Playhouse Merced

Awesome staff. The programs they have for the kids last summer were amazing! We highly recommend this theater group for your kids! The shows brought tears of joy.

I was extremely impressed with the little mermaid performance. This was my first time here. I honestly didn't have high hopes but they really surprised me. They put a lot of effort into the show and the stage decorations. I recommend watching a play here. It was clean and they have a little snack area as well. Restrooms were clean and the staff were all friendly. I loved that all the characters come out to greet you at the end and allowed the kids to take photos with them.

I am a total theatre geek. I performed, directed, built sets, made costumes, created and executed lighting design, and lots more. I've been to shows at famous theaters in major cities all over the world, including many broadway shows. I am always BLOWN AWAY by the caliber, creativity, and community at our humble Merced Playhouse Theatre. If you sign up for the email newsletter, you can learn about shows months in advance and plan ahead. We love to see the line up and pick our favorites from the season. Tickets are easy to buy, and from experience I would suggest ONLY getting seats in the first two sections. Section 3 IS cheaper, but not worth the 5 bucks you save. Go big or go home here in Merced! The theatre is great in that the seats are steep, so no matter where you see you have an amazing view. The acting company is top notch and they consistently put up an amazing show. I love that they serve fun themed drinks sometimes that you can bring into the theatre and enjoy during the show. Yay candy and alcohol! The set design is so impressive (not sure what that other review was about). The set pieces are huge, creative in their transitions, and always hand made! RC and the theatre team pride themselves in their handmade touches in Merced, and the playhouse benefits the most from that. The costumes and makeup are on point! The casting is great! As another reviewer mentioned, the performers come out to say hi at then end of the show which is great fun! My husband and I always do a high-five train. The staff are super friendly, all neighborhood vibes. I know I'm raving, but this is really a great group doing great things in Merced. It's not broadway, but it's the closest thing to it in our Central Valley home. Thank you to the playhouse for bringing your game to every show! Talented AF!

I came here for a play for my best friend's birthday. 5 friends and I drove from the bay area and had bought tickets months in advance to see Jane Eyre's 2pm showing. The show was canceled and there was no sign outside saying so. we waited outside and called and there was no answer. we finally figured out on the website that the dates had been changed. we wish the theater had been kind enough to let us know and had made different plans. we will be asking for refunds. please care about your theater goers. we were really excited about seeing this play. Maybe change your policy and ask for phone numbers or a contact information so you can communicate change of dates to them.

Small town, must suck. Small town with almost no artistic vibe or culture. Must suck.Good theory. Wrong theory. Excellent place. I need to go more. Been to 4 plays in past two years and two school plays. Small theater, but do alot with the space. Seating is elevated so I don't think a bad view from anywhere. If you are up in one of the corners, though you may hear the sound guys working. Still. Not too bad, fairly professional. Again I should go more. The plays they put on range from classics like Importance of Being Earnest to high profile currents like Chicago to names I don't recognize but are funny. Watched Noises Off a while back there, funnier then what I saw in a big city and better performed then a movie I saw with stars from teh 80's. Very good group. I think they have classes to train kids too. Awesome.

qeen d is spot on. The playhouse is small enough to be cozy but large enough to fit a good-sized audience and most of the seats get filled - for good reason!Actors are talented and you can tell that they really love doing what they do.Most of the people that come here are regulars - they probably watch every play that they catch. There's a raffle for a money pot (half of ticket sales goes to the playhouse, half goes to the raffle winner) but it's customary for the winner to let the playhouse keep all the profits. That's how much people like this place.

Watched a few of their productions and its sadly not as great as it was. They lost the black box allowing a bar full of drunks to get placed right next to their place full of kids, Its sound system is terrible and distracting, Not to mention their use of set pieces, they used literally two boxes put together and placed a blanket over them and called it a bed. Terribly tacky productions and not worth the price. Too bad, they used to be something too.

What a wonderful community playhouse! We are from San Diego and visit my son in Merced. We have seen two musicals here. We've seen Evil Dead the Musical and Little Shop of Horrors. There's a lot of talent here! Incredible voices and acting.So professional for such a small theater.We've attended a lot of musicals in San Diego and your productions have been top notch.

This is a late review being that our visit was in December 2019. Needless to say our experience bothered me enough to take the time to write a review. This was not our first visit to Merced Playhouse. Our children have enjoyed their experiences with school and our family in the past. Saturday December, 21st we purchased 10 tickets for the Christmas Carol 7:30 play time. These tickets were a birthday treat for our daughters 16 birthday. We were a bit apprehensive about purchasing the tickets to begin with for a number of reasons;1- Price (over $260.00)2-unsure of how our seven year old autistic son would do being this was his first time during the evening and it was a full house.When we arrived (3 cars), the parking lot was very dark and the ticket box location was hard to find. We traveled from out of town and were a few minutes late (no more than 10). What really bothered me was the way we were greeted (or not). A lady with short curly hair rudely gestured us to come through the door and scolded us for being late. She became even more upset as our special needs son needed to use the bathroom before urgently ushering us to our seats. While we did enjoy the play and the amazing talent, we were amazed when that same lady (this time with a BIG SMILE and enthusiastic voice) went on stage and thanked the donors and everyone for visiting.....Did I mention the amazing acting?

I could not have been more disappointed at the 2019 -2020 Season Preview. My husband and I have seen some fabulous plays such as Sweeney Todd, Rock of Ages, and Big Fish at the Playhouse but we will not be seeing any this time around. The $50 preview consisted mostly of children singing a song from the upcoming shows or a "live" reading from their Christmas show. I miss the talented actors and Director from past seasons. It seems the focus has become more about money then community. The only bright light was the young man who was the teapot in Beauty and the Beast and killed it as Danny in the Shining. Merced Playhouse should be thankful he's returning.