Theatre in San Diego

[TheatreFreak05]

Posted: 7/13/08 at 8:48pm

Does anybody know of anything good playing in San Diego right now?

Sorry if this is the wrong board to post this on, but there is no San Diego board

[musicaltheater1]

Posted: 7/13/08 at 9:26pm

http://www.broadwaysd.com/

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
July 16-August 10, 2008
Civic Theatre

A CHORUS LINE
August 13-17, 2008
Civic Theatre

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE
September 23-28, 2008
Civic Theatre

THE COLOR PURPLE
December 2-7, 2008
Civic Theatre

RENT
March 10-15, 2009
Civic Theatre

SPRING AWAKENING
August 15-31, 2008
Balboa Theatre

Updated On: 7/13/08 at 09:26 PM

[TheatreFreak05]

Posted: 7/13/08 at 9:31pm

Does anybody know of anything that is playing during this month?

[musicaltheater1]

Posted: 7/13/08 at 9:38pm

Google La Jolla Playhouse, Old Globe Theater, San Diego Civic Center, and Balboa Theater.

[dented146]

Posted: 7/13/08 at 9:43pm

In addition to the tour of Phantom, The Old Globe has The Merry Wives of Windsor and Romeo and Juliet

The one woman show The Night Watcher at the LJP is terrific.
Into the Woods is at the Starlight Theatre

Lambs has The Hit and Boomers-both good

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 7/13/08 at 9:43pm

What, you don't want to do all of the work for TF?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 7/13/08 at 10:16pm

Don't go see Into the Woods. Leigh Scarritt is supposed to be playing the witch. Yikes.

[TheatreFreak05]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 1:33am

thanks everyone! I'm going on a trip to San Diego and I'm not really familiar with any of the theaters there. I might go see something at Lambs Players...

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 2:23am

I just saw Into The Woods last Friday night.

Eh.

[BroadwayBaby6]

Posted: 7/15/08 at 6:04pm

By all means go see YANK! at the Diversionary theatre, unless you want to take a chance and see if does get the money to get produced off-Broadway next year.

Here is the review from the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE:


More Features news

THEATER REVIEW
Big cast and a big sound underscore 'Yank!'


By James Hebert
UNION-TRIBUNE THEATER CRITIC

July 14, 2008

You have to be a little mad to stage a musical: all those moving parts, all those dancing feet, all those actors breaking into sudden song and trying to sell such antics as rational human behavior.
By that clinical measure, here's the word on “Yank!”: It's just about crazy good. Diversionary Theatre's season opener might not be the most adventurous or spectacle-heavy or pop-hit-laden musical to hit the boards, but its understated feel serves to underline a show that's funny, moving and true.

This is the West Coast premiere for “Yank!” which debuted at the New York Music Theatre Festival in 2005 and then ran at Gallery Players in Brooklyn last year (with talk of a possible off-Broadway staging down the road).

Diversionary doesn't do a lot of musicals, but this was a smart pick, and a coup for the theater: a polished piece that fits the gay-and lesbian-centered company's big-hearted, socially conscious approach as well as its retro jones (the last two productions there were both set in the '50s).

The title makes the work sound like some abbreviated ode to George M. – a Cohan koan? – but “Yank!” actually is named for a magazine that circulated among U.S. service members during World War II.

That military campaign forms the backdrop for the story of a tumultuous romance between two young servicemen, Stu (Tom Zohar) and Mitch (Tom Doyle), who are sent to the Pacific to fight the enemy but are as much at war with themselves over matters of sexual identity.

The moral dictates of the time lend added tension to their tortured relationship, since being found out means a long stint in the brig (or worse). But while “Yank!” offers some cause for “How far we've come” sorts of sentiments, the show also makes it hard to conclude that the modern military's “Don't ask, don't tell” gospel is, by comparison, a model of enlightened thinking.

Except in the broadest terms of tolerance and acceptance, though, this is not a message show. With its snappy humor, period dialogue and perfectly diverse assemblage of characters, it takes after those old war movies that reveled in throwing together ragtag bands of guys to bond in battle.

For Zohar, “Yank!” represents a major step forward. He's been a frequent (and frequently memorable) presence at Diversionary, New Village Arts and other stages over the past couple of years, but here he's carrying a show for the first time – and doing his first musical to boot.

It turns out he can sing, and even seem natural in the process. His voice has a classic, screen-idol feel to it that's an ideal fit for this show, which overall showcases a good, consistent blend of voices, without any becoming overpowering.

Doyle makes a good vocal match for Stu as Mitch; he doesn't have quite the rakish, devastating air that his nickname, “Hollywood,” might suggest, but as the relationship between the pair deepens, his character's pain and confusion feel raw and genuine.

Zachary Bryant as the hick nicknamed “Tennessee” shines in a meaty role as Stu and Mitch's chief antagonist. Their buddies in Charlie Company – played by Juston Harlin, Sven Salumaa and Rocky DeHaro – are also good (although DeHaro's Sicilian soldier, Rotelli, might be a bit too pungent a caricature even for this type-minded play). Eric Dowdy has some standout comic scenes as Artie, the Yank magazine reporter who senses a kindred spirit in Stu and hires him as a photographer.

At 12 members, it's a big cast for Diversionary, but New York-based director Igor Goldin, who stages the show with a deft sense of flow, has the actors working in close harmony.

Speaking of which: Joseph Zellnik's score is dotted with winning ensemble numbers that showcase a knockout blend of voices. Some of the songs seem to take their cues from a decade or two before World War II, though there's a clear influence of big band and swing. Amy Biedel, the only female cast member, also steps up with a couple of moody torch songs (along with a funny turn as a tough emissary from Army brass). Pianist and musical director Amy Dalton and percussionist Nathan Hubbard, unseen behind Goldin's exceedingly simple set of rolling, olive-drab flats, breathe warmth into the evocative score.

Writer David Zellnik, who also penned the lyrics, opens and closes with a framing device that elegantly captures the poignance of the story. He introduces a modern-day San Franciscan (also played by Zohar) who has discovered Stu's tattered wartime journal in a junk store and has become fascinated with its contents and long-lost author. It's an effective way to connect our time with that long-ago wartime.

There's one other era invoked in “Yank!” if only for laughs. Tony Houck, Trevor Peringer and John Whitley, soldiers who work in the steno pool, have a taste for drag that runs particularly to the Old South of “Gone With the Wind.” (They even call themselves Melanie, Scarlett and India.) These three sweetly comic misfits, who can only dream of a time when they might find a bit of societal acceptance, would be the first to remember the words spoken by a certain Southern belle: Tomorrow is another day.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


YANK!

[Jonny boy]

Posted: 7/15/08 at 6:32pm

I know that Moonlight Ampitheatre in Vista is doing Les Miserables. I think it should be pretty good for a regional production.....

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 7/15/08 at 7:38pm

San Diego Musical Theatre (www.sdmt.org) just started their first season in san diego... they have done three shows already... they just completed BYE BYE BIRDIE and i was stunned to see just how amazing the production values were... the cast, orchestra, sets, everything was amazing.... they are doing DREAMGIRLS next in a month or so... their new home is the Lyceum Theater in downtown... it'll be interested to see them do shows there... it's such a small intimate theater where the orchestra is hidding backstage somehow....

[Wildcard]

Posted: 7/15/08 at 7:50pm

Thanks for the tips. I'll be in San Diego next week too and went ahead and got a ticket to one of the local productions.

[ICEcreamAssassin]

Posted: 7/15/08 at 11:51pm

Aw I miss the civic theater. Such a great venue for touring musicals. I saw my first professional touring production there, phantom of the opera. Followed by Dreamgirls, JCS twice and countless others. People in SD need to support more of the arts, seriously! La Jolla Playhouse is great too.

[sandiego33]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 5:16pm

Also, Xanadu will be at the La Jolla Playhouse in November & December.