Put a Little Drama in your Life
PAT LAUNER TIMES OF SAN DIEGO 1/12/15 He was a brilliant British hyphenate: novelist, poet, academic, medievalist , literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist . Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was famously known as C.S. Lewis, though his friends called him Read More →
PAT LAUNER TIMES OF SAN DIEGO 3/15/15 The arc of relationship is traced in “Kin,” by English-born, New York-based playwright Bathsheba Doran. Actually, it’s the arc of multiple relationships. At first, the drama (spiked with comic moments) seems like a pastiche of duets, each pair at a certain point in their bond as friend, parent or lover. But gradually, we Read More →
PAT LAUNER TIMES OF SAN DIEGO 6/1/15 How far would you go to please your parents? Would you lie? Would you hire an actor to impersonate your ideal (fantasy) boyfriend? That’s just what Sarah Goldman does in James Sherman’s 1989 comedy, “Beau Jest.” She invents a Nice Jewish Doctor that her parents will love (that’s because she’s continuing to date non-Jewish Chris Cringle – really! – on the sly). So she calls an escort service and fortuitously, gets Read More →
PAT LAUNER TIMES OF SAN DIEGO 6/16/15 If you wanna get “All Shook Up,” you’ll have to hightail it over to Vista, where hips are swiveling and forbidden love is blooming. “All Shook Up” is a 2005 jukebox musical (with an actual jukebox onstage!) that borrows 25 songs from Elvis’ films and recordings. As usual in these cases, a story is uncomfortably grafted onto the music (book-writer Joe DiPietro won a Tony for “Memphis”). Here, slipped into the mix are Read More →
By Pat Launer 7/08/03 You get geared up for certain plays And so frustrated by delays… That's the scoop, by gum, by heck, With "Hedwig" and "The Burning Deck." But you can get Blitzed, have no fear: The Fritz is back, and Caesar's here. …which Read More →
By Pat Launer 09/03/03 Poor Charlie Brown; his life's a mess And Phaedra's in extreme distress. Soothe the beasts in dramatic fashion With a touch of Love, Valour and Compassion! If you saw it before or if you missed it, you've just got to see it this time! Terrence McNally 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