SAN DIEGO THEATRE SCENE
"CURTAIN CALLS" #231
By Pat Launer
www.sdtheatrescene.com
2/22/08
San Diego stages are full to
the top
With Seven Physicists performing hip hop.
The Pinafore advances, full speed ahead
And Poor Mary, the Queen loses her head.
Lucky
Seven
THE
SHOW: The Seven,
a hip hop musical loosely based on the ancient Greek tragedy, Seven Against Thebes, written by
Aeschylus in 467 BC. This version was created by San Francisco hip hop pioneer Will Power (who
wrote last year’s LJP POP Tour show, Honey
Bo and the Gold Mine, that also featured street rhythms, hip hop and
rhyme). The La Jolla Playhouse is presenting the New York Theatre Workshop
production, developed and directed by Jo Bonney.
THE
STORY/THE BACKSTORY: When
Oedipus
stepped down as King of Thebes, he handed over the kingdom to his two sons, Eteocles
and Polynices,
who agreed to alternate in their power takeover, each occupying the throne for
a year. After the first year, however, Eteocles refused to step down and
Polynices attacked Thebes
with a band of impressive leaders (the eponymous Seven), each striking at one
of the city’s gates. In the end, the brothers, doomed by the Oedipus family
curse, meet face-to-face and disaster ensues. The tragedy can be viewed as a
warning against any civil/internecine war, which is often the bloodiest type.
When brother battles against brother, no one wins.
In the original play, the
women form the chorus, and they become the innocent victims of the conflict.
But in Power’s hip remix, it’s all about the boys. Oedipus is a pimp, a
strutting, swaggering braggart who sneeringly turns his sons against each
other, in willing fulfillment of the family history and curse; father destroys
son, generation after generation. Destiny cannot be averted. The women have
more power here; they appear among the leaders and warriors, in some of the
most strikingly theatrical moments of the show. At the end of his play, Power
isn’t condoning or continuing the luckless past. He exhorts the audience to
“re-mix” the elements, give a new twist to the story.
Both the ancient and modern
works reflect an oral tradition (from Greek drama to griot to rapper and poetry slammer). The players double as the
Chorus. A DJ (stand-in for the ancient
Messenger) introduces the story and reports on its progress. Melding the
old with the new is the very basis of hip hop. Sampling, taking bits and pieces of something already extant, pays
homage to the past by looping it with other snippets, and adding something new
to the mix.
The Seven premiered
in 2006 at the prestigious New York Theatre Workshop, where it was well
received, and later, in a San
Francisco production, garnered three Bay Area Critics
Circle Awards. But the creators --
Power, Obie Award-winning director Jo Bonney and acclaimed choreographer
Bill T. Jones – were happy to come to La Jolla,
taking the time to refine their hip hop
baby, adding new scenes and songs and updating the music and references. There
were timely references in Greek drama, too, though the themes were timeless:
father-son expectations/disappointments, sibling rivalry. But Power thumps his
theses into the city, into the heart of the African American community, to make
potent statements about confronting and combating the doomed future of urban
boys (prison, death) and breaking out of that mold. It’s time, he’s saying, to
“flip the record.”
A record, in fact, is one of
the recurring projections; hypnotically spinning vinyl forms appears repeatedly
as backdrop, paired with a formal, conventional translation of Aeschylus’ play,
recorded in stentorian tones. From there, let the riffing and rapping begin.
THE
PLAYERS/THE PRODUCTION: The production is
stunning and exhilarating. The 11-member cast, attractive and multi-talented,
is vocally and dramatically riveting, and they move in wondrous ways. Jones’
choreography features everything from crumping to yoga (one of the most
stunning scenes, as Jamyl Dobson’s Polynices relaxes in the forest, reveals the
most heart-stopping Sun Salutation imaginable). Dobson and Benton Greene (as
older brother Eteocles), make for one hunky, handsome, bitter, brutal pair of
bro’s. Their ultimate confrontation, with its extended, balletic buildup, is
given short shrift in the final moment. But there is enough action and drama
(more than in Aeschylus’ version, in fact) to satisfy anyone who’s willing to
go with the hip hop flow.
There was a decided generational rift on opening night. The
older the audience, the more offended they were by the urban slang (“nigga”
features prominently, especially as spat out by Oedipus to his sons), the
volume, the relentless, pounding beat. But the younger folks were lovin’ every
minute of it. I’m with them.
Admittedly, an all hip hop evening would’ve been too much
for all but the most faithful devotees. Power and Bonney find many variations
in the pace of the evening. There’s poetry and slam, Stomp-type rhythm-and-movement, James Brown wailing (Edwin Lee
Gibson’s Oedipus), a little doo-wop backup and even some lyrical songs. Greene
displays a rich, full voice, and his lizard-like slinking down a winding
staircase is breathtaking.
The set (Richard Hoover) is minimal. The projections
(designed by Broadway veteran Robin Silvestri) are spectacular, everything from
undulating curtains you could swear were really blowing in an onstage wind, to
power-packed, 3-D animations (as each of the Seven warriors is introduced).
Bernard White is forceful as Eteocles’ fawning Right Hand, and Flaco Navaja is
excellent as Polynices’ bucolic boy, his lover in the forest who ultimately
goads him to go after his brother. Bellicosity is in the blood. The question is
(as in ancient Greece)
can Fate be thwarted? The play, with all its energy and vitality, its
reflection of the urban street scene and the concerns of youth, is certainly a
compelling appeal to try.
THE
LOCATION: La Jolla
Playhouse (Potiker Theater), through March 16
BOTTOM
LINE: Best Bet
Off
With Her Head!
THE
SHOW: Mary, Queen of Scots,
the San Diego
premiere of the rarely performed, 1834 Gaetano Donizetti bel canto opera. The Italian title is Maria Stuarda, but the name of Mary, Queen of Scots, is more
familiar to the general audience.
THE
STORY: It’s a tragic and intriguing tale, based on the 16th
century rivalry between Queen Elizabeth I and her Scottish cousin, Mary. The
fact is that the two never actually met. But their incendiary, second act diva-to-diva
confrontation is the high point of the opera. After Elizabeth impugns Mary’s virtue, Mary draws
blood, attacking her cousin’s birthright; when she calls her a “vile bastard,”
even modern audiences gasp. As if the relative popularity of the two, and their
Protestant-Catholic divide weren’t enough, both women are in love with the same
man, the Earl of Leicester, whom Elizabeth
thinks Mary has bewitched. In the end, Elizabeth,
goaded on by the malevolent Lord Cecil, has Mary beheaded.
THE
PLAYERS/THE PRODUCTION: This is the story of
two passionate and powerful women, and the vocal requirements for both roles
are enormous. The demands are exceedingly well met by 33 year-old South African
soprano Angela Gilbert (whose dazzling vocal and emotional range were showcased
in her Lucia di Lammermoor here two
years ago) and 34 year-old mezzo soprano (and Maine native) Kate Aldrich, making her San Diego debut as Elizabeth.
Both get to show impressive dramatic capabilities, in addition to their
striking vocal dynamics. Mary’s role spans 2½ octaves (and, at least when Joan
Sutherland sang it, a 22-second note in the final act), with extreme emphasis
at both ends of the range. Gilbert (who
had to miss the first of her four performances because of a stomach virus) was
in excellent voice, and her growling ‘yells’ at Elizabeth were as potent as her crystalline
highs. For her part, Aldrich has to
spend a good deal of time in the upper part of her range. Both singers and
characters are stretched to their limits. And these two, though they only come
together once, are well matched. This Elizabeth
is no heartless, haughty bitch. She is anguished over her decision, distraught
at losing her man, terrified by the competition and the power Mary seems to
have over Leicester and the populace. As
Mary, Gilbert exhibits grace and gravitas, as well as prodigious amounts of
fear, longing, anger and forgiveness. These are two stunning performances,
conveyed in breathtaking voices.
As Leicester, Armenian
tenor Yeghishe Manucharyan isn’t a forceful vocal or dramatic presence; the
role requires big, forte singing,
long and high and strong, and he hasn’t got the power or resonance to make a
distinguished mark. But he acquits himself well in the duets and ensemble work.
German bass Reinhard Hagen, who just appeared here in the magnificent Tannhäuser (he played the Landgraf) is
outstanding, robust and formidable as the loyal Talbot, Mary’s ally and the
Mary/Leicester go-between. Their third-act duet is heart-rending. British
bass-baritone Andrew Greenan (also in Tannhäuser)
brings a rich, orotund voice and a beatific ill will to Cecil, while Israeli
mezzo Susan Poretsky (last seen here as Margret in Wozzeck) is steadfast, both vocally and dramatically, as Mary’s
confidante, Anna. It’s quite remarkable that all these accomplished singers are
new to this opera.
The ensemble work is exceptional (that first-act sextet is a
knockout) and the chorus (50 strong) sounds robust, even if they aren’t given much
to do. They look wonderful (the opulent costumes are from Dallas Opera), but
the direction (Andrew Sinclair) is rather static throughout. The set (by the
magnificent Ming Cho Lee, designed for the New York City Opera) is simple but
imposing. The production looks beautiful, the San Diego Symphony (under the
assured baton of Edoardo Müller), sounds marvelous, remaining forceful but not
overbearing, bringing out all the subtlety and nuance of this lush and lyrical
score. But in the final analysis, it’s the women who make the drama sing.
THE
LOCATION: San Diego Opera at the Civic
Theatre, through February 24
BOTTOM
LINE: Best Bet
The
Satirical Ship Sets Sail
THE
SHOW: The HMS Pinafore,
the fourth collaboration and first big hit of composer Arthur Sullivan
and librettist
W. S. Gilbert.
The comic opera premiered in London
in 1878 and ran for 571 performances.
THE
STORY: A naval captain's
daughter is secretly in love with a common sailor, though her father has
arranged a marriage to the Lord of the Admiralty, an older, pompous cabinet minister
in charge of the Royal Navy. As in most Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, a
surprise twist changes everything, and love conquers all at the end.
Meanwhile, the tempered satire underscores social class distinctions, while poking fun at the British Navy,
parliamentary politics and the rise of unqualified people to positions of
authority (“I polished up the handle so carefully that now I am the ruler of
the Queen’s Navy”).
THE
PLAYERS/THE PRODUCTION: This is a delightful
production, wonderfully sung. Nothing is taken too seriously, and the
playfulness of the creation is matched by the broad humor of the performances
and direction. Director/choreographer David Brannen
has given everyone entertaining stage business, cute but basic moves and
amusing interactions. Leon Natker
conducts the 30-piece orchestra with a light touch and a sure hand. The
musicians sound spirited and often brassy (in the good sense of the term), and
they, too, perfectly capture the tone of the operetta. The set (nautical but
nice) is from Tri-Cities Opera, and the colorful, eye-catching costumes are
from Kansas City Costume Company (love the red-and-white stripes on the sailors
and the sherbet colors on the “sisters and the cousins and the aunts!”).
Priya Palekar is lovely as Josephine, the lovelorn captain’s
daughter. Her crisp soprano is soaring and impressive, though it’s often
difficult to make out those ever-clever Gilbert lyrics. Palekar has a credible
connection with tenor Robert Boldin as her strong-sensitive sailor, Ralph
Rackstraw. Lanky bass-baritone Daniel Klein is aptly sinister (and often
comical) as the dastardly Dick Deadeye, who foils the young couple’s elopement
plot. Native San Diegan Scott Gregory, with his imposing presence and rich
baritone, is a “right good captain” as Corcoran, though he accepts his
final-act twist-of-fate with surprising cheerfulness. Contralto Martha Jane
Weaver returns to Lyric Opera and to the role of Little Buttercup, with gusto.
And J. Sherwood Montgomery does bombastic, humorous justice to the
self-important Sir Joseph Porter (though the Jackie Gleason “How sweet it is!” bit
should go). Fran Hartshorn and Robert Aaron Taylor provide energetic support as
Sir Joseph’s Cousin Hebe and the boatswain’s mate, Bill Bobstay. And one of
those sisters, cousins and aunts, noticeably emotionally responsive to what’s
going on around her, is our own SDTS Teen, Alice Cash! A charming evening all
around.
THE
LOCATION: Lyric Opera San
Diego at the Birch North Park Theatre, through
February 24
BOTTOM
LINE: Best Bet
It
Takes a Woman
THE
SHOW: Hello, Dolly!,
the 1964 star-turn that starred everyone from Carol Channing (for 30+ years!)
to Ginger Rogers, Betty Grable and even Phyllis Diller. Pearl Bailey appeared
in an all-black version, with Cab Calloway, that was stupendous. (Note: Ethel
Merman turned down the offer to be the first Dolly, but late in the
2844-performance Broadway run, she finally got a second chance). Music and
lyrics by Jerry Herman, Book by Michael Stewart.
THE
STORY: The turn-of-the-last-century tale centers around
the irrepressible Dolly Gallagher Levi, a New York
matchmaker whose services are engaged to help an overbearing Yonkers merchant, Horace Vandergelder, find a
mate. But the meddling, widowed yenta decides to snag Horace for herself, and
eventually he comes to see it her way, after quite a bit of finagling. Along the way, Dolly helps two of Vandergelder’s
clerks, Barnaby and Cornelius, find adventure and romance in the Big City (New York), with
dressmaker Irene Malloy and her assistant, Minnie Fay. The title song comes as
Dolly makes a grand entrance at the Harmonia
Gardens restaurant, once
her favorite haunt.
The musical has a lengthy literary history. Its
first incarnation, in 1835, was a London
play, a Day Well Spent, by John
Oxenford. A Viennese variation, He Wants
to Have a Lark, by Johann Nestroy, came
seven years later. In 1938, Thornton Wilder turned Nestroy’s play into The Merchant of Yonkers, and 17 years
after that, he rewrote it as The
Matchmaker. Both Wilder plays had Broadway runs.
THE
PLAYERS/THE PRODUCTION: The Lamb’s production
is pleasant, but it doesn’t have the sparkle, ebullience and vivacity the show
demands. On the night I was there, no one seemed totally comfortable vocally,
and I was told that many of the cast-members were sick. It wasn’t a thundering
and energizing performance.
Kerry Meads is engaging, but not commanding, as Dolly, and
she frequently seemed to be straining to master the rangy score; she’d have
been better off belting than relying so heavily on her sweet soprano. Director Robert Smyth and musical director G. Scott Lacy made
some odd choices for their centerpiece. The rousing act-one show-stopper, for
example, “Before the Parade Passes By,” instead of rising to a drum-banging
crescendo, is sung as a wistful ballad. David Cochran Heath’s Horace is more
affable than domineering and curmudgeonly. Erika Beth Phillips and Jon Lorenz
don’t register much as Vendergelder’s niece and her suitor. Lance Arthur Smith
and Steve Limones (Erik McEwen takes over after 3/2) pair off well with Colleen
Kollar Smith and Season Duffy as the ingénue couples. They also get the best
dance moves (choreography by Kollar Smith); the men are especially adept
hoofers. Kollar Smith’s “Ribbons Down My Back” is sweetly, tenderly sung. The Harmonia Gardens scene is brisk, bouncy and well
executed by the six Waiters, headed by an imperious Ralph
Johnson (also amusing as Joe the Barber). The five excellent
musicians sit on the upper level of the attractive unit-set (Mike Buckley), which works in all the scenes except
the hay-and-feedstore; it’s way too attractive and ornate for that. Jeanne Reith’s bulbous-sleeved costumes are
attractive, and the lighting (Bill Kickbush) is fine. Maybe when everyone’s
healthy there’ll be more musical oomph and oompah.
THE
LOCATION: Lamb’s Players Theatre, through March 2
Bombs
Away!
THE
SHOW: The Physicists,
Swiss Expressionist playwright Friedrich Durrenmatt's terror-ridden 1961
absurdist black comedy of espionage, murder, nuclear proliferation and the
responsibility of the individual to society. It was one of many physicist-centered
plays written in the ‘50s and ‘60s, at the height of the Cold War, a time when,
in the shadow of the A- and H-bombs, scientific innovation was seen as having
the potential for mass destruction. Science, it was felt, was being used for world-threatening
ends. Man could not be trusted with the knowledge that scientists revealed. The
play is surprisingly relevant today, in view of the country’s
anti-intellectualism, distrust of science, war on world-wide terrorism and
determination to control the world.
THE
STORY: In order to keep
potentially ‘dangerous’ knowledge from falling into the wrong hands, three
physicists have themselves locked up in a mental institution. Once claims he’s
Einstein, another believes he’s Newton,
and the third, certain he is Johann Welhelm Möbius, reports regular visitations
from King Solomon. In truth, Möbius feigns madness because he discovered the
“Unitary Theory of Elementary particles,” and he doesn’t feel mankind is ready
for the consequences. The other two turn out to be physicists under orders of
the intelligence community, one representing the Eastern powers, the other the
West; they’re out to appropriate Möbius’ discovery. Things are complicated by a
series of nurse-murders committed by the physicist-patients, and the truly
mentally unstable founder/administrator of the sanatorium, Fräulein Doktor
Mathilde von Zahnd, who’s harboring her own nefarious secrets and plans.
THE
PLAYERS/THE PRODUCTION: The wildly imaginative set (Steven Kemp) was
stunning, a beautiful, beige, forced-perspective, bi-level room of crown
moldings, multiple textures and tilted paintings. The lighting (Hong Sooyeon)
was also provocative and unpredictable, from pin-spots to follow-spots, dark
shadows to oversized silhouettes. The costumes (Emily DeAngelis) were
inventive, amusing and elaborate (especially for Newton). Director Lori Petermann created
startling, eye-catching stage pictures, and her cast is terrific (if
occasionally a tad too over-the-top – but I guess that can be forgiven, since
those physicists are, in fact, acting nuts and impersonating
larger-than-life scientists who have come before). Especially noteworthy:
Amalie Fite, wonderful as the humpbacked, manipulative, fascistic Fräulein
Doktor; earnest/sexy Mitxell Carrero as Nurse Monika Stettler, who falls in
love with Möbius (Larry Herron, magnificent in his “crazed” mumblings); Evan
Powell, excellent with his Newtonian hauteur and Germanic authority; and Johnny
Wu as the lackadaisical police inspector. Outstanding work all around, even if
it did veer into the realm of silly at times. There were some scary things
being said in the piece, and some sobering, cloaked-in-comedy truths.
THE
LOCATION: UCSD through February 16 (closed)
THE
READING CORNER
…The Madwoman of Chaillot, Jean
Giraudoux’s 1943 satire (first performed in 1945, after his death), written in
Paris during the time of the German occupation. There are actually four
madwomen, eccentric Parisian ladies who, assisted by a ragpicker, out-maneuver
a bevy of predatory oil speculators who want to pump oil out of the ground
beneath Paris.
These wildwomen manage to exploit the exploiters and rid the world of all its
evil. Wish we had those ladies around now. There’s a decidedly pre-feminist
bent to the play, whose most famous line is "Nothing is ever so wrong in
this world that a sensible woman can't set it right in the course of an
afternoon." How timely this 60 year-old play, about greedy, malicious and
unscrupulous men who’ll do anything for oil and money; perhaps more than ever,
we need a few madwomen to set things right.
This is was a reprise of the Scripps Ranch Community Theatre reading, presented at the Avo
Playhouse as part of Moonlight’s WordsWork playreading series. Directed by Kim
Montelibano Heil, with a large cast of 12, there were some real standouts: Jim Chovick as the Ragpicker, Manny Fernandez as The
President, Allan Salkin as The
Baron, Jill Drexler as the Madwoman
and Dagmar Krause Fields as one of her sidekicks. They probably could’ve
doubled up some more, to cover the many characters and reduce the cast-size,
but they nailed the playful, satiric tone of the piece, its breezy surface and
dark underbelly. Great fun.
…Gone again, but not for long ….
George and Vally Flint, who performed a reading of The
Petition to an enthusiastic crowd at New Village Arts
Theatre, after last week’s success with Love
Letters at Moonlight’s Avo Theatre,
are off to L.A. and then back to the Chicago environs. But they
promise to return next year, with more surprises in store. It’s always a treat
to have them around. They managed to catch up with just about everything,
seeing a play-a-night (and two on some days!) while they were here; they even
got a really early sneak-peek at the Cygnet production of A Little Night Music (which begins previews March 14).
…ion Hearts Henrik…. ion theatre continues its Intimate
Ibsen series with A Doll’s House, featuring Jo Anne Glover, Monique
Gaffney, Jeffrey Jones,
Julie Sachs and Walter Ritter. Monday, Feb. 25, 7pm at Diversionary
Theatre.
… Same night, vastly different sentiments …. Feb.
25, New
Village Arts continues its new series of readings with
the new musical, Luann – Scenes in a Teen’s Life, created by cartoonist Greg
Evans, based on his beloved comic strip, directed by NVA ensemble member Dana
Case and starring Palomar
College students. The
full production will run at the College March 7-10. Walk-in for the reading.
… We’re here, We’re Queer… Diversionary Theatre’s play development program, Queer Theatre Taking Center Stage,
takes center stage again this weekend. Stage
Directions by Trey Wilson takes a hard but comedic look at homophobia in
the African American community. The
Summer Before the Summer of Love, by Scot Augustson, is a quirky romantic
comedy about the virtues of dishonesty and two guys who can’t commit. Feb.
23-27. 619-220-0097; www.diverionsary.org
NEWS AND VIEWS ….
…
Back on the radio airwaves again!… It’s official – I’m set to resume my weekly Friday
morning radio reviews -- at KSDS Jazz 88, a genuinely arts-friendly
station that wants to become THE broadcast hub for the arts in San Diego. Podcasts will
soon be available, too. Tune in at 9:00 every Friday morning, starting March 7.
Be there! At 88.3FM.
…And
on TV… I’ll be appearing on KUSI this Saturday, Feb. 23, to talk about Mary, Queen of Scots, The Seven, Permanent Collection and Tick, Tick… BOOM! Hope you can tune in
to the “Good Morning, San Diego”
show (some time in the 9-10:00 hour). Channel 51/Cable 9.
… Unlocking the Penn… Founder/producer Dale Morris
has announced that, after seven years, he’ll step down as artistic director of 6th @ Penn Theatre, as of
July 1. Actor/writer/director Matt Thompson (most recently seen onstage as Dracula
at North Coast Rep) will take up the position, and will also serve as artistic
director of the Resilience of the Spirit Festival 2008. Michael Thomas Tower has been named Playwright in Residence and
Artistic Director of New Works Programs. Morris plans to spend more time on his
acting and writing (he won a Patté Award for Best New Play of 2007).He’ll still
hold the purse-strings, and the others will report to him. He’s hoping that
Thompson “will bring a new theatrical vitality to San Diego
audiences and a new day-to-day artistic partnership with the actors and
directors of San Diego.”
“I’m counting on his youth, energy and talent,” Morris told me, “to shepherd 6th
@ Penn through a rebirth of possibilities.” Good luck to all!
…De-caffeinated…. After ten years and 3790
performances, Triple Espresso finally lost its kick in San Diego. The lightweight comedy outlasted
even Forever Plaid (by a long shot,
though there were lots of local investors in that show, who benefited from the
support). TE will be a pretty hard act to follow for the Horton Grand Theatre. No dramatic
replacement reported as of yet.
…Mama Mia!...Jim Caputo’s
full-length play, Maternal Spirits (which played at Scripps Ranch Community
Theatre in 2004), took first prize, beating out 349 other entrants, in the
annual competition at the Conspiracy Theatre of Ft. Meyers, FL.
In addition to a cash award, Caputo gets the opening production of the
theater’s season, a four-week run starting 2/21. His play has already won
acclaim at the Palm Springs International Playwriting Festival and the Ashland
(OR) New Play Festival. This one’s a winner.
…August may not come
this year… Due to complications with acquiring the rights to certain works by
acclaimed African American playwright August
Wilson, Cygnet Theatre and the San Diego Black Ensemble Theatre are
postponing their series of readings temporarily. The plan is to present Jitney and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (which they did at the end of 2006) this
spring. Watch for details here.
… Hubba Hubbard… Jean Isaacs
San Diego Dance Theatre will offer a ballet master-class with Glenn Edgerton, Associate Artistic Director of
the acclaimed Hubbard Street Dance
Chicago, on
Friday, February 29, 11:00am-12:30pm.
Studio 106 at Dance Place, 2650 Truxtun Road, SD
92106. Limited
enrollment: www.sandiegodancetheater.org. The Hubbard Street company will perform
two different programs in San Diego:
February 29 at the Birch North Park Theatre
(presented by La Jolla Music Society), preceded by a pre-concert lecture at
7pm. John Malashock speaks with
Artistic Director Jim Vincent and choreographer Lucas Crandall. And Saturday,
March 1 (8pm), the group performs at the California
Center for the Arts, Escondido; they’ll also offer a master class
at CCA that morning. For CCA info: 760-839-4194.
… Also at the California
Center for the Arts, My Story: Literacy through the Arts,
the culmination of a collaborative arts and literacy program developed by CCA
and the Escondido Union School District. Fifth grade students learned to use
digital photography and writing to tell their own stories, which they’ll share
with the community on March 2, 1:00-4:30pm. An exhibition of the student
creations will be on view from March 6-16.
…Latest Thorn in the theater’s side… On February
14, Jennifer Eve Thorn gave birth to
her new little Valentine, Penelope Jane. She weighed 7lbs 9oz at birth,
and was the result of what Jen calls “an AMAZING experience.” Another gal with Moxie is born!
'NOT TO BE MISSED!' (Pat’s Picks)
Mary,
Queen of Scots – beautiful music,
gorgeously sung; great story, exquisite production
San Diego Opera at the Civic Theatre, through 2/24
The
Seven – hip and hip hop;
young, fresh, exciting, and wonderfully performed
La Jolla
Playhouse, through 3/16
HMS
Pinafore – great fun, great voices
Lyric Opera San Diego, through 2/24
Fences – stunning production, stellar performances
Cygnet Theatre (in
collaboration with San Diego Black Ensemble Theatre), EXTENDED through 3/2
(For full text of all of
Pat’s past reviews, going back to 1990, use the Search engine at
www.patteproductions.com)
In these waning (raining) days of winter, snuggle
up in a theater.
Pat
© 2007 PATTÉ PRODUCTIONS, INC.
For more than 20 years, Pat Launer has been
the only regular broadcast theater critic in San Diego. An Emmy Award-winner with a Ph.D.
in Communication Arts & Sciences, Pat sees and reviews more than 200 local
theater productions every year. For the past decade, she has hosted and
produced The Patté Awards for Theatre Excellence, a gala community event that
honors local theatermakers (“San Diegans making theater for San
Diego”) and celebrates the broad diversity of San Diego theater.