The Arts

  By Carol Davis   SAN DIEGO–[title of  show], a love letter to musical theatre is a “witty new musical written by two struggling writers about two struggling writers writing a witty new musical,” according to the show’s press release. The two struggling writers who wrote the show are Jeff Bowen (music and lyrics) and […]

  By Carol Davis   SOLANA BEACH, California—The North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach is smiling from ear to ear these days. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee that garnered two Tony’s and is making its San Diego Premiere (if you don’t count that other one at the Civic Theatre in 2006) has

By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO—Way back in 2007 The Old Globe Theatre, as part of its season, brought the Tony Award winning (Book of a musical and original score) musical, “Avenue Q” to San Diego in its West Coast Premiere. At that time Executive Producer of the Old Globe Lou Spisto said that  “Avenue Q”

By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO — The second of the two Shakespeare plays being mounted on the Lowell Davies Festival Stage is his comedy/farce Taming of The Shrew directed by Ron Daniels. Every now and then companies like to dust off this misogynist piece and see how funny they can make it by just being

By Carol Davis LA JOLLA, California–In Annie Weisman’s world premiere Surf Report now playing at the La Jolla Playhouse in the Mandel Weiss Forum, the waves have yet to break, the water’s flat, the surf is receding and the rip currents are enough to drag you down. Yup, all that and the characters are as

        By Carol Davis   SAN DIEGO — If you’re a softie for a little bit of nostalgia, you might want to pack your snuggie, a thermos of warm coffee/hot chocolate and a warm blanket and head down to Balboa Park where Starlight Musical Theatre is presenting a robust production of the

  By Carol Davis   CORONADO, California–Lamb’s Players Theatre  is mounting a charming, sometimes zany but solid production of Mary Chase’s Harvey. You remember Harvey; he’s the invisible six foot three and a half inch tall white rabbit or pooka no on can see except the loveably eccentric Elwood P. Dowd (David Cochran Heath). Dowd’s

    By Carol Davis   SAN DIEGO— Cygnet Theatre in Old Town has done it again. After a successful run of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeny Todd they are off and running with Noel Coward’s Comedy of Manners, Private Lives. What makes this madcap comedy so amazingly engaging is the terrific five (Annie Hinton comes in

  By Carol Davis   CARLSBAD, California — There’s a glowing ember just beneath the surface in Tennessee Williams characters, Alma Winemiller and John Buchanan in his Summer And Smoke that sizzles, but never ignites. It’s frustrating as well as intriguing watching the two volley back and forth teasing and retreating, coming close to intimacy, but Williams