Welk Resorts Theatre – San Diego

Attended a performance of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Welk Theater last week and wanted to add my review. The actors are top notch. The theater is not large venue so you can’t go wrong with any seat in the house.
My husband and I are fans of the original 1973 movie, and while the storyline is somewhat unconventional and not without controversy in certain Christian circles, it offers another view of the connection and relationship between Jesus and Judas. With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, it’s hard to go wrong. This production is thoroughly enjoyable.
Kyle Short as Jesus brings the character to life, and his High G note at the end of the number Gethsemane brought down the house. Judas is played by Dominique Petit Frere whose nuances in facial expression and demeanor draw sympathy to an otherwise unlikable historical and religious figure. Herod is over the top, but I understand the original Herod was crazy too. Voices of the Pharisees, Pilate, the priest, Annas… all wonderful.
This play is not often in production, and if you can, I’d suggest buying your tickets before it’s gone. Highly recommended, but hurry… it ends August 7, 2016.

Just saw Jesus Christ Superstar & it was amazing! I can’t believe so many people don’t know about this incredible theatre we have locally! They bring in some incredible shows & the production is top notch! The prices are great & I don’t think there’s a bad seat in the house! Can’t wait to go again!

Saw Jesus Christ Superstar. It was amazing. The acting was excellent. The singing was great. I realize the play was written in the early 70’s and clearly, it is a reflection of the time. It did disappointment me to see Herod portrayed as a flamboyant evil gay male. I wonder If the Welk theater would have done a scene in black face, because that is what was done 40 years ago. The actor did get a big applause. Could a white person play an Asian character today? Would that get the laughs it did a 50 years ago? I understand… this is a reflection of the times… the 70’s…but think about it. Would you do a black face? Would you do an Asian Character with a white person? Did the cast feel this was okay?

We just saw Anthony Hernandez the Illusionist tonight and I have to compliment the entire cast for a FANTASTIC SHOW! My family of 11 including ages 4 – 47, were all throughly entertained Anthony and Dawn (his girlfriend and his world — so sweet!) had us laughing, amazed and very touched by the sincerity and warmth of their show.
Not only are they fantastic magicians (I got to go up on stage and be part of one of the tricks and he had me baffled!) but they interweave rockin music and personal stories that make the show complete entertainment.
Since my family is not shy and we sat in the front row, many members were called up on stage to be part of the show and every time we were amazed and baffled. This is a COMEDY show too! Really funny for ALL AGES!
Lastly, we all bought the inexpensive souvenir magic tricks out in the lobby and Anthony’s wonderful crew show you how the tricks work and instruct you on performance techniques. We more than got our money’s worth– we got a full family experience that we will never forget! Thank you Anthony, Dawn and your fab crew!

I’m impressed with the quality of the performances with such a small space! I saw The King and I sometime ago and I was thoroughly impressed with the acting and singing talent. The building is old but lends a certain charm.

Yesterday, I had a chance to see the Welk Theatre production of «Fiddler on the Roof» and it was delightful. The production was beautifully done, the performers were excellent and I absolutely loved it. They all did a wonderful job of bringing the characters and story to life
and the singing was on point. Highly recommended!

Awesome show!!!
Anthony and his crews deliver a wonderful show for all ages. His close up magic was amazing, it is as good as or even better than Vegas. I love close up magic, I think that it is very hard to do and Anthony does a wonderful job. This is also a comic show, he keeps us laughing… smaller performance provides more interactions. Of course this is not like a Vegas production, therefore the ticket price is very affordable. Overall I will a «perfect 10» and I will for sure to be back again.

I’ve spent years now coming to welks resort and I really do love it. The situation though of not eating or bringing outside food in is REDICULOUS. The chick working here literally asked me «what did I just put in my mouth after I put two pieces of popcorn into my mouth when I just got finished from eating my lunch outside the gate. I told her some popcorn she said you’re not able to bring any outside food in. I just bought stuff from you guys from the drink area and I can’t even put two pieces of popcorn in my mouth the bag wasn’t even out for display. Someone needs to please change this REDICULOUS rule especially when everything you sell is very expensive and not everyone is able to purchase.

The Illusions magic show on Wednesday nights was one of the best magic shows I have seen. Better than shows at the magic castle and as good as Las Vegas magic shows.
Anthony encourages a lot of audience participation and adds a lot of humor. His assistats are entertaining and it’s fun for all ages. I even got to shoot a gun at him on stage and he caught the bullet in his teeth. He also took photos with the audience after the show.

Went to see The Beatles experience last night and first of all need to complain about the AC it was stifling hot inside! The show was not very good, they had no energy (maybe they were as hot as we all were), it was a long drive to suffer for two hours!

Like the old theater theme, recommended for a play.

Cabaret was awesome!
I really loved the Emcee the most– so animated and perfect for the part. Reminded me of Jim Cary with his facial expressions and graceful movements.
You have so much talent out there– I’ve never seen a bad show.
Thanks again for an entertaining and cultural experience. And yes, I did leave my troubles at the door.

Our family of 9 saw Anthony Hernandez illusions show tonight at the Welk. Our kids loved it and my parents over 70 years old loved it. Fresh, fun music, great magic and a lot of audience participation that made the experience fun for everyone. Wednesday night show rocks! Needs to have more shows! You can even buy a cocktail at the bar and watch the show, date night!

Fun evening. Great seats. Great cast. Beautiful costumes. Creative stage sets.
Welk Resort always has some kind of bedazzling show going on. But this show had my name on it, the musical, Cabaret, made famous by Academy Award winners Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey for their performances in this film in 1972. What impressed me most here was the passionate, very energetic, multi-​talented cast. I am a sucker for musicals, but am *so* hard to please. I could find no weak casting. Well done!
Each actor had his own mic. And the enunciation, as fellow Unilocaler Vlad W pointed out, was perfect. Loved it.
Add to that the professional live musicians (nope, not canned), even though there was no orchestra pit. Where did they put them? They were cleverly disguised as part of the sets, including period costumes to blend in.
This is a small, live theater venue; there is not a bad seat in the house. This particular night there were many empty seats. Too bad, the show was great. And the seats were quite comfortable.
Keep your eyes open. I saw tickets on sale on Groupon for half price. Get them if you can.
Warning:
Be prepared to mingle with the senior set. I felt quite young in this setting, and I am non-​apologetically arriving at «old».

Five stars for the performance and direction of Cabaret. My wife and I attended the eight p.m. show on Saturday night. A perfect casting in every way.
Now, then we have the audience. Two stars! My wife and I call it the «American Idol, Britain Got Talent» effect. During the acts five or six patrons felt it necessary to hoot and holler from their seats at every high note on stage. They applauded during the performance just when the stage was ready to make you sit in awe at the dialogue well written and equally performed. But alas, the British producers that have given us fifteen years of educating our young that you are who the performance are for and not the stage performers. You the audience must give your approval of every high note on stage.
Then the craziest thing happened. The young man sitting next to my wife leaned over and berated her for not applauding and showing her sign of approval after each high note was gained. She told him that it was not proper behavior and she had a choice to applaud or not. He told her it was expected to show your approval and hoot and shout your admiration of their performance.
After the second act they did not take their seats next to us. Later I saw them presenting one of the live performers with flowers.
Both my wife and I grew up in California during a time when school children were taught about the fine arts and taken by school bus during the day to ballet. Swan Lake as a child was beyond comprehension. What we were taught by our teachers was to not make noise during the performance. Only applaud after everything is over.
Then we have American Idol and fifteen years of generated signs in the Hollywood studio telling the audience when to applaud, raise their hands and hoot and holler during the performance. Now those kids are thirty years old and do not know that with Broadway Theater this is not acceptable. Our young adults believe it’s all about them and their need to be the center of the Universe. They have no idea what they are missing on stage.
It’s a shame really that last nights performance was nearly empty in terms of a sell out performance. Why would the walker and wheelchair crowd want to have high level noise in their ears causing their hearing aids to break when they can stay at home and understand what the actors on TV are saying.
It’s my money and I get to choose what to do with it. We have been long term patrons of the Welk Resort Theater and the San Diego Civic Theater and will now have to decide if what happened last night will become the norm. It has become the norm at nearly every performance in the last ten years in downtown San Diego venues.
So, please if your wanting Broadway Theater in San Diego County to continue, please make the performance about the performance and not your need to shout and applaud after every high note.

I never thought that I would be going to a show at the Welk Resort and would then give the place, and the show, both, five stars. Aren’t you at least supposed to have a walker or a wheelchair to come here?
We have a friend who plays trumpet. A couple of months ago we found out that she would be playing at a production of Cabaret at this facility. So we wanted to go see her, but it also just so happens that Cabaret — the movie — is one of my all time favorites, and that period of history (1920 – 30) in Germany is fascinating. (Go read: «Before the Deluge» by Otto Friedrich; then listen to «The Threepenny Opera» by Bertolt Brecht.) So four of us got tickets and went to the matinée on June 4^th.
First the facility: outstanding! Naturally there is an enormous amount of Lawrence Welk memorabilia in the lobby, and it is very entertaining and full of information. It is especially enjoyable for someone who watched the show on television in the good-​olé-​days. But setting that part aside, the theater itself is outstanding. It is small — intimate; the seating is very plush; and the sound system is fantastic. Between the small theater and the sound system, I doubt that there is a bad seat in the house. Will definitely come to the facility again.
Before reviewing the performance, it is important to discuss the premise of this particular production. If you want a happy, feel good ending, do not go to this show. But, if you are willing to watch Germany evolve from a care-​free, anything-​goes society into a murderous, phobic killing machine, this production will take you there. So do expect to be entertained, but also expect some discomfort.
Finally the performance itself. Great! This was NOT community theater, it was fully professional. The enunciation, the strength of the voices, the acting, the dancing, the staging — it all exceeded our expectations. The performers all did very well, but it would not be fair if I did not mention a few by name.
Jeffrey Parsons was the MC. His performance held you captive. The show revolved around him, and he held the reins and showed up in a few surprise spots with great finesse. As far as we are concerned, his performance rivaled and, in some ways exceeded, that of Joel Grey in the movie.
Ashelee Espinosa (Sally Bowles), Eric Hellmers (Cliff), Michael Kelly (Ernst), Susan Boland (Fräulein Schneider), and David Jones (Herr Schultz), all played their roles to perfection — they became the characters in the show. The acting was seamless. Overall, there was not a single individual in the show that did was not convincing in their role. Bravo!
The music was also oustanding! Those of you familiar with the movie will be surprised that there a few numbers from the original musical that did not make it into the movie — they do appear here, and they are very good. And the small orchestra provided complete integration into the acting and singing, so everything appeared seamless. And, of course, Elizabeth the trumpet player was wonderful!!!
So five stars for every aspect of the facility, the production, the people, etc. We will no longer hang on to our preconceived notion of what this facility and production are. Cabaret runs through July 26^th, then they have some individual concerts scheduled, and the next big production is Hello, Dolly! which will run August 28 through November 15^th. Can’t wait!

If you like live theater you should check out the shows at the Welk Resort. I’ve seen several shows there including Oklahoma and Cabaret and have enjoyed it tremendously. The theater is intimate and there’s not a bad seat in the house. They bring in top talent — great acting, singing and dancing!

Just went to see the ‘King And I’ today.
The cast was amazing and it was well worth going to.
There were young, old, and in between, with very comfortable seating.
I would add that they could use a much bigger drinks area to purchase water, soda, beer or wine, Etc, Etc, Etc.
Phil

«Anthony Hernandez Illusionist was Fantastic ! «
The Award Winning Illusionist Anthony Hernandez from the Magic Castle in Hollywood California was Awesome during his performance at the Lawrence Welk Resorts in Escondido this week. His magical night of interaction with the Audience was fun for everyone. I have seen many Illusionist over the years, but the variety of Illusions in his show and the sincerity in which he talks to the Audience grabs you, and wants you to see more. Anthony’s Funny sense of humor also makes you totally enjoyed his show. I will be happy to go back in the future to see him again. Anthony performs every Wednesday evening at the Welk Resort, and should be on your list of must see activities !

We came to the theatre to see Chicago. This theatre is very small, so I was surprised at how wonderful their production was. They utilized every inch of space, including using poles and «balconies» to take the action up in the air. I was amazed at how they managed to perform fairly elaborate dance numbers with many people on that little stage. The performers were spot on. I’ve seen Chicago several times including the movie and this performance was comparable to any and all of them.
If you have the time, go see a show at the Welk Resort Theatre. You won’t be disappointed. Its like a little Broadway right here in Escondido.