THEATRE PREVIEW
MARCH 2002
Published in Décor & Style Magazine
It may not be spring
yet, but the hills are alive with the sound of music. Or at least the Ken is.
Starting March 8, the
hit interactive musical phenomenon, corny but irresistible, the Sing-along Sound of Music, makes its San
Diego debut at Landmark's Ken Cinema, for a limited two-week run. The 1965
Academy Award winner (based on Rodgers and Hammerstein's last and most sappy
collaboration, in 1959) remains the most successful movie musical ever, and the
number one family film of all time. Last summer, 18,000 diehard fans at the
Hollywood Bowl cheered for that "flibbertigibbet" Maria (Julie
Andrews), booed the Baroness (and those nasty Nazis) and crooned about notes
("Do Re Mi"), the lovely Swiss "Edelweiss" and others of
their "Favorite Things." This oddball but oddly popular
Britain-America tour began in 1999 and is still going strong. It's a far cry
from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," but you may want to come in
costume (many have already gotten into the habit),
dressed in lederhosen or dolled up as "girls in white dresses with blue
satin sashes" or even "brown paper packages tied up with
string." Pre-show costume contest prizes include special 35th
anniversary DVD and VHS editions of -- what else?-- The Sound of Music. If
you've forgotten some of the cherished lyrics, fear not. There's an interactive
Fun-Pak giveaway, and subtitles throughout. Audience ad-libs are graciously
accepted. (March 8-21 at the Ken Cinema
in Kensington; toll-free: 866-468-3399 or www.ticketweb.com).
For an even older (but
far better) musical classic, check out the new touring production of Kiss Me, Kate, with its glorious and ultra-witty
Cole Porter score. Written in 1948, a riff on Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, KMK enjoyed a stunningly successful
Broadway revival in 1999. As New York Times critic Ben Brantley put it, "Kiss Me, Kate asserts that there is
still a place for sophisticated, grown-up fun in the New York theater."
For the second time, the show won five Tony Awards. You can't sing along on
this one, but you'll wish you could, with those incomparable Porter songs:
"Another Op'nin, Another Show," "Too Darn Hot," "Always
True to You in My Fashion," "Wunderbar," "So in Love"
and others). It's a great way to "Brush Up Your Shakespeare." (March
5-10, Broadway/San Diego at the Civic Theatre; 619-570-1100; 619-220-TIXS).
Another musical
adaptation of a classic is Scapino,
adapted from the 1671 Molière farce, Les
Fourberies de Scapin (The Tricks of Scapin). The 1965 musical (originally
adapted by Frank Dunlap and Jim Dale), is here re-set in a retro 1970s
Neapolitan café. Any locale will do for shedding a hilarious light on the
escapades and shenanigans of the cleverly intrepid, slippery servant Scapino,
as he repeatedly outwits his master. Moonlight Stage Productions (formerly
Moonlight Amphitheatre) promises plate-juggling waiters, a bum on a bicycle and
the gut-busting antics of one of the most beloved clowns in literature (March
7-24 at the Avo Theatre in Vista; 760-724-2110).
For an even more
farcical musical kick, a great big, boffo burlesque, there's Pageant at North Coast Repertory
Theatre. This San Diego premiere, hosted by the charmingly sleazy Frankie
Cavalier (Don Ward) follows six wacko beauty contestants (Miss Bible Belt, Miss
Deep South, Miss Industrial Northeast, etc.) who sing and dance, parade in
evening gowns and strut in bathing suits, after which judges (from the
audience) determine who becomes Miss Glamouresse, winner of the Glamouresse
cosmetics' annual extravaganza. To keep the spectators (and performers) on
their toes, there's a different winner every night. Susan Powell, a former Miss
America, said the spoof was "impeccable; so funny I thought I was going to
die. 90 minutes of laugh therapy." Oh, and did I mention that all the
beauties are male? (but you'd NEVER know it!). This promises to be one hoot of
an evening, directed by Russell Grant, from the original New York cast (March
3-April 21 at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach; 858-481-1055).
And now, for something
not-too-completely different… a few non-musical classics…
The San Diego Repertory
Theatre is presenting a tantalizing double-bill. Artistic director Sam
Woodhouse is shepherding a production of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, that -ever-controversial 'comedy' in which
a Venetian businessman borrows money from the Jewish loanshark, Shylock, played
by that compelling clown and stellar solo performer Ron Campbell (last seen at
the Rep as the brilliant R. Buckminster Fuller in The History (and Mystery) of the Universe). At the same time,
Campbell is starring in Shylock,
directed by rep associate artistic director Todd Salovey. The companion piece,
a one-man play by Canadian Mark Leiren-Young, follows an actor as he prepares
for the role of the famous moneylender in a contentious production of
Shakespeare's Merchant. The actor,
accused of an anti-Semitic portrayal of the character, is subjected to the
hypocrisy and censorship of the theater community. The company cancels the
production and the actor is forced to face his ultimate accusers -- the
audience. Sure to be a gripping and provocative dramatic duo. (playing in
repertory at San Diego Repertory Theatre; Merchant,
March 1-31; Shylock, March 19-April
14; 619-544-1000).
The Theatre Department
at San Diego State University is taking a chance and taking on a challenge with
Garcia Lorca, Spain's best-known modern poet-playwright (1898-1936). The
House of Bernarda Alba is one of Lorca's three great tragedies dealing with
the passions of thwarted womanhood. The title character is a tyrannical mother
who, obsessed with family honor, tries to control her five unmarried daughters.
Matriarchal domination and sexual repression serve as a metaphor for Lorca's
homeland. Needless to say, hatred, jealousy, despair, passion and violence
ensue. Performances are in English (March 15-24) and Spanish (March 16-23;
619-594-6365.
For a thoroughly enjoyable,
vicarious instructional activity, you might want to check out the 19th
annual Design/Performance Jury at SDSU (free; March 15, 9-3:00, in the
Experimental Theatre). A panel of experts, including 3-time Pulitzer
Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee, actor/SDSU alumna Marion Ross, and an
acclaimed director from Vladivostok, Russia, will judge the production plans
and designs of SDSU theater students. Unique in the country, the inspiring
educational experience is the brainchild of Dr. Beeb Salzer, professor of
theater design.
If you like to see works
in progress, there's a fascinating series afoot. Beloved local actor Linda
Castro (fresh from her co-direction of the power-packed Vagina Monologues in February) has set out to revisit the Greek
classics, the source of all things theatrical.
Under the aegis of Castro and co-producer David Cohen, an impressive
assemblage of San Diego actors will come together at 6th@Penn
Theatre for readings of some timeless masterworks, which Castro is calling
Seven Weeks of Greeks: The Tragedies. You've already missed Medea, Antigone and The Trojan Women. But you still have time to catch Euripides' Hippolytus (March 3, 7:30pm), Sophocles'
Oedipus the King (March 25, 7:30pm)
and in April, Euripides' Iphigenia at
Aulis (4/21, 2:00pm) and Iphegenia in
Tauris (4/28, 2:00pm). Reservations/information: 619-698-2659.
If dance is your thing,
consider Jean Isaacs' San Diego Dance Theater's "Dances for Spring."
Isaacs' choreography for the updated, Hollywood-set Rigoletto at San Diego Opera was delicious. Now she's mounting
three San Diego premieres to herald the sunny season. The first is the lyrical Songs, a 1956 creation by octogenarian
and modern dance pioneer Mary Anthony. The other two pieces are Isaacs' own.
She set Easter Oratorio to the music
of J.S. Bach, as a "hearty exploration of how the body responds to the
lush strains of this concerto." The
Rite of Spring employs the inimitable Stravinsky score, with a twist on the
ritual sacrifice of a virgin (which was intended to ensure a rich harvest).
This party is updated to a rave, and the youth selected for the sacrifice is a
male. (March 29-31 at the Don Powell Theatre on the campus of SDSU;
858-484-7791).
Well, that ought to keep
you busy for the month. March on -- to the theater!…. and I'll see you there.
______________
©2002 Patté Productions
Inc.