Put a Little Drama in your Life
KPBS AIRDATE: September 16, 2005 What happens when fantasies go awry? The answers lie in a musical tragedy and a madcap comedy. Though tremendously different in form and content, “Miss Saigon” and “Valhalla” deal with moments of history – and finding, even if only for an instant, love and beauty amid the squalor of everyday life. In his latest campy creation, playwright Read More →
By Pat Launer www.sdtheatrescene.com 09/09/05 It’s all about youth, though some are uncouth; They’re all seekers of freedom and peace and Truth. Huck Finn, Jo March and the “Hair” congregation Make an Independence Declaration. And Romeo’s no idiot; Juliet’s no dope Read More →
KPBS AIRDATE: September 09, 2005 Rebels with a cause. Young folks who stand up against their society are storming local stages. Consider: Huck Finn, Romeo & Juliet and the shaggy denizens of “Hair.” It was personal independence and racial freedom that ignited the incorrigible and irresistible Huckleberry Finn. Now he’s back, in a marvelous Moonlight Amphitheatre production of the Read More →
KPBS AIRDATE: September 02, 2005 It’s not a great week for onstage mothers. They may appear in some interesting plays, but the characters are no paean to maternalism. Three plays – three destructive maters. By far the strongest piece – both technically and dramatically – was “Munched,” which premiered at the Fritz Blitz of New Plays by California Playwrights. Read More →
By Pat Launer www.sdtheatrescene.com 09/02/05 Love is a matter of risk and surprises It comes in all styles, shapes and sizes, Whether ‘First Love’ or mother-love, from shriek to sigh There’s always more than meets the eye. Getting on in years, they Read More →
KPBS AIRDATE: August 26, 2005 Biography provides a fertile field for dramatization. Biopics abound on small screen and large, with varying degrees of success. Same goes for theater. Right now, occupying opposite ends of the profundity spectrum, we’ve got plays about a man of letters and a woman of letters: “The Invention of Love” at Cygnet Theatre and “The Lady with All the Answers” 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