Theatre
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La Jolla Playhouse's 'Diana' is witty, provocative, but rushes past its subject
THEATER REVIEW: If you're feeling protective of the British royal family, prepare to clutch your pearls. (If you're a member of the British royal family, have someone clutch them for you.) The world-premiere La Jolla Playhouse musical "Diana," a high-gloss but lo-cal paean to a princess, serves...
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Hear the people sing when Bishop’s stages ‘Les Mis’ in La Jolla
For the first time, the Bishop’s School theater department has the talent and tech to produce it. The production includes a 30-person cast (some playing as many as 10 different characters), 15-person crew, four-person creative staff and 13-member professional pit orchestra musician.
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La Jolla High School to bring 'Carrie' to the stage
A 1970s film that has been described as “chilling” and a “horror” based on a Steven King novel might not sound like the makings of a springtime musical – but the La Jolla High School theater department plans to pull it off. “Carrie: The Musical” takes to the stage 7 p.m. Feb. 22-23 and March 1
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North Coast Rep Theatre presents 'Gabriel': 4 lonesome women, 1 poetic Nazi, and 1 half-naked amnesiac stranger = Secrets, lies, danger and romance
THEATER PREVIEW: The Channel Islands. I knew they were somewhere off the coast of England. But it seems they're much closer to France, around Normandy, where Allied forces stormed ashore on D-Day in 1944. For most of World War II, they were occupied by the Nazis, who remained there until the war's...
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'Diana': La Jolla Playhouse's world-premiere musical explores princess' royal romance
THEATER PREVIEW: Of all the British royals, the one that most captured hearts and headlines was Diana, Princess of Wales. She was barely 20 in 1981 when she married Prince Charles (he was 32) and when she died in a car crash 16 years later, the whole world mourned. In between, was a not-so-happy,...
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Seniors and teens come out to play at Moxie Theatre in San Diego for 'Herland'
THEATER REVIEW: It was Moxie Theatre's publicity photo that drew me to "Herland" — three 70-something women and their teenage intern rocking out in the Rolling World Premiere of a comedy about creating a new kind of retirement home. I was already a fan of Moxie, which has been producing cutting-edge...
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A ROLE TO 'DI' FOR: La Jolla High grad playing in Playhouse’s 'Diana'
Katheryne Penny has been tapped to sing, dance and act in the ensemble cast of “Diana,” running Feb. 19 to March 31 at the La Jolla Playhouse’s Mandell Weiss Theatre.
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North Coast Repertory Theatre: Cast hams it up in theatrical farce for 'Moon Over Buffalo'
The new year starts with a whole lot of farce as North Coast Repertory Theatre revives the comic master Ken Ludwig's saga of mistaken identities and plentiful pratfalls among actors in early-1950s Buffalo, New York, on stage Jan. 12-Feb. 10, 2019. "Moon Over Buffalo" revolves around grand show-biz...
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La Jolla's Best Bets for Events: Week of Jan. 3 - Art exhibits, theater, music and more
At the Athenaeum Ceramicists Beliz Iristay and Irène de Watteville collaborate on a provocative surrealist food table installation, an exhibition of which opens with a reception 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 11 at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St. In addition to the collaborative installation,...
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PLAY IT AGAIN, STEPHEN: Writer Metcalfe stages new production in La Jolla
If you attend the La Jolla Theatre Ensemble’s production of “The Lightbulb” on Dec. 10 or 11 at the La Jolla Community Center, it won’t be your first exposure to writer Stephen Metcalfe. The La Jolla resident also penned the production-draft scripts for — in case you don’t know, get ready not to...
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UNFILTERED: Sandra Bernhard will bring new, one-woman show to La Jolla and San Diego region
It’s not a solution to the current state of world pandemonium, but “Sandemonium,” the latest one-woman show from the irrepressible Sandra Bernhard, promises to at least be an entertaining reaction. It plays the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center on Dec. 12. In the show, Bernhard, 63, weaves...
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It's a Mystery: Madhouse full of Holmeses at North Coast Repertory Theatre
THEATER REVIEW: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would be interested to see how well his characters Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are still doing so long after he first gave them life in his 1887 novel "A Study in Scarlet." Having had enough of the dynamic duo he featured in four novels and more than 50...
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High-spirited English comedy, 'Blithe Spirit' opens at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach
"Blithe Spirit," one of Noel Coward's biggest and most enduring comic hits, will be gliding in to North Coast Repertory Theatre Sept. 5, starting off NCRT's 37th season with a high-spirited tale of séances, apparitions, and the unexpected things that can happen when a writer tries to research clairvoyance....
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OB Playhouse Theatre Co. staging edgy (but fun) productions for Ocean Beach/San Diego region
When it comes to the shows produced by the fledgling OB Playhouse Theatre Co., size matters — at least when it comes to the marquee. Since Bill and Jennie Connard began staging productions in 2016 at their Newport Avenue venue, the titles have been short enough to not overtax the street-facing...
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High-powered re-visioning of Shakespeare's 'Richard III' premieres at La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse (LJP) has long been home to world premieres, having presented 97 of them to date. On Aug. 21, came No. 98: "Seize the King," a contemporary re-visioning of Shakespeare's "Richard III" by internationally renowned playwright Will Power, whose name alone commands attention. (It's...
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San Diego's Moxie Theatre takes new look at 19th century African 'Venus'
Have you ever heard of "The Hottentot Venus"? In 1810, a buxom and dramatically big-bottomed young woman named Saartjie Baartman was talked into leaving her native South Africa to go to England, where she was told she'd be hailed as "the burnt toast of the town." She ended up spending the rest...
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A very, very funny thing is on the way to North Coast Repertory Theatre
One of the funniest things you'll ever see on stage is coming to North Coast Repertory Theater (NCRT) in Solana Beach, starting July 11. With a book by "No No Nanette" writer Bert Shevelove and super-funnyman Larry Gelbart (creator of "M*A*S*H") and music and lyrics by Steven Sondheim, how could...
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Summer Fun Guide: Lots to do in La Jolla and San Diego after a day at the beach!
A look at fun summer activities across La Jolla, including art exhibits, concerts, film screenings, community parties, educational events, theatrical productions and more.
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'The Father' to West-Coast premiere at North Coast Rep
Among the mostly lightweight audience-pleasers at North Coast Repertory Theatre this season, “The Father,” onstage May 30-June 24, stands out. It’s a dark, rather Lear-like play about an 80-year-old man with dementia. It was a Molière Award-winner in Paris, an Olivier Award-nominee in London, and...
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Theater Preview: Wagner New Play Festival runs to May 19 on UC San Diego campus in La Jolla
THEATER PREVIEW: Spring is an exciting time of year at UC San Diego because of the Arthur & Molli Wagner New Play Festival. All the graduate students in the Theater & Dance department, plus some undergrads, get together to produce these new shows, which are set to stage May 10-19, 2018 in various...
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La Jolla Playhouse sponsors JumpStart Theatre Program for middle-schoolers
Middle schoolers in San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) will have a rare opportunity to express themselves through the JumpStart Theatre Program, sponsored by La Jolla Playhouse. The Playhouse was selected by the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) to be one of two regional theaters to...
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Marriage is center stage in 'How The Other Half Loves' at North Coast Repertory Theatre
THEATER PREVIEW: For Sir Alan Ayckbourn's play, "How The Other Half Loves," North Coast Repertory Theatre artistic director David Ellenstein brought in director Geoffrey Sherman, whose resume is international. Sherman's awards include two Obies, as a producer and director. He has also received...
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Men On Boats: True(ish) history comes to life on Carlsbad stage
The last day of Women's History Month 2018 is March 31 — a fine time for Carlsbad's New Village Arts Theatre to open "Men On Boats," a "gender-bent historical adventure comedy" about John Wesley Powell's 10-man 1869 expedition down the Colorado River and through the Grand Canyon ... with women...
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La Jolla Playhouse sponsors middle-schoolers
Middle-schoolers in San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) will have a rare opportunity to express themselves through the JumpStart Theatre Program, sponsored by La Jolla Playhouse. The Playhouse was selected by the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) to be one of two regional theaters to...
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CANCER DANCER: La Jolla oncologist cuts rugs with her patient
When most people age out of their childhood dreams, that’s it, they’re gone. But Dr. Irene May-Ling Hutchins hit upon a loophole. An oncology and hematology fellow at Scripps Green Hospital, she now ballroom-dances, just like she did before medical school, as a feature act at cancer fundraisers.
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North Coast Rep Theatre explores 'This Random World'
THEATER PREVIEW: Playwright Steven Dietz's "This Random World" (having its West Coast premiere at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach this weekend) examines how different life today is from the days most Baby Boomers knew growing up. NCRT artistic director David Ellenstein, who has worked...
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Developing flipper consciousness at UCSD Calit2's 'Ideas Performances' in La Jolla, and other shows in 2018
Do you have "flipper consciousness?" The dolphins, whales and porpoises (cetaceans) that swim off La Jolla do. They navigate the seas with their flippers just like we navigate the land with our hands, arms and legs. UC San Diego Dance Theatre MFA student Aurora Lagattuta, an advocate of inter-species...
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5 shows on the UC San Diego theater marquee for Winter Quarter season in La Jolla
Performing Arts Preview: The UC San Diego Department of Theatre & Dance will present the African-American experience masterpiece "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry, as the curtain rises on its Winter Quarter Season. Following this drama, the UCSD department will stage the Shakespearean...
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Love story has laughs, rap and ninjas at San Diego Repertory Theatre for 'Vietgone'
THEATER REVIEW: It's fair to say you've probably never seen a play quite like "Vietgone," now onstage at San Diego Repertory Theatre. It's the more-or-less true story of how playwright Qui Nguyen's mom (who worked at the U.S. Embassy in Saigon) met his dad (a South Vietnamese Air Force pilot) —...
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Tell Me More! Tell Me More! La Jolla High has fun with zany ‘Grease’
Whether you’ve got chills that are multiplying or just appreciate something automatic, systematic, hydromatic, this will be the one that you want. The 1978 classic “Grease,” a tale of friendship and the complications of teen love set in the 1950s, is the La Jolla High School spring musical, playing...
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San Diego Jewish Film Festival: Based-on-a-true-story films to shine Feb. 8-18
Now in its 28th year, the San Diego Jewish Film Festival, coming Feb. 8-18, 2018 to venues in La Jolla, Mira Mesa and San Marcos, is offering more variety than ever. There are 37 features lined up, in categories like the arts, romance, history, comedy and thrillers, but it's the based-on-a-true-story...
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The Color of Light: Aged atheist/artist + inspiring young nun = theatrical delight in San Diego
THEATER REVIEW: Henri Matisse (1869-1954). When you think of his work, you probably think of one of his paintings, maybe the "Red Studio," or one of his late-life cutouts, like the "Blue Nudes." But Matisse considered his greatest work to be his last one — the chapel at Vence, in the south of France,...
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LET'S REVIEW: Aged atheist/artist + inspiring young nun = theatrical delight in 'The Color of Light'
Henri Matisse (1869-1954). When you think of his work, you probably think of one of his paintings, maybe the “Red Studio,” or one of his late-life cutouts, like the “Blue Nudes.” But Matisse considered his greatest work to be his last one — the chapel at Vence, in the south of France, that he designed,...
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JCompany stages Les Misérables, Jan. 13-28: Eight La Jollans among the cast
Do you hear the people sing? You will! Les Misérables — a production that has stood the test of time from its origins as a 1800s epic novel to hundreds of staged productions all the way to a 2012 start-studded feature film — gets a “politically engaging” twist in the JCompany Youth Theater incarnation,...
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Stand-out acts fill January bill
If you’re interested in experiencing cutting-edge music, dance and performance art from all over the globe, you should get to know ArtPower, a sparkling gem in the crown of UC San Diego. And this month would be a great time to start. Kicking things off Jan. 17 is one of Europe’s hottest touring...
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Girls rule at 33rd Playwrights Project festival
Founded in 1985, Playwrights Project (PP) has been nurturing writers, especially young ones, ever since. For over three decades it has sponsored the Young Playwrights Contest, offering California students, ages 10-18, a chance to win professional productions of their plays at an annual festival...
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San Diego Premiere! North Coast stages Jules Verne’s ‘Around The World In 80 Days’
The idea of going “Around The World In 80 Days” has intrigued audiences since the 1956 film starring David Niven and Shirley MacLaine. In film, book and the theater, it’s a story full of laughs for everyone. In the North Coast Repertory Theatre (NCRT) production, opening Jan. 13, Omri Schein joins...
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Holiday Events Guide: Lots of Christmas cheer coming to La Jolla and San Diego County
From free film screenings to illuminated winter wonderlands and holiday choir classics, the month of December is booked full of seasonal celebrations and appearances by Santa Claus. Here is a rundown of the many events planned in La Jolla and San Diego County: Holiday events in La Jolla • To pick...
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UCSD Theatre/Dance Dept. to stage four enticing works
The UC San Diego Theater & Dance Department is rated with the likes of Yale and New York University. Many of its graduates have become successful in the entertainment business: playwright alum Rachel Axler, for example, has won four Emmys for TV comedy writing, while actor Danny Burstein has been...
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La Jolla Playhouse's Without Walls Festival (WoW) heads to downtown San Diego and beyond, Oct. 19-22
La Jolla Playhouse's Without Walls Festival (WoW), a biennial adventure that has been bringing theater out of buildings and into the wider world since 2013, made a giant leap this year, moving almost all performances to downtown San Diego and beyond. As before, the four-day event will feature immersive,...
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North Coast Repertory Theatre revives ‘Last Of The Red Hot Lovers’ (through Oct. 1)
THEATER PREVIEW: American playwright Neil Simon once said he enjoyed watching the early comedians like Charlie Chaplin. After high school and a short stint in the Army Air Force Reserve, he began writing comedy scripts for radio and early television shows. His first play was “Come Blow Your Horn”...
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‘Tomfoolery’ at North Coast Rep takes a playful poke at satirist’s music
Kathy Brombacher has returned to San Diego to direct another unique musical for North Coast Repertory Theatre (NCRT). Many have seen her work when she was founder/emeritus artistic director of Moonlight Stage Productions in Vista where she helmed the outdoor summer musicals for 32 years. She also...
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LET’S REVIEW! Excellent execution of ‘At This Evening’s Performance’ at North Coast Rep
Watching a play within a play can be complicated, but that’s not the case with Nagle Jackson’s “At This Evening’s Performance,” directed by Andrew Barnicle and onstage at the North Coast Repertory Theatre until Aug. 6. When the fun begins in this comedy, a lively cast of seven actors are traveling...
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‘At This Evening’s Performance’ offers laugh-a-minute farce at North Coast Rep
Actor John Nutten admits he’s been very fortunate in his career, appearing in films, TV shows and onstage. He’s performed at the North Coast Repertory Theatre before (“Unnecessary Farce,” “The Odd Couple,” “Time Stands Still,” “Breaking Legs”), and said he’s happy to return for the comedic play-within-a-play,...
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The Lodge at Torrey Pines plans 'Escape to Margaritaville' cast meet & greet brunch, June 10 in La Jolla
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Theater buffs and foodies will come together from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, June 10, 2017 at The Lodge at Torrey Pines for a special event. In celebration of La Jolla Playhouse's new musical, "Escape to Margaritaville," The Lodge is partnering with the show before it hits Broadway...
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LET'S REVIEW: Talented cast ignites 'The Spitfire Grill' at North Coast Rep
Leaving the movie theater after seeing Lee David Zlotoff’s 1996 film, “The Spitfire Grill,” I knew it would remain in my memory for a long time. Excited to actually see the play at the North Coast Repertory Theatre, I was once again charmed. Percy Talbott (Aurora Florence) has not had a good life....
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Heartland tunes warm ‘Spitfire Grill’ at North Coast Rep Theatre through June 25
“The Spitfire Grill,” a down-home musical now in previews at North Coast Repertory Theatre, opened off-Broadway in 2001, and has been produced worldwide ever since. Called “soul-satisfying,” by The New York Times, it’s about a young woman just released from prison who hopes to make a new life for...
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New Dances, New Music! Bi-coastal collaboration coming to Lyceum Theatre, June 1-3
Here’s one way to chase away June gloom — an exciting program of dance and live music that will start off the month with a burst of joyful creativity. It’s a three-way collaboration, joining the forces of Malashock Dance, Art of Élan, and the New York-based NOW Ensemble, a dynamic group dedicated...
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LET'S REVIEW: Lunar magic in Old Globe premiere of ‘Old Man and The Old Moon’
The seven actors of PigPen Theatre Co. are taking audiences on a marvelous, mythical sea-faring journey at The Old Globe. After the trip, you learn how vital it is to everyone on the planet that the moon be refilled with the liquid light seeping out of the hole in its bottom, and how important...
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‘The Old Man and The Old Moon’ has West Coast premiere at The Old Globe
Like to laugh and leave the theater in a delightful mood? Then, you won’t want to miss PigPen Theatre Co.’s “The Old Man and The Old Moon,” already attaining great reviews at The Old Globe Theatre. It’s sort of a fable, myth, or as the Broadway World dubbed it, “a glorious fusion of music and theatrics.”...