san diego theatre briefs HAMLET
“Doubt thou the stars are fire; Doubt that the sun doth
move; Doubt truth to be a liar; But never doubt I love.” William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is the latest offering be-
ing added to the lexicon of shows brought to the stage by the Coronado Playhouse. It’s a dark winter night in Denmark, as a ghost bearing an uncanny resemblance to the recently deceased King Hamlet wanders the ram- parts of Elsinore Castle. Discovered by two watchmen and the scholar Horatio, the spirit is presented to Prince Hamlet, son to he and his still-alive Queen, Gertrude. The specter not only claims that he is indeed the dead king, he also asserts that he was murdered by none other than Claudius, the new king and current husband of Queen Gertrude. This leaves young Prince Hamlet burning to avenge his father’s untimely death, in what is one of the greatest murder/revenge/decent-into-madness plot- lines ever created. “To die, to sleep - To sleep, perchance to dream - ay, there’s the rub, For in this sleep of death what dreams may come...” The play runs from Friday, July 15 through Sunday, August 7 at the Coronado Playhouse, 1835 Strand Way in Cornonado. For tickets and more information, call 619.435.4856 or go to coronadoplay-
house.com.
GYPSY Gypsy Rose Lee was an American burlesque enter-
tainer who found fame through her elegant, witty striptease act. Lee was also a celebrated actress, author and playwright whose 1957 memoir was the basis for the stage musical and film Gypsy. The story illustrates the quintessential pushy stage mother and the roles she can have, both good and bad. Louise (Gypsy) and Dainty Jane’s indomitable mother, Rose, pushes her daughters through the vaudeville circuit in an attempt to secure stardom for them—though her motivation proves to be much more self-serving in the end. After Dainty Jane elopes as a means of escaping those maternal pressures, Mama Rose turns her star-making attentions to Louise, though Louise’s course leads her away into a career in burlesque doing striptease. Filled with show-stopping songs such as “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” and “Let Me Entertain You,” Gypsy is one of America’s quintessen- tial stage musicals. Gypsy runs Thursday, July 14 through Sunday, September 4. For tickets and more information, call 619.337.1525 or go to
cygnettheatre.com.
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY Who can resist Jane Austen? Especially when lovingly
directed by Barbara Gaines at The Old Globe Theatre, in association with Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and fea- turing book, music and lyrics by Tony Award-nominated Paul Gordon? After their father’s untimely death, sisters Marianne
and Elinor Dashwood lose their fortune, their home and all their prospects for love. Fate eventually smiles on them, as the plucky heroines face their situation with courage and resolve. Fall in love with the classic story in a whole new way, enchanted by the lush tones of Gordon’s ravishing new musical score. “Sense and Sensibility is a very special show: lush, beautiful, romantic, and very entertaining,” says Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “The eminent director Barbara Gaines has assembled a team of musical theatre performers who are as good as it gets, and I know that San Diego will delight to watch them do their thing. I can’t wait to share this wonderful company with our audience.” The play runs from Wednesday, July 6 through Sunday, August 14 on the Old Globe’s Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in Balboa Park. For tickets and more information, call 619.234.5623 or go to
theoldglobe.org.
JUNK: THE GOLDEN AGE OF DEBT Who can forget the brash egoism of the ‘80s financial markets? A place where titanic egos collide (hello D.T.) and modern day kings are made and unmade. A world where debt is an asset and assets are excuses for more debt. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ayad Akhtar takes us back to that no-holds-barred world to offer an origin story for that attempts to answer the million dollar questions: How did we get here? How did the world we once knew change? Says La Jolla Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley, “Ayad’s latest work takes on the ruthless world of debt financing in the late ‘80s, from hostile takeovers to the intrigues of high-profile investment bankers, lawyers and arbitra- geurs. This world-premiere play portrays their industry-toppling deals on stage in a style akin to Shakespeare’s Henry IV, where the battlefield is a corporate boardroom, and the players are kings of finance.” Junk runs from Tuesday, July 26 through Sunday, August 21 at the La Jolla Playhouse’s Mandel Wiess Theatre, 2910 La Jolla Villiage Drive. For tickets and more information, call 858.550.1010 or go to
lajollaplayhouse.org.
DIVERSIONARY THEATRE July offers two opportunities to delight in shows of-
fered on the Diversionary stage; both arriving from the raucous mind of playwright Ronnie Larsen. First up, from Thursday, July 7 through Sunday, July 31 is the ribald play, Making Porn, set in San Francisco in the early 1980s. Jack Hawk, a straight, out-of-work actor is hired by gay porn producer, Arthur Mack, to star in his newest porn movie entitled, Cops. Included in the film’s cast are Ray Tanner, a jaded porn star of 70 films and a bright, young newcomer named Ricky. Complica- tions arise when Jack’s wife, Linda, finds out about her husband’s new career and Arthur’s lover, Jamie, falls in love with one of the actors. The next production, pulled from the mind of Larsen,is called A Gay Marriage, and runs Wednesday, July 13 through Sunday, July 31. His new play illuminates love in the face of adversity and is about what happens after the wedding...When the honeymoon is over. You meet the love of your life, fight for the right to get married, finally tie the knot and then it’s happily ever after, right? For tickets and more information, go to
ronnielarsen.com, or
diversionary.org.
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RAGE monthly | JULY 2016
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