SAN DIEGO THEATRE SCENE

"CURTAIN CALLS" #239

By Pat Launer

www.sdtheatrescene.com

04/18/08

It’s all about family; sisters and brothers,

Fathers and sons, daughters and mothers.

Genius and obsession, music and creations

Beethoven’s 33 Variations.

And sib relationships not made in heaven

In The Voysey Inheritance and Mornings at Seven.

While the snow piles up at the Southern Pole

As the Terra Nova team forfeits body and soul.

OBSTINATE OBSESSIONS

THE SHOW: 33 Variations, West coast premiere of the latest creation of Moisés Kaufman (The Laramie Project; Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde), acclaimed director of the Pulitzer Prize-winning I Am My Own Wife, for which he won a Tony Award. Recently, Kaufman was awarded $25,000 in prize money (the largest national playwriting purse) for the annual Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award, presented by the American Theatre Critics Association. The La Jolla Playhouse production is presented in association with the Tectonic Theatre Project and the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., where the play premiered in summer 2007.

THE BACKSTORY: In 1819, the music publisher Anton Diabelli composed a little waltz tune for piano. He invited the 50 most prominent composers in Vienna to create a variation of his waltz. Liszt and Schubert, among others, agreed. But Beethoven wasn’t interested, calling the piece a Schusterflecke, a “cobbler’s patch.” Then, he had an unexpected change of heart. And instead of snubbing the little waltz, he became obsessed with it, and over the course of four years, created not one musical modification, but 33, famously known as the ‘Diabelli Variations.’

THE STORY: Kaufman, who likes to probe the emotional underpinnings of historical events, set out to create his own variations on the unending question of why Beethoven became so bewitched by Diabelli’s challenge. While he posits a few possibilities (Beethoven was mocking and parodying the simple tune; he wanted to best the record 32 of Bach’s “Goldberg Variations”; he actually liked the ditty and couldn’t get it out of his head), Kaufman brings in a modern sensibility to parallel Beethoven’s life, failing health and fixation.

Enter Katherine Brandt, modern (fictional) musicologist, who’s as obsessed with Beethoven’s reasoning as Beethoven was with the variations. Adding a third level of art-and-life conundrum, one might suspect that Kaufman, too, was obsessed; he did copious reading, listened to numerous recordings of the Variations, consulted scholars and made visits to the Beethoven Archive in Bonn, where many of the original sketchbooks are housed.

Shortly after she’s diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s Disease), Katherine embarks on the same European journey, spending her final months deeply entrenched in the archives, much to the dismay of her over-protective, if professionally unfocused daughter, Clara. At the same time, Katherine’s nurse, Mike, has fallen for her daughter, and accompanies her to Bonn, to watch over and care for the dismissive but degenerating Mom. This parallels the relationship of Beethoven and his solicitous, obsequious amanuensis, Anton Schindler.

Beethoven’s hearing, health and sanity are failing, but he too is rushing to finish his work. Meanwhile, back at the Archives, the Teutonic librarian, Dr. Gertie Ladenburger, lightens up on her rigidity and becomes a friend and caregiver to the callous Katherine, who only has passion for her work. Her merciless treatment of, and disappointment in, her daughter is palpable. The situation never improves, one of the loose ends of the play. There’s also too much emphasis on Katherine, and too little on Beethoven, by far the more interesting of the two. The final character is the fussy businessman Diabelli, who pushes to publish Beethoven’s work but also recognizes genius when he sees it.

THE PLAYERS/THE PRODUCTION: There are a few frustrations in the play (the lack of resolution of the mother-daughter conflict; the lack of insight that comes from Katherine’s post-mortem meeting with Beethoven) but no one could quibble with the production. It’s stunning. The scenic design (Derek McLane) is floor to ceiling archival boxes, with several mobile panels, all aflutter with sheet music, wheeled hither and yon to create various playing spaces. The use of projections (designed by Jeff Sugg) is brilliant. They give us the movement of horses, the changing of seasons and the creation of the sketchbooks. Beautiful. The costumes (Janice Pytel), lighting (David Lander) and sound (Andre Pluess) are rich with clarity and period accuracy.

Kaufman’s direction is spectacular; he creates stunning stage pictures, and the glimpses of Beethoven’s creative process are breathtaking. The music is superbly integrated. But the performances are variable. Katherine is not a very likable character; she’s pig-headed and cold-blooded, ruthless to her daughter and her new-found friend. All she cares about is the work; unlike Beethoven, she doesn’t have the world-class goods to justify her bad behavior. Her debilitating journey of illness is compelling and excellently played (by Jayne Atkinson), but this segment of the play feels very much like Margaret Edson’s Wit; it also goes on too long and in too much detail (and little insight or transformation results from the suffering). Both Atkinson and Laura Odeh (pixieish as Clara) bellow their way through their first few scenes. But once they settle in, it’s a credible mother-daughter relationship, though it has no arc, and there’s no semblance of a pre-death rapprochement or resolution. Clara does everything she can to take care of her mother, and her mother does everything she can to undermine her daughter’s efforts and life-choices. Nor is Katherine very kind to Mike, who’s become a live-in therapist during the course of her increasing infirmity. His character isn’t particularly well developed; he’s something of a cipher, though as played (by Ryan King), he’s a goofily nice guy.

Stern and severe Gertie (well inhabited by Susan Kellermann) is a potentially interesting character, but we don’t learn enough about her or her backstory. Erik Steele has a fairly thankless job as Schindler, who actually played a fascinating role in history. He was a highly unreliable information source who seems to have exaggerated his role in the maestro’s life; he falsified dates and facts in his Beethoven biography, which may also have masked the reasoning behind the master’s Diabelli creations. Don Amendolia does a fine job as the blustery Diabelli. And as the great man himself, Ludwig van Beethoven, Zach Grenier is aptly larger than life, an engaging figure who’s fanatical and preoccupied, but also playful and perceptive. It’s a robust characterization.

And let’s not forget the music, which is what the obsession is all about, after all. At one point in the second act, the ensemble begins singing, effectively and contrapuntally. It’s a surprising and lovely moment. And throughout the proceedings, punctuating the discussion and creation, consummate pianist Diane Walsh provides excerpts from the Diabelli Variations (her version, on Jonathan Digital Recordings, is available for purchase at the theater).

Apparently, a good deal of adjustment and modification of the original script have taken place during the rehearsals and previews of this production. Kaufman isn’t quite there yet. But once again, he has fashioned a thrilling piece of theater from a fascinating corner of history.

THE LOCATION: La Jolla Playhouse, through May 4

BOTTOM LINE: Best Bet

HONOR GUARD

THE SHOW: The Voysey Inheritance, David Mamet’s 2005 adaptation of a 1905 play by Harley Granville-Barker (1877-1946), a protégé of George Bernard Shaw and an important early figure in modern British drama. The original was said to be four hours long. Mamet has cut it to two, cutting characters and subplots.

THE STORY: Set in Edwardian London, 1908, the play concerns the still-current business practice of bilking unsuspecting clients. Young Edward Voysey discovers that for years, his father has been speculating wildly with his clients’ money. When the patriarch is directly confronted by his son, he says he inherited the practice from his father. When Father dies, Edward has to assume the mantle… and the debts. He’d like to expose the errors of his father’s ways, but he risks bringing the whole family down, which his brothers and sisters rather strongly discourage. At the core of the long-winded tale is a contemplation of truth, honor and family loyalty, very much in the mold of The Winslow Boy, another old chestnut that Lamb’s resurrected in 2005. They do well with these period pieces that consider moral issues from varied perspectives. But Terence Rattigan’s 1946 play was far more satisfying.

THE PLAYERS/THE PRODUCTION: Despite the Mamet imprimatur, The Voysey Inheritance bears none of the bracing, brutal dialogue the playwright is famous for. Instead, his adaptation feels decidedly old-fashioned; it’s wordy without being witty; dense, prolix and preachy. There is an extreme amount of exposition at the outset, with far too much financial information imparted (“It feels like an appointment with my accountant,” said a friend). It takes a long time for the setup. The plot-wheels grind into gear and the family finally has its head-on confrontations, which basically represent the various approaches to shady financial dealings, ranging from revulsion to indifference, naked greed to fear for the family name. Most of the characters are under-developed, one-note exemplars. After all the discord, the neat, happy ending comes quite abruptly.

The production is attractive. Robert Smyth designed the stylized, abstracted set, a suspended wall of gilt picture frames, suggestive of moneyed ancestry. Jeanne Reith’s costumes are very attractive. Director Deborah Gilmour Smyth has cast well, but the characterizations are uneven. Jon Lorenz is the upright Edward, but he’s pretty much the same throughout the evening; he should evolve from hesitant, inexperienced wimp to assertive CEO. As his gruff, self-justifying father, Jim Chovick is kinder and gentler than he could be. As his wife, Glynn Bedington has little to play but hearing loss and avoidance of unpleasantness. Jason Heil is the ranting, bully brother; Kürt Norby is the artistic one (but neither his outfit nor his mien bespeak an artistic nature; he just seems disinterested). Lance Arthur Smith is the neglected brother. Colleen Kollar Smith is the weepy one; Season Duffy the material girl. Ayla Yarkut is compelling as Edward’s vigorous, resolute fiancée; Michael Harvey (always welcome on local stages) is credible as a put-upon friend/investor, and Patrick Duffy is the less-than-wholesome cleric. As the toadying facilitator of the financial dirty deeds, Ralph Johnson takes the most noticeable journey, progressing from fawning sycophant to brazen blackmailer.

The second act picks up the pace and interest level, but a lot of folks were lost or indifferent by then. Pity, too, because this pretty much is the Enron story, so it certainly speaks to our times.

THE LOCATION: Lamb’s Players Theatre, through May 18

SISTERLY LOVE

THE SHOW: Mornings at Seven, Paul Osborn’s 1939 dramedy about the everyday lives and concerns of the four Gibbs sisters and their extended family. The play had a brief and unremarkable run in 1939, but the 1980 Broadway revival was a huge commercial success that snagged a Tony Award for the playwright, who by that time, had made a name with plays such as The World of Suzie Wong and screenplays for “South Pacific,” “East of Eden” and others. The 2002 revival also did well, and was nominated for six Tonys (no wins). The high-profile cast, helmed by gifted director Daniel Sullivan, included Elizabeth Franz, Frances Sternhagen, Estelle Parsons, Piper Laurie, Julie Hagerty and Buck Henry.

The play’s title comes from “Pippa Passes,” a bucolic dramatic poem by Robert Browning that ends with an iconic line: “The year’s at spring/ And Day’s at the morn/ Morning’s at seven/ The hill-side's dew-pearled/ The lark's on the wing / The snail’s on the thorn /God’s in his heaven / All’s right with the world.”

Presumably for the purposes of 21st century comprehension and simplicity, North Coast Rep has chosen to omit Browning’s apostrophe and call the play Mornings at Seven, though the original (and many revivals) maintain the original punctuation: Morning’s at Seven.

THE STORY: It’s a gentle family saga of simpler times and sensibilities, rife with early American values, set in 1938, in two abutting Midwestern backyards. Three of the aging Gibbs sisters live in the two onstage houses; the fourth lives down the street. Over the course of the play’s two days, several family members suffer existential crises that force them, at last, to make changes in their lives, before it’s too late.

THE PLAYERS/THE PRODUCTION: The two character-defining houses and yards sit side by side (excellent scenic design by Marty Burnett), with a huge-trunked tree between them. The bright yellow home with the immaculate lawn is the residence of sensible Theodore and Cora Swanson (blustery Todd Blakesley and self-effacing Veronica Murphy, who becomes self-possessed) and Cora’s unmarried, intrusive, busybody sister (buoyant Lynne Griffin). The run-down, weedy place belongs to the Boltons: Carl (marvelously distracted and vacant Jonathan McMurtry) who suffers from ‘spells’ of existential angst; his hapless wife Ida (flustered Diane Sinor) and their milquetoast 40 year-old son Homer (Sean Sullivan, engagingly awkward and inept). Esther (breezy, elegant Dagmar Krause Fields) is the eldest and most level-headed of the clan, but her supercilious husband (pitch-perfect Eric Poppick) disdains the family and form his educated perch, looks down on them as “morons.”

The action of the play centers around Homer’s finally bringing home his fiancée of seven years, the easily impressed Myrtle (Crystal Sershen, just right in wide-eyed look and demeanor). There doesn’t seem to be much happening, but there’s a lot roiling under the surface; director Tracy Williams does provide some tantalizing glimpses of the underside, but not in sufficient depth. She really nails those sister-interactions, though, the competitiveness as well as the playfulness (the banana bit in the first scene is especially strong). Most of the characters have a sense of loneliness, despite their constant togetherness, but not enough of it is revealed in its darker hues.

The production values are strong, with effective sound (Chris Luessmann), lighting (Matt Novotny) and costume design (Roslyn Lehman). Still, the play feels a tad musty, though there are enough recognizable characters or family interactions here for anyone.

THE LOCATION: North Coast Repertory Theatre, through May 11

ICE DREAM

THE SHOW: Terra Nova, an intense drama by Ted Tally (Oscar-winning screenwriter/adapter of “Silence of the Lambs”), who wrote the play in 1977 as his MFA thesis at Yale. When it was produced Off Broadway in 1984, the piece won an Obie Award. This production is presented by Inukshuk Production Company, whose name refers to the giant, Arctic stone structures that serve as a reminder that individuals are not alone. The company seeks to show that theater, too, “provides an assurance that in our successes and failings we are not alone.”

THE STORY: The formidable but failed journey of Capt. Robert Falcon Scott, and his effort to be the first Briton to plant his flag in the South Pole, is the stuff of legend. But legends change over time. Once hailed as an unequivocal hero, Scott’s judgment was later questioned, and the trip was viewed by some as less noble than foolish and self-serving.

The play takes its name from the ship Scott sailed for his year-long expedition that began in 1910 and entailed an 800-mile trek across the icy plains. Despite their best efforts, and Scott’s dauntless leadership, the entire party of five, racing against time with a Norwegian group, starved and froze to death. Scott’s journals were subsequently found next to his frozen body (the shelters he used remain intact today), and formed the basis of Tally’s play. Time is fluid in the piece, which jumps back and forth from reality to fantasy, past to present. There are fragments of remembered conversations (particularly with Scott’s strong, independent wife), imagined interactions (such as a heartbreaking black-tie reunion dinner of the expedition party, back in England), and the constant, haunting presence of the Norwegian Roald Amundsen, who reached the Antarctic a month before Scott. As his men begin to lose strength and hope, the tortured Scott stands staunchly by his duty, honor, men and country. His words are valiant, gut-wrenching and frequently poetic. But his words and actions raise questions about the man and his obsession.

Scott was admittedly a distant husband, a distracted father. He was also a hidebound, rule-bound military lifer who insisted on “playing the game as it ought to be played,” believing in achieving his goal in a “civilized” fashion, pursuing “an ideal with a pride of English manhood.” Instead of killing his men by insisting that they trek the interminable distance, the “barbaric” Amundsen used sled dogs which he periodically killed for meat. This Scott could not abide. “Toughen your heart, English” Amundsen tells him in one of his ghostly appearances. The specter accuses Scott of “selfish ambition.” And Scott, in a prescient moment, writes, “I feel like some ludicrous footnote to history.”

THE PLAYERS/THE PRODUCTION: The ensemble is excellent. Marybeth Bielawski-DeLeo, an SDSU alumna, Alaska native and founder of Inukshuk, has chosen a potent cast and directed them with assurance and understanding. Two dialect coaches (Jillian Frost for British and Welsh; Anne-Charlotte Harvey for Norwegian and French) help keep the pace brisk and the accents credible. Tom Andrews, most often seen in light musicals, shows his robust dramatic side as Scott, a driven and man with unbending principles, who makes his stubborn choices and suffers for them. with his vacant eyes, Andrews is haunted, even as he’s taunted by Amundsen (eerily effective and imposing Matt Thompson, also fine as a French waiter). Amanda Cooley-Davis strikes an impressive balance between longing and resilience, solidity and sentiment. Scott Striegel makes a delightful San Diego debut as the comical Bowers and as Evans, Tom Hall is terrifying in his crazed death. Eddie Yaroch and Ryan Schulze effectively complete the cast.

The set (Mark Helmuth) is very basic, a stretched fabric, which serves as icy backdrop, scrim and projection screen (some wonderful shots of Antarctica and the Scott party, though there are too many of the ship at the outset). The sledge (constructed by Dennis DeLeo) is noteworthy. The costumes (by recent Patté Award winner, Kelly Convery) are just right for the climates and settings (from tuxes to anoraks), though the footwear isn’t consistently accurate. Peter Herman does a wonderful job on the makeup (from blackened, gangrenous hands to a bleeding ear). Bonnie Breckenridge efficiently handles the lighting, sound and original musical compositions. The play offers a thought-provoking contemplation of the meaning of heroism. The production provides a chilling experience.

THE LOCATION: Compass Theatre (formerly 6^th @ Penn), through May 11

BOTTOM LINE: Best Bet

NEWS AND VIEWS ….

… See some pix, hear some chat about local productions. Saturday, April 19, I’ll be on KUSI-TV to talk about 33 Variations, La Gaviota, Prelude to a Kiss and Terra Nova. Don’t miss it! Channel 51/cable 9, in the 9-10:00 hour. “Good Morning, San Diego,” on KUSI-TV…. And don’t forget to catch my weekly review on KSDS Jazz88.3, every Friday at 9am. If you miss it, you can read or listen to all my current reviews at jazz88.org.

…UCSD’s Baldwin New Play Festival is in full swing, and continues through April 26. The Festival comprises an award-winning reading, two one-acts and three full-length plays, by the gifted writers in the 3-year MFA Playwriting program, headed by the much-lauded Naomi Iizuka. Iizuka just received a Howard Foundation Fellowship in support of her own latest play, Three Taoist Transcendants Admire a Toad. Check out the UCSD writers of today and tomorrow at the New Play Festival. http://theatre.ucsd.edu/season/newplayfest. And watch for reviews here next week.

.. Get ready for the third installment of the inventive Challenge Theatre, wherein local playwrights are challenged to write a short play on a given theme. The first group was given the subject of war; the second, standing up to prejudice within one’s own group. This time, the appeal was for a comedy about death; the evening’s title is “Funny Bones.” The four new one-acts were written by Tim West, David Wiener, Dallas McLaughlin and Challenge Theatre artistic director Michael Thomas Tower. “This promises to be a fun evening of terminal variety,” quips Tower. Challenge Theatre runs Monday-Wednesday from April 20-May 7, with a special performance on Mother’s Day, May 11. At 6^th @ PennTheatre. 619-688-9210; www.sixthatpenn.com

… The Big Read… It’s an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, designed to “restore reading to the center of American culture.” The book for this year’s Big Read is the magnificent 1937 novel by Zora Neale Hurston, “Their Eyes were Watching God,” a seminal work in both women’s and African American literature. Black Storytellers of San Diego is partnering with the University of San Diego to present a lecture by educator/journalist Valerie Boyd, author of “Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston.” 7pm on April 25 at the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice. Reception and book-signing to follow the presentation and performance by guest vocalist Lanee’ Noyes. The event is free but space is limited and registration is required. http://www.sandiego.edu/cee or 619-260-7402.

… “Memories”… of Betty Buckley… The celebrated Broadway star, Tony Award winner for Cats and Tony nominee for Triumph of Love and Sunset Boulevard, brings her unique style and voice to San Diego for “An Evening with Betty Buckley and Kenny Werner,” an eclectic program devoted to Broadway classics and selected standards. Werner, a jazz pianist, has collaborated with Buckley for 18 years. 8pm on May 3 at the Balboa Theatre. Tickets at (619/858/760) 570-1100; Ticketmaster, or www.sandiegotheatres.org.

…Sea Monster descends on San Diego!… The Asian Story Theater will present a family-friendly production called Sea Monster, the enactment of three legends related to the Pacific Ocean, as told through Native American, Incan and Indonesian folktales. May 3 at 2 and 7 pm. At the Lyceum Theatre; 619-544-1000 or 619-527-2816.

… A winning yarn… Local playwright Jim Caputo was one of five winners of the 2008 Ninth Annual Theatre Oxford 10-Minute Play Contest in Oxford, MS. Jim’s play, Mary’s Yarn, won first prize, $1000 and a full production in Oxford this October 2008. Gettin’ the writing right.

… New Perspectives… In the absence of an Actors Festival this year, New Works/Vantage Theatre has stepped up to fill the void. They’re presenting New Perspective: A Festival of San Diego Theatre Artists – Playwrights, Directors, Actors. After the 17^th Annual Actors Festival last year, the Actors Alliance of San Diego announced that it would be forced to suspend its Festival until spring 2009. The group of theater artists calling themselves New Perspectives says that, “while this may have been a smart move for the Alliance, it was important for San Diego actors, directors and playwrights to have a forum in which to showcase their talents in the intervening year.” The group wants to make it clear that they’re not affiliated with, endorsed by or working against the Actors Alliance. Auditions for the Festival will be held April 19 and 20, 4-7pm at Swedenborg Hall (1531 Tyler St.). Further info is at www.perspectivefest.com. The new Festival will be held on weekends, June 20-29, at Swedenborg Hall.

… San Diego goes Broadway… again… Two shows that started locally are about to hit the Great White Way: Cry-Baby, the musicalized version of the John Waters film that premiered last year at the La Jolla Playhouse, opens on April 24 at the Marquis Theatre. And A Catered Affair, Harvey Fierstein’s new musical (with a score by John Bucchino) that opened last year at the Old Globe, opened this week at the Walter Kerr Theatre.

… The Wild Woman is Back! .. Moira Keefe is reprising her hilarious solo piece, Life with a Teenager… I’m having a hot flashback, and presenting the first staged reading of her latest wacky work, My Year of Living Anxiously. Both will be performed as a benefit for the graduating MFA Acting class of 2008 at UCSD. April 27, 6pm in the Arthur & Molli Wagner Dance Building.

moirakeefe@gmail.com

.. More news from UCSD: Department Chair Charlie Oates (husband of the aforementioned Moira Keefe) has completed his tenure as the Theatre and Dance Department Chair and is handing the reins to Allyson Green, who assumes the position on July 1. She has been serving as Head of Dance, while she and her company, Allyson Green Dance, have performed all over the world…. UCSD scholar/professor Dr. Marianne McDonald was recently inducted into the San Diego Women’s Hall of Fame at the San Diego Women’s History Museum and Educational Center. A great supporter of local theaters, McDonald is the author of 24 books and her plays have been produced at theaters around San Diego. Now, she’s off for an extended visit to her home-away-from-home in South Africa.

DANCE DEPARTMENT

… Voices of San Diego Dance Theater, two evenings of dance by leading choreographers, features the work of Jean Isaacs, Keith Johnson, Sadie Weinberg, Bradley Lundberg, Wendy Rogers and a world premiere solo choreographed by Jean Isaacs for Bay Area dancer Lauren Slater. A highlight of the program will be a new work for Jean Isaacs’ company by critically acclaimed San Francisco choreographer Joe Goode. May 10 and 11 in the Don Powell Theatre on the campus of San Diego State University. Tickets at 619-225-1803 or www.sandiegodancetheatre.com

…The Malashock Dance School, under the aegis of Emmy-winning artistic director/choreographer John Malashock, will present a range of summer programs at Dance Place San Diego. Classes and summer camps, which begin June 23, are geared for kids (ages 4-6 and 6-9), teens (age 10-15) and adults (age 15 and up). For a brochure, information or to register call 619-260-1622 or visit www.malashockdance.org.

… 5x5 Modern Dance Workshop… Butterworth Dance Company presents five days of classes with five San Diego-based male choreographers: Bradley R. Lundberg, Michael Mizerany (both magnificent featured dancers in Malashock’s recent world premiere, Stay the Hand), Eric Geiger, Gabe Masson and Traves Butterworth. This is the third year of the program. On the final day of the workshop, a collective student showing (open to the public) will display examples of work developed. A lunch-time forum will provide a discussion of career development, auditioning, training and a Q&A for dancers and instructors. The workshop runs June 16-20; sd5x5dance@yahoo.com

… A Moving Evening… The San Diego City College Dance and Visual Arts Department presents “Dancing on the Fine Edge: A Moving Exhibit,” a collaborative, site-specific performance that blends visual art, photography, dance and music. Choreographers include Terry Wilson, Terri Shipman, Debi Toth-Ward, Grace Jun, Suzanne Forbes and Patricia Rincon. May 9-11 in City College’s Saville Theatre on C St. For tickets and info contact Alicia Rincon at 619-388-3563 or arincon@sdccd.edu.

'NOT TO BE MISSED!' (Pat’s Picks)

33 Variations – a fascinating conception, stunningly directed; Beethoven’s brilliant “Diabelli Variations” inspired the interweaving of two stories, two centuries, two obsessions

La Jolla Playhouse, through 5/4

Terra Nova – chilling story (based in fact), intense drama, excellent production

Inukshuk Production Company at Compass Theatre (formerly 6^th @ Penn), through 5/11

A Little Night Music – a challenging chamber musical, delightfully executed

Cygnet Theatre at the Old Town Theatre, through 5/11

Dancing in the Dark - world premiere musical, based on the MGM classic; wonderfully done; great fun

Old Globe, extended through 4/20

(For full text of all of Pat’s past reviews, going back to 1990, use the Search engine at www.patteproductions.com)

This week, don’t Passover all the great theater around town!

Pat

© 2008 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.