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What better time to begin the Christmas season and imbue oneself with cheer than on the day following Thanksgiving? No, it wasn’t the Black Friday sales, although the shopping scene in Timothy Mason and Mel Marvin’s “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” puts one in mind of the mall.
Get ready for loud and brash and scatological. Those three words pretty much define “The Great American Trailer Park Musical,” a 2005 off-Broadway musical playing through Dec. 11 at the San Diego Repertory Theatre
Life is made up of moments, and so is Arthur Laurents’ 1959 Broadway musical, “Gypsy,” with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and music by Jule Styne. Regarded as the great American musical by many critics, “Gypsy” is based on the memoirs of the renowned, high-class stripper named Gypsy Rose Lee. It recounts the challenges of growing up Louise in the shadow of her sister, billed on the vaudeville circuit as Dainty June. June is blond and petite (and later became actress June Havoc) and considered the more talented daughter by Mama Rose, who relentlessly trained them to become the stars she knew they were.
The Old Globe opened the world premiere of playwright-in-residence Matthew Lopez’s new play, “Somewhere,” Sept. 29. Lopez is the author of “The Whipping Man,” produced in its west coast premiere at the Globe last season
In “The Rocky Horror Show,” Dr. Frank ’N’ Furter pieces together his creation from other human bits and eventually comes up with something quite muscular and gorgeous. The story of the Old Globe Theatre’s production of this show is basically the same
San Diego Repertory Theatre’s production of “Walter Cronkite is Dead.” is a prime example of style overcoming form. While Joe Calarco’s two-person character piece is clunky and rough, the Rep’s production goes a long way in making the audience forgive those flaws
“Little Shop of Horrors” has been campily produced countless times since its successful Off-Broadway run in 1982. Presently, Audrey II, a plant who is the unqualified star of the show (Jacob Caltrider is the puppet handler while David McBean manages the vocals), is demanding to be fed to satisfy its blood hunger at the Cygnet Theatre in Old Town
Craig Wright’s “Grace” is an exhilarating roller-coaster ride that starts out literally with a bang—from a hand-held pistol—then moves back in time to recreate the moments leading up to that terrifying blast.
It’s sad that “Engaging Shaw” isn’t more, well, engaging. It’s a pleasant comedy with highly amusing characters talking about the true nature of humankind in witty, smart quips. And, at its heart, it’s a love story. But it never lives up to its own premise.
“Much Ado About Nothing” is one of Shakespeare’s strangest plays. It’s often advertised as a comedy, yet running through it is a dark ribbon of malice and deception. So odd is that foreboding vein that the happy ending—hence the title—feels tacked on and counterfeit