Put a Little Drama in your Life
KPBS AIRDATE: July 7, 1993 Playwright Alan Ayckbourn once said that a comedy is just a tragedy interrupted. In the folk tale now playing at the Old Globe and the satire running at the La Jolla Playhouse, ponderous themes are cloaked in comic antics. The outdoor setting of "Ballad of the Blacksmith" is perfect for this Read More →
KPBS AIRDATE: June 30, 1993 All right, class. It's time for a review. What are the four branches of arithmetic? Good, you remembered: Ambition, Distraction, Uglification and Derision. Well, that's what the Mock Turtle says in "Alice in Wonderland," anyway. No matter what form you hear them in -- Read More →
KPBS AIRDATE: June 27, 1993 Sometimes, when they make a musical out of another piece of literature, it really sings. The new format expands and enhances the original, gives it new breath and life. "My Fair Lady" springs to mind; the world is richer for Lerner and Loewe's adaptation of Shaw's "Pygmalion." How about what "Guys and Read More →
KPBS AIRDATE: JUNE 23, 1993 You know what farce sounds like? Frequently, like this. (sound of slamming doors) On the small, shallow stage of the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach, there are seven doors and a double window. That's enough for a zany cast of nine to slam themselves into Read More →
KPBS AIRDATE: June 9, 1993 There's myth, and there's hard, cold reality. You can get a heavy dose of both on San Diego stages this month. Never was there a theater company more aptly named than Sledgehammer. That encapsulates their approach to almost everything. Last year, they beleaguered our senses with a large-scale production Read More →
KPBS AIRDATE: June 2, 1993 The year was 1942. A play was brought to composer Richard Rodgers, to be made into a musical. It was called "Green Grow the Lilacs," and was set in the Southwest at the turn of the century. It was a lyrical piece, basically concerning the struggle between farmers and ranchers, with, of 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