Best Performing Arts

Back to CaliforniaBest of California: Performing Arts

  • The San Francisco Opera (tel. 415/864-3330): The first municipal opera in the U.S., with world-renowned productions and members, performs at the War Memorial Opera House, modeled after the Opéra Garnier in Paris. The season opens with a gala in September and runs through December.
  • The San Francisco Symphony (tel. 415/864-6000): The symphony is such a hot ticket, it's hard to get a seat in advance. If your concierge doesn't have any tricks up his sleeve, you can try to buy tickets at the door or from someone attempting to sell his at the last second.
  • The American Conservatory Theater (San Francisco; tel. 415/749-2-ACT): The A.C.T. is one of the nation's leading regional theaters -- the American equivalent of the British National Theatre, the Berliner Ensemble, or the Comédie Française in Paris.
  • The Monterey Jazz Festival (tel. 831/373-3366): The third weekend of September, the Monterey Fairgrounds draws jazz fans from around the world. The 3-day festival, known for the sweetest jazz west of the Mississippi, usually sells out a month in advance.
  • The Hollywood Bowl (Los Angeles; tel. 323/850-2000): This iconic outdoor amphitheater is the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, a stage for visiting virtuosos -- including the occasional pop star -- and the setting for splendid fireworks shows.
  • Festival of Arts/Pageant of the Masters (Laguna Beach): These events draw crowds to the Orange County coast every July and August. Begun in 1932 by a handful of painters, the festival has grown to showcase hundreds of artists. In the evening, crowds marvel at the Pageant of the Masters' tableaux vivants, in which costumed townsfolk pose inside a giant frame and depict famous works of art, accompanied by music.
  • The Old Globe Theatre (San Diego; tel. 619/234-5623): This Tony Award-winning complex of three theaters has launched Broadway hits such as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Full Monty, and Into the Woods, and regularly features major film and TV actors in its casts. Since its founding more than 70 years ago, the Globe has been associated with the works of William Shakespeare; the outdoor summer Shakespeare Festival features three of the Bard's plays in nightly rotation.

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