Carol Davis

By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO — The more things change, the more they stay the same. When Luis Valdez wrote Zoot Suit in the 1970’s, he could never have imagined that it would make as much impact today as it did when it premiered at the Mark Taper Forum in 1978. Zoot Suit is the […]

By Carol Davis VISTA, California — When Tevye, one of the most celebrated milkmen in the history of Broadway and star of the Joseph Stein (book), Jerry Bock (music) and Sheldon Harnick (lyrics) musical, Fiddler On The Roof, tries to explain to the audience why Jews do certain things (like keeping their heads covered all

By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO—Put on your dancing shoes and make haste to the Civic Theatre downtown. Memphis, the La Jolla Playhouses-bred musical that wound it’s way to Broadway picking up four Drama Desk Awards, four Outer Circle Awards and four Tony Awards including Best Musical along the way, is back in town for a

By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO–I’m always thrilled at the quality of the actors who come to San Diego to be a part of the Old Globe’s outdoor summer festival who are able to appear in at least two, if not all three of the shows that are shown in Repertory. After seeing all three, it still

By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO– What’s there not to like about a musical with a playlist that includes: “Man of La Mancha” (“I Don Quixote”), “I Really Like Him”, “Little Bird, Little Bird”, “Golden Helmet of Mombrino”, “To Each His Dulcinea”, “Night of the Woeful Countenance”, “A Little Gossip” and  “The Impossible Dream” just to

By Carol Davis SOLANA BEACH, California — North Coast Repertory Theatre is having fun this month with the George Haimsohn and Robin Miller (book and lyrics) and Jim Wise (music) 1968 tongue-in-cheek musical Dames at Sea that is set in the 1930’s as a takeoff on the big dance shows of the Busby Berkeley musical

.  By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO — About ten minutes into director Adrian Noble’s rendering of Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy, As You Like It, the strangest sight of all left me awe-struck. After the opening scenes were played and we got the gist of Shakespeare’s charming garden romp, (more on that later) a set of metal

  By Carol Davis  CORONADO, California—If you are in the mood for some good old-fashioned fun, the Coronado Playhouse is mounting the riotous George Kaufman/Moss Hart comedy The Man Who Came to Dinner. It’s one of those classic oldies (1939) but goodies that, for some reason don’t get produced very often. Thanks to director Ruff

 By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO — Let’s get one thing clear, Richard III Duke of Gloucester is a demon and not because his body is deformed. There is not one redeeming quality about him to admire yet he manages to con at least one member of royalty, Lady Anne (Vivia Font) whose husband and father-in

By Carol Davis VISTA, California — Legally Blonde The Musical that earned seven 2007 Tony Award nominations is back in San Diego County, at the Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista through July 14th.   It is making its Southern California Regional Music Theatre premiere and it’s not only zippy, fast paced and high-spirited; it’s also fun for

   By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO—At the opening night performance of Anna K. Jacobs (music) and Bill Nelson’s (book and lyrics) world premiere production of Harmony Kansas, Diversionary Theatre’s executive director John Alexander was so thrilled to announce its opening that he was almost tongue tied as he introduced and thanked its creators. In reality,

By Carol Davis CORONADO, California–When John Patrick Shanley’s wrote Doubt: A Parable for the stage in 2004 I doubt many knew that Moonstruck, the movie was his work as well. Or if they made the connection that he had written Joe Verses the Volcano (also a movie) in 1990, or that he would later go