Put a Little Drama in your Life
KPBS AIRDATE: January 20, 2006 The year is getting off to a potent political start on San Diego stages. Whether it’s comedy, tragedy or docu -drama, ancient or modern, theater does a great job of making us take a good look around and close look inside. “ Ajax ,” a 2500-year old Read More →
KPBS AIRDATE: March 24, 2006 Small stitches; big, operatic emotions. A heart-breaking life in the past; a frightening conception of the future. Two dramatic productions that, as a thinking person, you dare not miss: “Intimate Apparel” and “The Twilight of the Golds.” A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2004, “Intimate Apparel” is currently the most produced play in Read More →
KPBS AIRDATE: May 26, 2006 As Shakespeare reminded us, “What’s past is prologue.” Two productions based in history force us to re-examine our present. Each is rooted in the acts of a monstrous man. “The Diary of Anne Frank” was set against the backdrop of Hitler’s “Final Solution,” as it made its hideous way into Amsterdam. Lee Atwater is a modern-day fiend, the sinister spinmeister who Read More →
KPBS AIRDATE: July 21, 2006 Fathers and sons. They’ve been having problems since Jacob and Esau tried to dupe their Biblical dad. Now along comes J. Marcus Newman, the San Diego theatermaker formerly known as Nonnie Vishner, who’s called his first play “Moms in America,” but the drama really concerns the highly volatile interactions of three generations of men. In the hilariously comic “Fully Committed,” making Read More →
KPBS AIRDATE: September 15, 2006 Comedy comes in many colors, from the bright, treacly hues of “Leading Ladies” to the dark, snarky tones of “Urinetown.” Yes, it’s potty humor, with a capital Pee. The Tony Award-winning “Urinetown” is outlandish, outrageous and hilarious. And buried in the latrine of its satirical mind is a message about corporate greed, popular revolt Read More →
KPBS AIRDATE: November 10, 2006 The midterm elections may be over, but the fetid scent of politics still hangs heavy in the air. The perfect antidote? A political night at the theater. Right now, there are two politically-oriented shows in town. Here’s your big opportunity, if you want to get out all your ire and irritation, or vent your frustration, rage or joy. Both Read More →
“San Diego is a hotbed of theater. Every year, I see 200-250 productions. This is fertile ground for new work. In addition to the prodigious local talent, theatermakers from around the country come here to premiere their latest creations. San Diego sends more shows to Broadway than nearly any other city in the U.S.”
-Pat Launer