If you are looking for something new to do this quarter, consider checking out some of the many theater productions around San Diego. There are a range of productions from comedies, to dramas, to musicals, from classics, to world premieres, from expensive, to cheaper than the price of a movie, from Downtown, to on campus. No matter where your interests are, there is at least a production or two for you in town this fall.
Running now through Oct. 4 at 6th @ Penn is “”Boy Gets Girl”” by Rebecca Gilman. Directed by Caprice Woosley, this play is recommended for mature audiences only. This suspenseful production tells the story of a woman whose secure life is quickly destroyed by a disturbed admirer and shows how easy it is to loose what is valued most in the urban jungle.
Playing now through Oct. 12 at the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park is Shakespeare’s comedy “”Much Ado About Nothing.”” This favorite deals with two sets of lovers, Beatrice and Benedick, who would rather be lonely than admit their feelings for the other, and Claudio and Hero, two young sweethearts who get mixed up in all the games. Set in the Italian countryside, this tale is full of witty wordplay, passionate poetry and happily-ever-afters.
The world premiere of “”Beauty,”” written and directed by Tina Landau, is currently being put on with the La Jolla Playhouse. This new take on the classic fairy tale tells of a young girl in medieval times who comes of age as her world falls into the modern era and of a young man in the modern time whose search for beauty leads him into the past. This production is running now through Oct. 19 at the Mandell Weiss Forum on the UCSD campus.
“”Rough Crossing”” by Tom Stoppard is a delightful adaptation of Ference Molnar’s “”Play at the Castle,”” running now through Oct. 26 at the Old Globe Theatre. This charming play tells the story of a musical-comedy writing team and their speech-impaired composer who must finish their latest piece on a four-day trip across the Atlantic. They are not helped much by their leading lady and leading man and the ever-impending question is “”Will the show go on?””
“”Blue/ Orange”” by Joe Pinhall won the 2001 Oliver Award for “”Best New Play”” and is now showing at the Old Globe Theatre. The play tells the story of two psychiatrists, one young, one old, who fight over the treatment of the young man they are treating, who claims to be the son of an exiled African dictator. This hilarious production runs Sept. 25 through Oct. 26.
One of Lamb’s Players Theatre’s biggest hits is returning. “”The Boys Next Door”” by Tom Griffin tells the delightful story of a group of neighbors ranging from a golf pro, to a Russian expert, to an exterminator, to a doughnut king. However, appearances can be deceiving. Directed by Kery Meads, this great production runs from Oct. 10 to Nov. 16, with previews starting on October 1.
One of the greatest of Sophocles’ plays “”Oedipus Tyrannus”” is being put on at 6th @ Penn from Oct. 11 to Nov. 2. It shows how great a man can be as well as how bad his mistakes can be. Portraying the strength that a person can summon when faced with the worst of circumstances, this Greek tragedy, from which Freud derives his “”Oedipus complex”” theory, is a wonderful production for those interested in some serious drama.
In association with the La Jolla Playhouse, The Aquila Theatre Company makes its West Coast Premiere of “”Comedy of Errors”” by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s first comedy, “”Comedy”” tells the funny story of two sets of twins who were separated at birth and have finally caught up with each other in bouts of mistaken identity. Slapstick and general confusion leads to a happy ending. This production will run Oct. 14 to Nov. 16 at the Mandell Weiss Theatre on the UCSD campus.
“”The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron?”” is a 90-minute non-stop laugh from Robert Dubac. The writer also performs this one-man show as he portrays five of his alter egos discussing women and how men can deal with them. This is a wonderful show for anyone who has ever had to deal with a member of the opposite sex and the confusion it can lead to. This production from Broadway San Diego is playing at the Civic Theater from Oct. 21 through Oct. 26.
The world premiere of “”Nu”” is being presented at the Sledgehammer this fall. Conceived and directed by Kristen Brandt, Michael Severance and Jessa Watson, the team that produced “”Berzerkergang,”” this is a unique production. Told with no spoken dialog, this production challenges people to break out of their normal routine and start over with a new life. Previews for this production are Oct. 23 and Oct. 24 and the show runs from Oct. 25 through Nov. 30.
One of the greatest musicals of all time, “”42nd Street”” is returning to San Diego with such beloved songs as “”Lullaby of Broadway”” and “”We’re in the Money.”” This production won the 2001 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival and re-tells the timeless story of Peggy Sawyer’s rise to being a Broadway star with all the glitter and glamour of Broadway itself. This performance with Broadway San Diego will be playing at the Civic Theater from Nov. 4-9.
The first production of the year by the UCSD Theatre and Dance Department is “”The Seagull,”” which will be directed by Larissa Kokernot. Written by Anton Checkov, this play deals with the complexities of everyday life for normal people. It shows the joy, the sorrow and the boredom that people face everyday, no matter who they are or what they do in life. This intriguing production will run from Nov. 6-8 at the Mandell Weiss Forum Studio on the UCSD campus.
For those with younger people in their life, or just those who are young at heart, the Tony Award winning musical “”Oliver!”” is perfect. Lionel Bart’s musical retells the Dickens classic of an orphan who runs away from a workhouse to join a London gang of pickpockets. His life takes an unexpected turn with an accusation of theft by Bill Sikes, but comes to see that he has more friends than he ever realized. With such songs as “”Where is Love?”” “”Consider Yourself,”” “”You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two,”” “”It’s a Fine Life”” and “”I’ll Do Anything,”” which are becoming classics themselves, this is the perfect family musical. This upbeat production from Broadway San Diego will be playing at the Civic Theater from Nov. 25-30.
“”Full Circle”” by Charles L. Mee will be showing at the Mandell Weiss Forum on the UCSD campus from Nov. 28 to Dec. 6. This production, directed by Meredith McDonough, is an adaptation of “”Caucasian Chalk”” by Bertolt Brecht. This play tells the story of a German student recruited by a wealthy American to help smuggle the abandoned newborn baby of the First Secretary of the Communist Party out of East Berlin as the Berlin Wall falls and chaos ensues.
Broadway San Diego brings one of the longest-running musicals of all time to the Civic Theater. With such favorite songs as “”We Go Together,”” “”Beauty School Dropout”” and “”It’s Raining On Prom Night,”” “”Grease”” has long enchanted audiences with the story of a group of high school students growing up in the 1950s, singing and dancing all the way. This up-beat production will be running Dec. 2-7.
The fall undergraduate production for this quarter is “”Escape From Happiness”” by George F. Walker. Directed by faculty member Amy Scholl, this is the final play in Walker’s East End Trilogy, and this dark comedy shows how a dysfunctional family comes together to meet a threat from the outside. This production will be playing in the Galbraith Hall Studio, Room 157 from Dec. 3-Dec. 7.
For those who enjoy the arts or those who are just looking for something different for a night out, the San Diego theater scene has something for everyone. This quarter has a diverse selection of theater events that should not be missed.
