There are few places that can generate as much Southern California bliss as outdoor theater. The convergence of climate, culture and community is an intoxicating mix, especially when a gentle evening breeze carrying the scent of jasmine envelops an audience reliving a classic drama. This particular enchantment is a staple of the Getty Villa’s Outdoor Theater, where the fragrance of nearby Roman-inspired gardens lends the annual production of an ancient classic a timeless grace note.Few summer Shakespeare festivals can compete with the expert level of work at the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, the Old Globe’s outdoor venue situated amid the beauty of San Diego’s Balboa Park. Under the care of artistic director Barry Edelstein, one of the preeminent Shakespeare experts in the American theater, the theater has completed the cycle of Shakespeare plays and keeps building on its vast experience.The prospect of attending the plays in a manner not unlike Elizabethans at Shakespeare’s Globe is part of the fun at both the Old Globe and the New Swan Theatre on the UC Irvine campus. But it’s not the only way to get your summer Shakespeare fix.The bucolic majesty of Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga Canyon and the wild splendor of Independent Shakespeare Company’s Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival make the theatergoing experience a civic, environmental joy. The natural milieu at both locales is as transporting as the Forest of Arden and only a local commute away. So what if the work might be held to a different standard if performed indoors? The feeling of togetherness, spectators and wildlife joined by mutual curiosity, more than compensates up for any artistic shortfall.The Hollywood Bowl always stirs in me anxiety about traffic and parking, but the stress and strain of the drive tend to fall away once I’ve settled in my seat at the historic amphitheater. The sight of the Hollywood Hills in the distance and the sweet sumptuousness of the orchestra make this a dream space for a musical that wants to break out into a concert-like environment, like last year’s smash hit revival of “Jesus Christ Superstar” with Cynthia Erivo and Adam Lambert. The Southern California weather is made for outdoor theater. Rain is rarely a factor, and a blanket or sweatshirt is all that’s needed to take the edge off the nighttime chill. Find a venue close to home and don’t agonize about the artistic program. Just enjoy the feeling of taking in a show with your neighbors in an idyllic setting. It’s one of the grand perks of living here.
