"Vanguard Tops in College... For the third consecutive year, a Vanguard production has topped the list of local college theatre shows."
-Tom Titus, LA Times, Daily Pilot "Orange County's hidden entertainment treasure."
-Ed Arnold, KOCE - Real Orange
It's a Wonderful Life
"Vanguard regularly astonishes with its talent for squeezing large-cast shows onto the limited dimensions of the Lyceum Theater stage, and this one is no exception...heartwarming and infectious."
-Daily Pilot , Feb 5, 2008
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
"If any performing group is well-versed in the art of presenting big musicals on small stages without losing any dimension other than size, it's Costa Mesa's Vanguard University … one of the tastiest treats in the "oldies but goodies" file … a bouncy, tuneful and highly satiric piece of musical theater that you'll enjoy — without even trying."
-Daily Pilot, April 5, 2007
"Business’ is very good at Vanguard ... Jeff Fazakerley (Finch) performed flawlessly and delved into his character, right down to the facial expressions. Kelsey Cooke’s Rosemary was another role perfected. A stand-out performance was given by Jordan Byers, whose flamboyant maneuvers and over-the-top antics were reminiscent of the “Mr. Mooney” character from “I Love Lucy.” Each musical number was a treat, with harmonious vocals and on-point dance moves. The entire cast excelled."
-The Current – West, April 13, 2007
Glass Menagerie and For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls
"Susan K. Berkompas … has fashioned a superbly moving revival in her seamless 90-minute cutting of the original Williams drama. It's not often that theatrical greatness and stinging satire can coexist on one stage, but Vanguard has accomplished this feat with its unique double bill, presented as both homage and satire."
-Daily Pilot, March 1, 2007
Othello
"If you've never witnessed Shakespeare's "Othello," the Vanguard production is the one by which to measure future local incarnations. It is college theater at its most majestic."
-Daily Pilot, December 8, 2006
"Vanguard University's brilliant staging of "Othello" proved to be the top production among local colegiate theater productions. It offered a searing, modern-dress rendition of the age-old story of the tragic effects of jealousy."
-Daily Pilot, December 29, 2006
The Lion in Winter
"Lion' Roars into Desert ... Vanguard’s performance of ‘The Lion in Winter’ is picked among best in the region and will play at a competition in Arizona. Judges from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival selected the stage production as one of the six best in the region … from a pool of nearly 160 collegiate shows in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah."
“'The Lion in Winter,' a veritable feast for actors, proved a banquet at Vanguard University ... Director Marianne Savel brought the show into a modern setting without sacrificing the edgy intensity of the conflict between King Henry II of England and his captive queen Eleanor."
-Daily Pilot, January 25, 2005
Brigadoon
"Top Theater of Year Goes to Vanguard ... That quaint little Scottish village, which only surfaces every 100 years, materialized at Costa Mesa’s Vanguard University long enough to establish itself as the top collegiate theater production among the three local institutions of higher learning in 2004."
"… an intimate epic, a full-blown production delivered almost into your very lap, a wonderful, colorful and fully melodic revival of one of Broadway’s most romantic musicals. The Vanguard University production beautifully demonstrates how big things can happen on small stages."
-Daily Pilot, December 31, 2004