Put a Little Drama in your Life
KPBS AIRDATE: NOVEMBER 10, 2000 History and mystery have always featured prominently in the work of Luis Valdez, the father of Chicano theater. But in "Mummified Deer," his first new play in 14 years, all his recurrent themes of family and fantasy, cultural pride and cultural imperialism, politics and plunder are woven together seamlessly, into a beautifully warm and colorful tapestry. Read More →
KPBS AIRDATE: NOVEMBER 3, 2000 It may not seem Thoroughly Modern, but a good deal of it is thoroughly irresistible. The world premiere musical, "Thoroughly Modern Millie," feels like a revival. In fact, it feels -- and looks -- very much like another old chestnut revitalized at the La Jolla Playhouse: "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." That megaproduction made it big on Broadway, Read More →
KPBS AIRDATE: OCTOBER 27, 2000 It's World Peace Week, and the Internet is flooded with emails calling for women to come forward and assert their nonviolent natures to help resolve the conflict in the Middle East. There couldn't be a better time for "Lysistrata," the 2500 year-old comedy about women withholding sex until the their men end the Peloponnesian War. Read More →
KPBS AIRDATE: OCTOBER 20, 2000 Like the legendary vampire himself, the story of Dracula refuses to die. Put a stake through its heart if you will, but the damn thing just won't go away. Literally thousands of incarnations have reared their bloody heads in the past century. But this new version of Bram Stoker's 1897 classic, adapted by Lamb's Players Kerry Meads and Robert Smyth, goes Read More →
KPBS AIRDATE: OCTOBER 13, 2000 This election season of political polarity would seem to be an excellent time for Paula Vogel's "Mineola Twins." The Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright has penned a feminine fable for our times, tracing 50 years of female angst under three Republican presidents, embodied in two identical womb-mates. Myra and Myrna look exactly alike, except for their mammary endowments. Read More →
KPBS AIRDATE: OCTOBER 6, 2000 Okay, so let's get this straight right off the bat. Despite the misleading title, "The African Company Presents Richard III," this is not a production of Shakespeare's tragedy of King Richard. And the African Company is not a visiting acting troupe; in fact, it's no longer in existence. This play is historical fiction, based on a fascinating true story. 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