Goldstar

The hit musical Crowns comes to Pasadena Playhouse. Crowns explores the lives of the "hat queens," six women in the South whose stories of love, loss, identity and sisterhood are woven into the hats that crown their heads and the dynamic gospel songs that speak their truth. This intimate musical is co-produced by Ebony Repertory Theatre. Learn more...

Kelly McGillis (Top Gun, Broadway's Hedda Gabbler) and Julia Duffy (Newhart, Designing Women, Broadway's Once in a Lifetime) star in Lillian Helman's The Little Foxes. The Hubbards can only be described as ravenous -- a family with an uncanny ability to manipulate each other in ways that rival the mega-corporations of today. Discover the lengths the family will go to for success. Learn more...

The Pasadena Playhouse and WriteGirl, a creative writing and mentoring program for teen girls in the greater Los Angeles area, present PlayWriteGirl. In this special event, a star-studded cast presents works developed by the program's students. Scheduled performers include Angela Basset, Annie Potts, Christine Lahti, Melora Hardin, Dana Delany, JoBeth Williams, and more. A reception with live jazz and delicious food precedes the show. Learn more...

Filled with scams and double-crosses, two half-sisters vie for the rights to a recently inherited (and dazzlingly valuable) stamp collection. Throughout their farcical escapades, the pair come face-to-face with a couple of machine-gun mouthed con artists who ensnare them in their own brand of beguiling trickery. Learn more...

Pasadena Playhouse presents Sharleen Cooper Cohen's play Stormy Weather. Tony Award-winning actress Leslie Uggams stars as Lena Horne, the legendary singer and movie star whose classic hits include "From This Moment On" and "The Lady is a Tramp". The show features Horne's inspiring story of success, plus many of the songs that made her famous. Learn more...

Enjoy three plays at Pasadena Playhouse, at a special Goldstar discount price. You'll receive tickets to Stormy Weather, the musical starring Leslie Uggams as the legendary Lena Horne; Mauritius, Theresa Rebeck's fast-paced tale of two half-sisters vying to inherit a priceless stamp collection; and Lillian Hellman's classic The Little Foxes, which explores familial greed in the American South. Learn more...

Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress/singer Leslie Uggams joins Pasadena Playhouse Artistic Director Sheldon Epps for an intimate and lively discussion about her career on stage and screen and in the recording studio. Uggams currently stars in Pasadena Playhouse's production of Stormy Weather. Learn more...

Pasadena Playhouse presents the Theatre 360 production of Babes in Toyland, Victor Herbert's timeless musical adventure. Follow young Alan and Jane as they run away from rules and chores to the magical land of Toyland, a beguiling world of walking and talking toys. This newly updated version will delight the whole family as fantasy comes to life. Learn more...

Pasadena Playhouse presents The Lady With All the Answers. Written by playwright and TV writer David Rambo (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation), this hilarious and touching drama follows popular advice columnist Ann Landers as she grapples with problems of her own. Mimi Kennedy portrays Landers. Learn more...

Pasadena Playhouse presents Vanities. Chronicling the comic journey of three vivacious Texas teens from cheerleaders to sorority sisters to housewives, liberated women and beyond, this musical evokes the turbulent, exciting era of the 1960s and '70s. David Kirshenbaum's tuneful score complements Jack Heifner's hilarious adaptation of his long-running off-Broadway smash. Learn more...

Four-time Emmy Award-winner Valerie Harper ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Rhoda") stars as Tallulah Bankhead in Looped, with Chad Allen ("Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman"). This world-premiere play gives a glimpse into the eccentric life of the scandalous actress, a true Hollywood legend. Learn more...

Pasadena Playhouse presents a groundbreaking revisionist production of Steinbeck's classic tale about two men searching for the American dream. In this provocative make-over, Of Mice and Men is set in 1942 California, where thousands of Hispanic migrant workers cross the border to pursue dreams of a better life for their families. This setting for Of Mice and Men amplifies Steinbeck's themes of loneliness and longing. Learn more...

After twelve years of sold-out concerts around the globe, Quetzal has become one of Los Angeles' most important and successful music groups. Proclaimed by no less an authority than Los Lobos as ready to carry the torch for Los Angeles's Chicano community, Quetzal will play a benefit concert for Latino Heritage and the Pasadena Playhouse Outreach and Education programs. Academy Award-nominated actor Andy garcia hosts the evening. Learn more...

Based on the heartwarming true story of an unusual-looking boy and his unconventional biker mother, this pop-rock musical has been adapted from the award-winning film starring Cher and Eric Stoltz. The show features music by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, one of the most successful songwriting teams in history ("You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," "Somewhere Out There"). Learn more...

The time is 1960; the place is a London theatre. Legendary critic Kenneth Tynan has made a startling proposal: Orson Welles should direct Lawrence Olivier and the young Joan Plowright in Rhinoceros, Ionesco's absurdist masterpiece. But it is the rehearsal process that brims with absurdity as titanic personalities, including Vivien Leigh (NYPD Blue's Sharon Lawrence), wrestle the muse. Learn more...

The strength, the humor, the musical genius, as well as the successes and failures of one of America's best known and loved icons are all dynamically explored in Ray Charles Live! A New Musical. The show features Charles' greatest hits, including "Georgia on My Mind," "What'd I Say," "I Got a Woman" and "Hit the Road, Jack." Learn more...

For a limited time, Goldstar members have the opportunity to purchase a three-play mini-subscription to upcoming productions at the Pasadena Playhouse, saving even more than usual off the full ticket price. The package includes two new musicals and comes with full subscriber benefits! This is the only sure way to get discounted prime seats for the theater's upcoming show Ray Charles Live! Also featured: Orson's Shadow and Mask. Learn more...

In 1880, Cadet Johnson Whittaker should have been the second African-American man to graduate from West Point, but in a decision which many believed was racially motivated, he was denied the opportunity to graduate. Michael J. Chepiga's play Matter of Honor chronicles Whittaker's struggle for redemption. Learn more...

For a limited time, Goldstar members have the opportunity to purchase a four-play mini-subscription to upcoming productions at the Pasadena Playhouse, saving even more than usual off the full ticket price! This is the only sure way to get discounted tickets to the theater's upcoming musical Ray Charles Live!, and the only way to get discounted prime seats for Matter of Honor. Also featured: Orson's Shadow and Mask. This package comes with full subscriber benefits! Learn more...

Across the street from the Moulin Rouge...something truly scandalous is going on! Cole Porter's Can-Can centers on Pistache, the only woman in Paris who owns a café that features the sexy and provocative Can-Can. In this dazzling, if not naughty, musical, Pistache faces a fervent attempt to shut down her business--as well as her own complications in love. Learn more...

Constance Middleton is a loving and supportive wife who suddenly is faced with a decision: what to do in the face of her husband's indiscretions with her best friend? In this intelligent and witty comedy penned by acclaimed author W. Somerset Maugham in 1926, Constance's choice challenges perceptions of love and marriage. Learn more...

This one-night-only performance benefiting El Centro de Accion Social features readings, performance and comedy from the most prominent Chicano/Latino performance troupe in the country--Culture Clash! Their most recent Los Angeles Premiere, Water and Power, will be the recipient of the L.A. Drama Critic Circle Ted Schmidt Award; El Centro de Accion Social offers youth education programs and services that help senior citizens. Learn more...

Following up on his 2004 smash-hit, Blue, which starred Phylicia Rashad and Diahann Carroll, writer and director Charles Randolph-Wright present his latest thatrical event at the Pasadena Playhouse. Cuttin' Up is a theatrical exploration of the African-American barbershop, weaving a series of thought-provoking and funny anecdotes, memories and music into a living oral history covering 60 years. Learn more...

For a limited time, Goldstar members have the opportunity to purchase a half-price mini-subscription to Pasadena Playhouse and see their three most highly anticipated productions: Cuttin' Up, The Constant Wife, and Can-Can. This mini-subscription is currently the only way to secure tickets for Can-Can, and it will sell out quickly--but we may add more seats, so check back often. See event description for show dates. Learn more...

The Pasadena Playhouse presents a private performance of Cuttin' Up, writer-director Charles Randolph-Wright's theatrical exploration of the African-American barbershop. Randolph-Wright weaves a series of profound, yet hilarious anecdotes, memories and music into a living oral history covering 60 years. On this special evening, in celebration of theatrical diversity, guests will enjoy a pre-show reception at the Playhouse, with hosted wine, beer and refreshments. In addition to the performance, the playwright will be honored on-stage by Loretta Devine and Jenifer Lewis. Learn more...

The Pasadena Playhouse kicks off their 2007 season with Defiance, the latest work from John Patrick Shanley, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Doubt and Oscar-winning writer of Moonstruck. It is 1971 and North Carolina's Camp Lejeune military base is rife with racial unease. When Colonel Littlefield invites a black officer, Captain Lee King, to his home to discuss the building tensions, unexpected and profound events turn the discourse from race to an even deeper exchange that touches the heart and soul of all involved. Learn more...

The soul-sister gospel choirs and heartwarming story of the 1992 film Sister Act come to the Pasadena Playhouse! With music by Alan Menken (Tony Award Nominee and composer of Little Shop of Horrors and Beauty and the Beast) and a top-notch creative team, this production's stirring musical numbers are irresistible! When disco club singer Deloris Van Cartier is placed in protective custody in a convent, her unique brand of funk comes face-to-face with the traditions of the church--and the strict order is in for a serious shake-up. Learn more...

Pasadena Playhouse presents August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play Fences, starring Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett, directed by Sheldon Epps. The show will also star Bryan Clark (His Girl Friday), Kadeem Hardison (A Different World), Orlando Jones (Drumline), Wendell Pierce (The Boys of Winter), and Victoria Matthews (Les Miserables). Fences takes place in a black tenement in Pittsburgh where Troy Maxson, a former star ballplayer in the Negro Leagues, finds himself an embittered 53-year old garbage collector. As he comes to terms with his own lost dreams, Troy struggles to hold onto a shred of personal dignity while battling to unite his family. Learn more...

The Pasadena Playhouse presents a private performance of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play Fences, starring Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett, benefiting Sheldon Epps Theatrical Diversity Project. The ticket price includes a champagne and hors d'oeuvres reception, a red carpet greeting at the theatre, and rear orchestra seating at the performance. Fences takes place in a black tenement in Pittsburgh where Troy Maxson, a former star ballplayer in the Negro Leagues, finds himself an embittered 53-year old garbage collector coming to terms with his own lost dreams. Learn more...

Pasadena Playhouse presents The Marriage Musicals, productions of I Do! I Do! and The Last Five Years playing in repertory. I Do! I Do! is an intimate, deliciously romantic musical by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt (The Fantasticks), and was the winner of seven Tony Awards. This Broadway blockbuster tells the story of the joys and perils of married life, and has been entertaining audiences in theatres all over the world. Learn more...

Pasadena Playhouse presents The Marriage Musicals, productions of I Do! I Do! and The Last Five Years playing in repertory. A fresh, contemporary musical from a Tony Award-winning composer, The Last Five Years chronicles a young couple's romance from two distinct perspectives. Time Magazine called this smash hit musical one of the Top Ten of 2001! Learn more...

Sherlock Holmes has been foiling the plots of the world's most insidious criminal minds for over 100 years. With his unparalleled gifts of perception, stealth, and wit, no villain has ever gotten the best of the great detective -- until now. Enjoy the latest work of prolific playwright Steven Dietz as he pits Holmes against his two most vicious foes: certain death and impassioned love. Learn more...

For a limited time, Goldstar members have the opportunity to purchase a half-price mini-subscription to Pasadena Playhouse and see their three most highly anticipated productions: Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure, The Marriage Musicals (I do! I Do!), and SISTER ACT the Musical. Tickets to SISTER ACT the Musical will not be discounted on Goldstar outside of this program. This mini-subscription will sell out quickly, but we may add more seats so check back often. See event description for show dates. Learn more...

One night only, the Pasadena Playhouse presents a special performance of one of A.R. Gurney's Broadway hit, Love Letters, starring film and television stars Annie Potts (Designing Women) and Joe Mantegna (The Godfather Part III, Joan of Arcadia). Tracing the lifelong correspondence of a staid, dutiful lawyer and a lively, unstable artist, the story of their bittersweet relationship gradually unfolds from what is written - and what is left unsaid - in their letters. Learn more...

Gender confusion, cross dressing, gay marriage...What did Shakespeare really have in mind? Don't miss Alison Carey's hilarious and incisive world premiere play As You Like It: A California Concoction, a twist on a old favorite that Southern California will be talking about for years to come. Learn more...

LA Opera presents the spectacle of opera for all ages with The Prospector at Pasadena Playhouse. This is an opportunity for families or groups to experience the thrill of live opera at a reasonable cost and in an outstanding venue. The Prospector, set in a mining camp in the wild and untamed West during the 1850's, tells a story of cowboys and miners competing for the love of a strong and beautiful woman. Learn more...

An explosively funny opening sets the stage for this behind-the-scenes look at television's most egomaniacal diva. We travel back in time to discover how hidden relationships and other surprises brought this sitcom star and her producer to the breaking point. Diva stars Annie Potts, best known for playing the roles of Mary Jo Shively in the television sitcom Designing Women and Janine Melnitz in the Ghostbusters films. Learn more...

The Pasadena Playhouse and a rotating cast of celebrities recreates the excitement of a 1940s radio play in Frank Capra's classic It's a Wonderful Life. Actors, musicians and the famed "sound man" re-create this holiday favorite on stage the way they did in the recording studios of the 1940s. Learn more...

Co-produced by Deaf West Theatre, whose Broadway hit retelling of Huckleberry Finn (Big River) was a Roar of the Crowd winner, Open Window is the story of two women teaching a deaf-mute man sign language in a desperate attempt to save him from execution. Learn more...

The Pasadena Playhouse presents Academy Award-winning film and television actress Marlee Matlin as the featured guest for the latest installment of their popular Conversation with... series. Matlin made her film debut in Children of a Lesser God (for which she won the Oscar) and has since appeared in numerous film and television projects, most recently NBC's The West Wing. Learn more...

Award-winning actress Kate Mulgrew comes to Pasadena to star as the legendary Katharine Hepburn in the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway hit Tea at Five. Mulgrew is best known for her long-running roles on Star Trek: Voyager and Ryan's Hope. This show was a huge hit with Goldstar members earlier this year in San Francisco. Saturday at 9 p.m. performances star understudy Paula Ewin, and not Kate Mulgrew. Learn more...

The Pasadena Playhouse presents Purlie, the award-winning musical adaptation of actor Ossie Davis' play Purlie Victorious. Purlie tells the story of a young, idealistic preacher named Purlie Victorious who tries to bring freedom to an oppressed town by inventing an elaborate, ingenious and hilarious scheme to reclaim the people's rights. The question is, though, is he a savior or just a con man? This delightful musical includes such popular songs as "I Got Love," "Walk Him Up The Stairs" and "Down Home." Learn more...

The New York Times calls it "screamingly funny"! The Pasadena Playhouse presents Private Lives, Noel Coward's classic comedy of clever comebacks and cocktails, directed by Art Manke. Learn more...

Academy Award winner Linda Hunt (The Year of Living Dangerously, Silverado, The Practice) stars in John Patrick Shanley's riveting new drama about a nun who wages a moral war on a priest she suspects of foul play. The Wall Street Journal claims Doubt is "the best new play of the season...thought-provoking and full of high drama." Learn more...

The acclaimed Pasadena Playhouse presents Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics, the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Best Drama and a Tony-nominated Best Play! Tolstoy's Anna Karenina provides the dramatic and telling backdrop for the life-changing choices of the employees at a Cuban cigar factory. Learn more...

Fill your holiday wish list with tickets to Plaid Tidings, the holiday edition of smash hit Forever Plaid, at The Pasadena Playhouse. The Los Angeles Times calls it "first-rate" with "polished singing and performances!" Learn more...

Extended again due to popular demand! The Pasadena Playhouse presents an enchanting evening of some of the most memorable hits of legendary Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim. "A first rate revival!" --L.A. Times Learn more...

A love story, comedy and biographical drama in one, Vincent in Brixton explores the lesser-known side of the legendary artist Vincent Van Gogh. The play draws from his correspondence and creates a subtle and charming romance--reaching beyond Van Gogh's life and art--that brings great relevance to all those who experience it. Learn more...

From the team that brought us The Fantastiks comes one of the most beautiful and memorable musicals ever written, 110 in the Shade, based on the famous play and movie The Rainmaker, at the Pasadena Playhouse. Learn more...