The Curtain Is Up. Southern California's Theater Season Is Not Waiting for You.

There is something that happens in a theater that cannot happen anywhere else. The lights go down. The room goes quiet. And for the next two hours, a group of strangers agree to believe in something together. Southern California — with its sprawling constellation of stages, from intimate black boxes to grand historic houses — does this better than most places in the world. June is an exceptional month to find out why.

The Pantages Theatre — Hollywood

The Hollywood Pantages is one of the great theater buildings in America — an art deco masterpiece on Hollywood Boulevard that has been hosting Broadway-caliber productions since 1930. This June, Alicia Keys' Hell's Kitchen runs through June 21 — the Grammy Award-winning musical built around Keys' music and the story of a young woman finding her voice in 1990s New York. It is exactly the kind of show that earns its standing ovation. And beginning June 24, Phantom of the Opera returns to the Pantages through August 9 — the music of the night, back where it belongs, in a room that was built for exactly this kind of spectacle.

Pasadena Playhouse — Pasadena

The Tony Award-winning State Theater of California is currently running a production described as a musical that "occurs once every 100 years" through June 14 — which is either hyperbole or an instruction. Either way, it should not be missed. A new production opens July 8 through August 2, described by The New York Times as "an electrifying theatrical experience." Book now for both. The Playhouse on El Molino Avenue is one of those theaters where the building itself is part of the experience.

La Mirada Theatre — La Mirada

Anastasia runs June 5 through 28 at La Mirada Theatre — a sweeping musical about identity, memory, and the particular kind of hope that survives impossible circumstances. La Mirada's 1,251-seat state-of-the-art venue has earned its reputation as one of the most enjoyable places to see live theater in the region. Tickets are affordable. The experience is anything but ordinary.

South Coast Repertory — Costa Mesa

South Coast Repertory has announced its 2026-27 season — an expanded nine-play lineup that includes Hamlet, Into the Woods, The Importance of Being Earnest, recent hits, and world premieres. SCR is one of the finest regional theaters in the country, quietly producing some of the most adventurous and well-crafted theater on the West Coast. Fremont Ave. is their current world premiere co-production — a new work making its debut on the Costa Mesa stage this season. This is the kind of theater that doesn't announce itself loudly and doesn't need to.

A Note on the Pantages Building

Even if you see nothing else this season, walk past the Pantages on Hollywood Boulevard on a show night. The marquee, the architecture, the crowd gathering on the sidewalk in their best clothes — it is Southern California reminding itself that glamour is not entirely dead. It just needs a reason to come out.

I know this building well. In 1983, I performed on that stage in the national touring production of The King and I alongside Yul Brynner — one of the last times Brynner would play the role he had made legendary. To stand in the wings of the Pantages, in costume, waiting for your cue, is to understand something about Southern California and spectacle and the particular electricity of a full house that you carry with you for the rest of your life. That stage has been part of me ever since.

It will do something to you, too. Go find out.

Where to Book:

• Hollywood Pantages — 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles | broadwayinhollywood.com
• Pasadena Playhouse — 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena | pasadenaplayhouse.org
• La Mirada Theatre — 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada | lamiradatheatre.com
• South Coast Repertory — 655 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa | scr.org