Regular Ticket-Holders Applaud Change in the Beat

Pat Capsavage couldn’t help but notice how the Orange County Performing Arts Center ushers near her began glancing around nervously when Art Garfunkel tried to initiate a clap-along during the most energetic song of his set Saturday night, the 1970 Simon & Garfunkel hit “Cecilia.”

She chuckled during intermission as she recounted the ushers’ relief to discover that the earthquake-resistant building had managed to weather its first sample of music from a certified Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member.

“All of us need to expand our horizons about art,” said Capsavage, a San Diego resident who holds season tickets to the center’s series of Broadway musicals. She and her husband, John, both 53, described themselves as longtime fans of Garfunkel and his onetime partner Paul Simon.

“We have to be more experimental, not less,” she said, adding that she also attends ballet performances at the 3,000-seat hall.

“They should do more pop,” said Hugh Kohler, 45, of Costa Mesa, who said he and his wife, Sherry, have attended orchestral concerts, opera, ballet and musical-theater presentations at the center.

Isa Quizos, 71, of Fountain Valley, came with her daughter, Carolyn Brothers, 36, of Tustin, who holds season tickets for the center’s Broadway musicals. Said Quizos, who emigrated to the United States from Cuba nearly 50 years ago: “They should be able to have anything here.”