Engagement and Community
Let me elaborate when I say the performing arts are not for everybody. Well, nothing can be for everybody. Is From Another Zero for everybody? Is Taylor Swift for everybody? Is JLo? (I will get to her as well). This is a root issue in America, and when I say America, I mean from Greenland to Patagonia, with poor funding for schools, cuts to arts, theatre programs, and so on.
Silly Noir Fun Takes Flight in the World Premiere of “The Maltese Falcon” at North Coast Repertory Theatre
The world premiere adaptation of The Maltese Falconat North Coast Repertory Theatre proves that classic film noir can also be delightfully silly. Playwright Matthew Salazar – Thompson offers an ingenious theatrical take on Dashiell Hammett’s legendary detective story, and director Todd Nielsen leans fully into the comedy, creating a playful production filled with audience interaction, clever staging, and plenty of laughs.
Sentimientos y Salud Mental a Flor de Piel
San Diego theatre brings such an array of emotions; for me, these past couple of years have been more intense. Probably because I am getting older (and wiser?), so things linger, and resonate differently. In the case of Backyard Renaissance’s first production of 2026, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, it definitely hit different this time.
A Sexy Getaway With Emotional Baggage
Dodie (Summer Broyhill) and Vita (Marti Gobel) have been married for a while and have two children together. For their upcoming anniversary, they go on a sexy getaway at a fancy hotel. Things start hot and heavy in the room, though Vita is uneasy; she wants to talk to her wife, but Dodie is focused on celebrating and having a good time. When she decides to go up the hallway to get ice, the mood totally changes, and the relationship struggles surface.
“Somewhere Over the Border” Makes San Diego Debut at Cygnet Theatre
Brian Quijada is a young playwright from Chicago, and the musical Somewhere Over the Border is based on his mother, Reina’s, story of coming to the US from El Salvador, leaving his older brother, Fernando, behind.
The Old Globe commissioned world premiere: “Fiasco Theater’s Bartleby.”
The Old Globe’s current production of Fiasco Theater’s Bartleby, a commissioned world premiere adapted fromHerman Melville’s “Bartleby, the Scrivener”, by Noah Brody and Paul L. Coffey, sprinkles in that work-money-capitalism-freedom dynamic.
La Jolla Playhouse Bids Farewell to 25/26 Season with the World-Premiere Production of “The Recipe”
For this world premiere at the Playhouse, The Recipe by Claudia Shear is based on Dearie, a book by journalist and author Bob Spitz, who has made a career of writing biographies of personalities such as former president Ronald Reagan, Led Zeppelin, and The Beatles.
The Magic of the Rabbit Hole
I had never heard of the Hedda Gabler play until now. While doing my research and comparing what I saw, I made some observations.
San Diego Musical Theatre Brings the Vintage Broadway Flair
The Kearny Mesa-based company went all out with a hefty cast of 20 performers and lively, pumped-upchoreography by Xavier J. Bush. Omri Schein directs the actors through naughty, pun-filled dialogue, striking a balance between the sixties’ machismo/patriarchy and comedic relief.
Baked Goods, Buzz Aldrin, and Grief Come Together in Scripps Ranch Theatre’s “Donna Orbits the Moon”
Donna is a wife, a mom, and a baker. Everybody knows her from all the baked goods, and she is in all the sales. One day, she hears astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s voice telling her to “go up before you can land”.
Is the Scientific Method Always Right?
I praise NVA for the work and visual effort of this production, and congratulate them on 25 years of work and on Kristianne’s 40 productions. Wow, it is definitely not easy.
The subject matter is more than pertinent for these times, and Kate Douglas certainly has the right idea. With a bit more shaping and tightening, The Apiary can reach the full effect.
Riot Productions brings “Audition Sides” to the Main Stage
Written by Sarah Alida LeClair, who also performs as (The Woman), ‘Sides was inspired by the unsettled love story of pianist/singer Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms, composer, pianist, and conductor. The setting of the play is an audition, where The Woman is on her fourth callback and has prepared everything, including songs and monologues.
