‘Apollo 11’ live show won’t make the leap to Costa Mesa after all — at least for the time being

Plans to take the $15-million multimedia theater production “Apollo 11 — The Immersive Live Show” to the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa have been put on hold.

The production, which combines live actors with 360-degree projection under a massive dome, premiered in July in Pasadena to much fanfare, including an opening-night appearance by moon walker Buzz Aldrin. It ran for six weeks, ending Aug. 11, and had planned to begin performances in Orange County starting Oct. 10.

“Our Costa Mesa engagement has been postponed due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts,” Nick Grace, the show’s lead producer, said via email from his base in London. He said ticket buyers have been informed and fully refunded. “We look forward to bringing the show back to Southern California in the near future.”

Michele Richards, the Fair & Event Center’s vice president of business development, also attributed the show’s delay to scheduling issues.

“The ‘Apollo 11’ team communicated to us that the show in Orange County was being postponed, rather than canceled, due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts, and we look forward to working with them on future dates,” she wrote in an email Monday.

“Apollo 11 — The Immersive Live Show” tells the story of America’s race to the moon and landing in 1969 via a fictional couple in 1960s Houston, where the husband joined NASA’s Mission Control. Reviews for the show were mixed, with some complaining about a dull script and others disappointed by the level of technical pyrotechnics.

Grace acknowledged that the production “received positive and negative feedback” and that “there are opportunities to review and improve parts of the production, including the script and presentation of the show.”

Producers are still planning to open the show in Houston, near the real Mission Control, in December.

Scarlet Cheng writes for the Los Angeles Times. Daily Pilot staff writer Luke Money contributed to this report.

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