"You're not going to find theater like this," Damien Lorton told the Orange County Register in August about the century-old GEM Theatre he has run with Nicole Cassesso since 2008. He was talking about live musicians at every show. The same line works for the street outside. Between now and Día de los Muertos, nearly every Halloween-season event in Garden Grove happens within a short walk of his marquee. That includes a horror-comedy musical, four Friday car shows, a Halloween punk bill and an all-ages mariachi and cumbia show. The one big event that isn't on Main Street sells tickets in advance only, and sales open this Tuesday.
The Address Range That Holds the Season
Look at the addresses together. Garden AMP sits at 12762 Main Street, beside Village Green Park. The GEM is at 12852 Main. The Friday car show sets up at 12905 Main. The coffee shops, bar and restaurants you'd use before or after a show fall between 12900 and 12942.
| Anchor | Address | What | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| The GEM Theatre | 12852 Main St. | "Bat Boy: The Musical" | Oct. 9–25, Fri/Sat 8 p.m., Sun 2 p.m. |
| Main Street Classic Car Show | 12905 Main St. | Weekly car show | Fridays 4–8 p.m., including Oct. 9, 16, 23 and 30 |
| Garden AMP | 12762 Main St. | The Bronx and Voodoo Glow Skulls | Sat., Oct. 31, 5:20 p.m. |
| Garden AMP | 12762 Main St. | "Dia de los Muertos" with Outlaw Mariachi | Sun., Nov. 1, 4 p.m. |
You can park once and do two of these in one evening. The schedules make that easiest on Fridays.
Fridays Hand Off From Chrome to Curtain
The Main Street Classic Car Show runs every Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. One third-party events calendar lists every October Friday, October 9, 16, 23 and 30, and keeps going through November. Friday performances of "Bat Boy" start at 8 p.m. On three Fridays, October 9, 16 and 23, the car show winds down at 8 p.m. just as the curtain goes up a few doors away.
That handoff leaves room for dinner between the cars and the theater. The Wharf at 12941 Main is a seafood restaurant and bar, and its website promotes Friday visits during the car show. Louie's on Main at 12942 posts food, brunch and drink menus online and takes online orders. Aum Beer House at 12900 is a bar and grill, and its site advertises happy-hour deals. For coffee before an 8 p.m. curtain, Phin Smith at 12921 serves Vietnamese coffee and posts its seasonal drinks on its site. Phuc Long, the coffee and tea shop at 12936, is on the same block. Hours can change, so check each business's site before you go.
The last Friday in October works differently. "Bat Boy" closes October 25, so the October 30 car show has no theater to hand off to. The next night is Halloween, and that evening moves to the amphitheater.
A Half-Bat Musical in a 158-Seat Room
One More Productions, the company Cassesso and Lorton run, is staging "Bat Boy: The Musical" from October 9 to 25. The city describes it as a dark but heartfelt horror-comedy rock musical based on a Weekly World News tabloid story. Edgar, who is half boy and half bat, is found in a cave and taken in by a family in the fictional town of Hope Falls, West Virginia. General tickets are $35. The opening-night gala on Saturday, October 10 costs $50.
The building is as much the draw as the show. The GEM seats 158, and each main-stage musical runs about five weeks. Inside are balcony seating, private suites and an upstairs performance lounge. The upstairs Tiffany Lounge, which the Register said has a speakeasy feel, gives donors a place to relax before and after shows. In the Register's photos, the theater manager is fixing marquee letters, which the paper notes sometimes fall off in hot weather. The GEM opened more than a century ago as a home for touring vaudeville acts. It also runs a "Black Box Series" of shorter, cabaret-style productions between the main-stage shows.
If an 8 p.m. curtain is too late, Sunday matinees start at 2 p.m. on October 11, 18 and 25.
Halloween Weekend Moves Down the Street to Garden AMP
Once "Bat Boy" closes, the season shifts about a block down Main Street to Garden AMP, the outdoor amphitheater by Village Green Park.
On Saturday, October 31, the venue has a punk lineup headlined by The Bronx and Voodoo Glow Skulls. Strawberry Fuzz, Plague Vendor, Gottleib, Mrs. Magician, Plug Uglies and LA Misfits round out the bill, starting at 5:20 p.m.
The next afternoon, Sunday, November 1, the venue holds a show it calls "Dia de los Muertos." Outlaw Mariachi plays along with Undisputed World Champions, Spaghetti Cumbia, Mafia Rusa, Heavenly Trip To Hell and Transers. The show starts at 4 p.m., is open to all ages, and the venue page lists tickets at $24.84. We didn't find a separate city-run Día de los Muertos event on Garden Grove's calendar. That may change if one is announced later, but for now this show is the clearest Día de los Muertos event on Main Street.
November 1 is also the first Sunday of the month. The Garden Grove Historical Society runs docent tours at Stanley Ranch Museum, 12174 Euclid Street, on the first and third Sundays at 1:30 p.m. Check the Society's page before you go. The same page notes there's no tour on October 18, so the schedule does change.
The One Big Event Off Main Street Has a Ticket Deadline
The city's Jack O' Lantern Jamboree is the exception. It runs Saturday, October 24, 1 to 4 p.m., at Atlantis Play Center inside Garden Grove Park, 13630 Atlantis Way. Plan ahead, because there are no tickets at the gate. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, October 6, and must be bought in advance at ggcity.org/reggister or at the Community Services Counter on the first floor of City Hall, 11222 Acacia Parkway. Sales continue until tickets run out.
Prices are $12 for children ages 2 to 10 and $3 for anyone 11 and older. Children 1 and under get in free. The age split follows the pumpkin patch: only kids ages 2 to 10 can pick a pumpkin and decorate it in the craft area. Everyone else gets carnival games, inflatable obstacle courses, reptile shows, face painting, Trick-or-Treat Street and candy. C&M Ohana sells kettle corn, lemonade, shaved ice and ice cream on site. For questions, the city's number is (714) 741-5200.
October 24 can easily be a two-stop Saturday. The Jamboree ends at 4 p.m., and "Bat Boy" plays at 8 p.m. that night. The same weekend, the Historical Society's Barn & Book Sale runs October 22 to 24 at Stanley Ranch Museum, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
What the Block Does After the Costumes Come Off
Main Street stays busy after Halloween weekend, but several November shows are already sold out:
- Fridays in November, 4–8 p.m.: The car show keeps running, with Nov. 6, 13, 20 and 27 all on the calendar we checked.
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 1:30 p.m.: Benefit show at Garden AMP. The venue lists it as sold out.
- Wednesday, Nov. 11, 6 p.m.: Pinhead Gunpowder at Garden AMP, also sold out according to the venue's dates page.
- Nov. 12 to Dec. 20: "Fiddler on the Roof" is the GEM's next main-stage musical.
- Friday, Nov. 20, 5 p.m.: Warren G at Garden AMP.
Two November shows sold out weeks ahead. If the Halloween bill or the Día de los Muertos show is on your list, buy tickets before the end of October.
NAMY Inc. is based in Garden Grove, and Historic Main Street is part of our own neighborhood. If this fall on Main Street has you wondering what living closer to the GEM and Village Green Park would cost, or what your current home is worth, we can go through the numbers with you. Schedule a free consultation.
