Reedley Opera House

Visited Opera House in Reedley for first time last evening to see Lullaby of Broadway. My expectations were not high when we parked outside -- the opera house does not look like much on the outside. I have been to Roger Rocka's in Fresno many times, and in the past year also visited the Golden Chain Theater in Oakhurst and the Ice House Theater in Visalia to see how they compare in quality of performance. They did not fare very well in those comparisons, so I expected somewhat the same result last night. I was in for a complete (pleasant) surprise.The ambience in the lobby once you step inside is charming and has that vintage small-theater-from-yesteryear feel. It is quaint and intimate. The dinner food was very good and better than I expected, but when the show began the experience changed from "interesting" to "wow".A brilliant cast that was as talented as it was varied by both age, gender, race and performance style took the stage in short bursts of songs from the history of broadway musicals. By intermission I was thinking the 2nd act would not top the first, but I was wrong again. From Chicago to Wicked to Phantom of the Opera, the cast took turns with one knockout performance after another. Perhaps because this was a musical revue-type play they could concentrate on casting singers rather than singer/actors, they were able to dial up some truly riveting performances. I had about 10 favorite songs that night...led by "All That Jazz", "Memories", and "Send In The Clowns"...but there were few songs that weren't very good.Summary: This one performance at Reedley was better than at least 1/2 of the recent performances I have seen at Roger Rocka's, and that is certainly not a criticism of RR at all. I am anxious to head back again soon to see how they handle other plays/musicals in the future.

My wife and I just saw Lullaby of Hollywood. The 30+ songs were outstanding. The cast and choreography were wonderful. The show is a must see if you enjoy Broadway Musicals. We attend Roger Rocha's in Fresno and the Reedley Opera House is an equally wonderful venue filled with extremely talented cast members, directors, and choreographers. I guarantee you a very enjoyable, high energy, and artistic show.