A Love Letter to Theatre, Actors, and Identity
The play takes place in 1606 in London’s Globe Theater, when it was frowned upon for women to be onstage, so instead, all female characters were played by young male actors, known as boy players. Playwright Zoe Senese-Grossberg explores this as well as how young boys were “mentored” to play these different characters, love interests, and seductresses in the Shakespeare plays along with older men.
“Nuestras Madres” de Gemma Ruiz Palà: Una Colección de Historias de Mujeres Nacidas Durante la Dictadura Española.
La novela Les nostres mares, escrita originalmente en catalán, se ha traducido a varios idiomas. Una colección de historias de mujeres nacidas durante la dictadura de Franco. Desde la introducción empiezan los cuestionamientos, la incertidumbre y la injusticia: “¿Qué soñaba ser tu madre? Fuera lo que fuese, casi seguro que se quedó en el tintero.” La recalcada diferencia de cómo hasta estos días en 2026, los hombres prácticamente lo pueden hacer todo
Disney’s Beauty and The Beast The Musical Comes Back to San Diego During Celebration of One-Year Tour
I was fortunate enough to handle the Spanish-speaking press for the 2011, 2014, and 2015 touring productions on their San Diego engagements. I know the show well, so getting to experience it eleven years later, now, back with Disney, I got emotional, not going to lie.
Onstage Playhouse Debuts Lucas Hnath’s “Isaac’s Eye”
I commend Onstage on its resilience while navigating a wild rent increase (amongst other outrageous costs), and a GoFundMe to finish the last two productions in its season; the company has not announced repertoire in 2027 due to its lease being up in February and surviving in limbo or “life support,” as James Darvas, Artistic Director, mentioned in an interview. With all that, the curtain is rising, and performances for Isaac’s Eye are taking place until July 19th, with an added performance on Wednesday, July 15, due to the Mexico-England World Cup match happening this Sunday. Resilient and able to read the room!
Diversionary Brings the House Down with Production of RENT
I remember a seasoned theatre critic saying, “How many more times can I see a production of blank?” At the time, that statement did not resonate with me. These, dear reader, are different times as I am taking a brief hiatus, or well, super spreading out the theatre reviewing because…life. With that context, I did ask myself, “Can I see another production of RENT?” With this cast, yes. Not only the cast but also the creative elements and direction are worth it. Diversionary truly brought it all for Jonathan Larson’s staple.
MOXIE Theatre Closes Season with the San Diego Debut of Lauren Gunderson’s “A Room in the Castle”.
This is not just a reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet; this is a spotlight on the many discrepancies and injustices women continue to face. Directed by Kim Strassburger, the play is practically brand new, having debuted last year at The Folger in DC, and now making its San Diego premiere with the most fitting theatre company.
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Purpose Is Messy, Sharp, and Painfully Human
When you start getting the hang of this play-seeing/reviewing thing, you begin to grasp the styles of different playwrights. Out of the many playwrights whose work I have seen, I think Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is probably the one I’ve experienced the most. He and William Shakespeare lol. So walking into La Jolla Playhouse’s West Coast premiere of the Tony Award-winning play Purpose, I already knew I was about to get layers, discomfort, and sharp humor.
British Chaos Takes Center Stage in The Play That Goes Wrong
The Play That Goes Wrong is exactly what the title promises: chaos, confusion, missed cues, collapsing sets, and absolute theatrical mayhem. Written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields, this production, directed by Robert Smyth, fully embraces the madness while never losing control of the comedy.
El Diablo Viste a la Moda 2
Normalmente, cuando un libro inspira un formato cinematográfico, este no supera lo escrito. En el caso de Prada, es lo contrario. (Con el libro de Wicked, parecido, pero ese es tema para otra entrada). Y es que la guionista Aline Brosh McKenna le dio una buena sarandeada al libro de Weisberger, resultando en una película muy pop, pero también con mensaje. No solamente con respecto a la moda, al consumismo, a la fijación por el cuerpo esbelto de la mujer, etc. Hay mensajes sobre la relación de pareja, el equilibrio entre la vida y el trabajo, las luchas de poder y la traición en el mundo corporativo.
A Fierce and Tender Family Reckoning in The Velocity of Autumn
There comes an age when, instead of thinking about your grandparents or parents, you think about yourself. And that is what happened to me seeing Onstage’s latest production, The Velocity of Autumn by Eric Coble. Set in an apartment in Brooklyn, Alexandra (Linda Benning) is an artist in her 80s and the mother of three. She has barricaded herself in the apartment because her two older children consider it better to put her in assisted living. The youngest son, Chris (James P. Darvas), who has been estranged for two decades, returns at the petition of his siblings and to buffer the situation.
The Former San Diego-based Artist Is Starting Somethin’
Now that the movie Michael is in movie theatres everywhere, it is very pertinent to revisit this chapter of the King of Pop’s story. The plot of the musical is set during all the preparations for the Dangerous World Tour in 1992, amongst various allegations surrounding the singer’s personal life and spending habits. The timeline alternates between Michael’s childhood and his rise to fame until 1992. Showing the causes of stress for the popstar like family pressure, mostly from father and former manager Joe Jackson, as well as large budgets and creative longings.
Teatro Alebrijes is Back in Los Angeles with “Carlota: Alhajero de Secretos”
The Spanish poet and playwright Federico García Lorca was a trailblazer with his surrealist style while uplifting his homeland, Granada, and the southern Spanish Autonomous Community of Andalucía. It was interesting to see Lorca’s reimagined The House of Bernarda Alba through Carlota: Alhajero de Secretos, written by Rodrigo García and Ugho Badú.
