plan on being a regular here! read more

We here for a play and it was very nice. Love the atmosphere and they play was excellent. Very nice and relaxing place.

I will start off saying that I'm not a big-time play reviewer, but I do know what I like ! Last Saturday my wife and I went to see a play titled "Once" at the Curtis theater in Brea. A friend and Co worker's daughter was appearing in the performance. Parking was easy and free. Right on the same level as the theater. The actual theater was small and intimate but large enough to hold a good crowd. After we had arrived and met our friends, someone says "the pre show is going to Stat soon. So we went in. On the stage was an Irish Bar scene with a fully stocked bar selling drinks to the play goers. I went down on stage, got my wife something to drink and went back up. Then the fun began. Like a flash mob, people appeared and began playing, singing and dancing Irish stomp songs. They invited anyone who wanted to to join in. I'm a pretty conservative guy, Im of German heritage with a splash of Irish thrown in on my mother's side. I was moved by the music singing and dancing. I'm not ashamed to admit it...I am a son of Ireland! The greatness of the music, acting, and store continued throughout the rest of the evening. I am going to look into Season tickets as I went home with a smile on my face and a song in my heart. Up the Irish! read more

It's A Wonderful Life! - Curtis Theatre, Brea. Do Yourself and Your Family a favor and DO NOT MISS this amazing production/performance. Debbie and I attended opening night on Thursday. Such a special evening. A magical two hours. Please make time in your hectic holiday schedule to attend one of the remaining performances this weekend. Your Heart and Soul will say, Thank You! HEE-HAW and Merry Christmas! read more

Nice cozy theater close to brea mall. Ample seating in about 15 rows. wide seats with lots of leg room. Clean bathrooms

Awesome experience at this theater!! My daughter had a dance recital here and I have no complaints about the venue! My experience is with backstage, so if your a mom who's soon to be a stage mom for the first time, here are a few tips on what to bring for your little dancer along with everything else you have to haul along:: 1. A glue gun, you might need to glue an accessory back in place! 2. A mini sewing kit (Trust me) 3. Los and lots of Bobby pins! 4. Snacks and water! The parking is free, easy in and out! Lots of dressing rooms with lots of power outlets, bright lights and room enough to dance around in! One restroom with one stall! All the dressing rooms have monitors to show what is happening on stage! The stage itself is an average size with access to it on both sides! There are no bad seats, even if you get seats way in the back, you'll still be able to see very well! Five stars.... read more

I'm here for the first time watching a performance of "Thoroughly Modern Millie." It is one of my school's production and I love the theatre ! It was professional! The front of the theatre is not that big so you won't notice it the first time you're there but the inside is a completely different story. It's huge! The stage itself is sufficient for big props and easy to set up! Specifically, I love the settings of the production I saw. The seats are normal just like in a movie theater (not those new recliners) the space between the seats are uncomfortable because they are so close to each other but you will make it Parking is a little hard to find because there is an underground parking right below the theatre! On Waze, you will find two Civic Circle Road, the one at the traffic light is where you should turn right for parking! I hope you don't mess up read more

Curtis Theatre - The front of the theatre - Performing Arts Near Me - Brea, California

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Last night my daughter and I went to see Sweeney Todd at the Curtis. We had an amazing night. It started off a little dodgy because when purchasing what I thought were front row seats I discovered upon arriving at theatre I had misread the online chart of the theatre and purchased last row seats. So that is probably my only word of caution- check the map carefully so you know where the stage is. That said when I explained what happened to the house manager he took my tickets and switched them out for the last available two seats in the front row. And he was kind, helpful and understanding about it- his entire attitude reflected his desire for my daughter and me to have a wonderful theatre experience. And the show.. the show! I love Sweeney Todd- it is in my top five favorite musicals. I enjoyed every minute of it and especially the chemistry and dark humor of Laura Gregory and Rudy Martinez as Lovett and Sweeney. The Southgate production creates that fine balance between horrifying and hilarious that elevates this production into a riveting experience. At the conclusion of "A Little Priest" at the end of act I, as the lights came on my daughter turned to me and said "I don't want an intermission I want it to keep going" If you can make it to the theatre before this show closes on October 23rd, I suggest you do. I want this amazing production to keep going too. read more

Curtis Theatre - Mrs Lovett out of Costume but in character at the Curtis Theatre - Performing Arts Near Me - Brea, California

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Last night we had the distinct pleasure of enjoying a wonderful performance of "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" at the Curtis Theater in Brea, CA. The acting, singing, and comedy lines were superb. In addition the theater is celebrating its 40th anniversary, so there were delicious hors d'oeuvres to be enjoyed before the show and during intermission, as well as a chance to win some raffle prizes. We have been attending plays and musical performances at the Curtis for at least 30 years and have never missed a season. Everything we've seen has been top-notch. There was only one "cloud" at the end of the evening last night, having come about as a result of an announcement that was made by the theater manager prior to the start of the show. We were told that everyone would receive a small gift/"goody bag" as they left the theater. Sadly, this was not so, as they ran out before everyone had exited. It was unfortunate that more planning had not been put into this to assure that everyone received something, especially as the theater was not sold out. I realize this would not have been anything of great value, but it would have been nice to have the small memento of the evening that had been promised. read more

What a find! The theater isn't too big, all the seats are good, and parking is free! Plus, the show pricing is totally reasonable, same with drinks and snacks. Biggest drawback is the women's restroom (the line gets super long, there aren't enough stalls), so just know that ahead of time. read more

This theater is an amazing great big plus to the Brea community and even to Orange County. The recent production of All Shook Up was magnificent. Everyone in the production--the audience clearly loved every minute of it. Especially the lead actor Paul Zelhart playing the character of Chad. The lead female star, Anna Miles playing Natalie. Also the the Dance Captain, Soleil Garcia, was dancing beautifully and lead all the dancers with great inspiration. read more

Saw opening night of 9 to 5! Wow was it awesome! The singing was superb, acting was so great, stage set was great! Also... we had an elderly person in a wheelchair in our party and were given wonderful help getting to our seats. Go see this performance if you appreciate Dolly Parton, the movie 9 to 5 or just love musical theater. It's fun, funny and sweet! read more

Came here last night to watch my lil niece's play, Aladdin. The musical was so cute. They all did such a great job. It was amazing how some of the kids sang so well. The whole production itself was great and kudos to the school district for putting this on. As for the theatre itself, it was fantastic. The seats are pretty roomy and not cramped at all. The capacity is small and intimate which makes every seat a good view of the stage. The theatre is clean and well ventilated. There is ample parking underground which there was no charge for. read more

Oh Curtis Theatre, what great memories I have with you and your plays. Back in high school [which yes was a while ago, but not that long ago] I used to volunteer here with a friend of mine. I guess I did my volunteering first because I wanted to get this cool award from the community of Brea for doing a certain number of hours that wasn't related to any clubs. I don't even remember how I started volunteering here, but it was awesome. The best part of volunteering is that you basically get to watch the show for free. So yes, you have to help with ushering, passing out the playbills, or taking tickets, and during intermission with the snack sales, but all the other times, you get to watch the show. One of the best things is that in the summer and winter, they have the children's production of a musical. They're always super nice to go to. I remember volunteering at every single show of some of them. My friend and I even learned the choreography and songs for the show. During the other times, they have great shows that they somehow find. It's always a treat to go to the Curtis Theatre because they always have awesome show. It's a super small theatre so any seat is good. I love this place. The prices to see a show are pretty decent as well. The staff is super nice too. I remember working with so many different people and they all treated the volunteers with respect and the patrons as well. If you are looking for some great plays or musicals, definitely check out the Curtis Theatre. Brea supports the arts and you should too! read more

Just saw 9 to 5 last night. So amazing! Acting and singing was awesome! Seriously, very professional. From lighting to costumes and sound, all high quality! Not a bad seat in the house. Free parking! Reasonably priced high quality theater close to home, what more could you ask for?! I highly recommend this venue. Support local theater! read more

This is the best theater I've ever been to it's so high class and the snack bar is excwiset my children perform in that theater and they love it to especially the backstage love this theater read more

I co-hosted a Gala event here that was fantastic! The theater had a fantastic sound system, upper area to house our video production equipment and a large stage. The green room was sizable with a refrigerator to store food for the crew, friends, family, etc. All in all I would totally recommend this theater to anybody, there is also ample parking down below for a large audience. The only bad thing I have to say is it cannot house a huge crowd of several hundred people as there are not enough seats, but for small productions this is awesome. I am living in Irvine and the commute wasn't bad without traffic so it even works as a relatively central location between OC and LA for productions! -Josh Bois, Global Entrepreneur & Personality read more

Great viewing venue for the audience. Theater management works hard to bring in entertainment. Good variety of acts. Well worth the time and money. read more

A nice, clean theater. The staff are very friendly, bathrooms are clean. Park across the street for free parking. Overall a great and easy experience and a pleasure to watch a show at this theater. read more

Great venue! Amazing staff... I've quickly become a loyal customer here and am grateful for our annual dance recitals here! They have a great staff and team who are wonderful to work with read more

I came here for a non-profit event and the theater wasn't bad! It was a little small but still good. Yay, the parking was free and the area was nice! I can't say much about the theater. It was a nice experience there volunteering and enjoying the show. I got to see the backstage and it was really cool! :) read more

Curtis Theatre is a perfect venue to see a show. My daughter has performed here many times, and we have had a great experience. The staff is very friendly, and there isn't a bad seat. It is always a pleasure to come here. read more

I have been to this theater for couple of events. I decided to take 4 of my grandkids and husband to Joseph and I used the website to buy the tickets. It is not user friendly. I picked the 6:30 show while I actually wanted tickets for the 2:00 show. When I showed up a 1:45 the clerk explained I had mistakenly bought the wrong tickets. While my husband and grandkids waited, I went to the ticket window. I had to write two different checks to random individuals to buy tickets for the current show. I was told management would call about refunding me for the 6:30. He called me several days later and I was told I would not be refunded. "You should have read the fine print." I told him I would not be back to this theater. Very sad! read more

Great theatre in Brea! All of the seats are very good. Had seen a few shows in the past. I just purchased tickets for Sister Act and Lotti was so friendly and helpful! Thank you! Glad I saw an insert in my water bill for Sister Act. Loved the movie back in the day. read more

I visited the Curtis Theatre for the first time to see their current production of "Bonnie & Clyde", and everything about the experience was beyond what I expected of "community" theatre. The theater itself is great, with about 200 seats all of which give a great view as the seating is stadium style. The performances on the stage were way beyond expectations. I'm talking professional tour quality, and I am not exaggerating. The performance of the live orchestra was also way beyond expectation. I actually expected recorded or karaoke tracks, so the quality live sound was a great surprise! Although the sets and ancillary aspects of the production don't quite match up to larger regional theatre or pro tours, the cost of a ticket doesn't match up either. The price/performance ratio at the Curtis Theatre, if their production of "Bonnie & Clyde" is any indication, makes for one of the best deals in town! read more