The Arts

By Carol Davis ESCONDIDO, CA—It’s a pretty timely event, the dual openings of the Broadway hit, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Lawrence Welk Theatre in Escondido recently opened the award-winning musical by Frank Loesser (music and lyrics), Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willy Gilbert (book) while the revival is presently being played […]

By Carol Davis VISTA, California–Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap began as a radio play in 1947. In 1952 the play opened in the West End in London and never really closed. 25,000 performances later it’s made it’s way across the ocean, across the continent to Vista where the Avo Theatre, with director Jason Heil at the

By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO–When it comes to dividing up the family estate between brothers and sisters, any amount of civility goes unnoticed in playwright Horton Foote’s last comedy/drama. In Dividing the Estate the three adult Gordon siblings (Lucille, Lewis, called Brother and Mary Jo) who assemble at their childhood home, for a supposed dinner

   By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO—Ion theatre company is reprising Franz Xavier Kroetz’ one-woman show, Request Programme. In 2008 Ion mounted this piece in their little theatre adjacent to the Trolley stop in Allied Gardens. Now in their new space on 6th Avenue with the stage much closer to the audience, Linda Libby reenacts a

By Carol Davis CHULA VISTA, California —One of the very first plays I saw at the old Lyceum Theatre downtown (just before it came under the wrecking ball to make way for Horton Plaza, was Bernard Pomerance’s 1977 play, The Elephant Man. Later in 1998 The North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach mounted it.

By Carol Davis SOLANA BEACH, California —Thirty  years ago the late Tom Blakistone and his wife Olive founded the North Coast Repertory Theatre in the shopping center at Loma Santa Fe in Solana Beach.  The first incarnation of this theater was located in a tiny little corner right next to an ice cream store.  My

By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO –Once a year the San Diego theatre critics get all dressed up and have a party honoring all those we write about throughout the year. This is the tenth year we will have been at this and we know this will be the best party yet! (We say that every

By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO —Every year at this time, I feel that the opera season is ready to give me another early holiday gift. Before we know it, it will be January 28th and opening night of Richard Strauss’ fiery Salomé. In mid February the long awaited west coast premiere of Moby Dick by

By Carol Davis   SAN DIEGO — This is year number six for Cygnet Theatre and the radio version of the Frank Capra movie It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play adapted by Joe Landry and directed by Sean Murray with musical direction by Billy Thompson. Once again a trip down memory lane is

 By Carol Davis LA JOLLA, California—Lest anyone forget, there is the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice tried and true “Jesus Christ Superstar” of the seventies and then there is the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice/ Des McAnuff “Jesus Christ Superstar” of the 20’s: 2011/2012 that is. Of course the lyrics (Tim Rice) and the music (Andrew Lloyd