Theater Review: An Iliad – Surely this was, is happening now

August 31, 2012 by Source

By Karen Kenyon

As we begin to leave the theatre space after seeing “An Iliad,” we leave in silence — after a standing ovation.

After all, it is finished — Hector is dead, Achilles has lost his rage, and the Poet has left the stage with his suitcase of war.
*******

On a mostly bare set (with a sink, cleaning tools, and other backstage clutter toward the back) one chair, and a table, the “poet,” performed by Henry Woronicz, tells us the story of The Trojan War, focusing on the conflict between the half-god warrior, Achilles of Achaea (Greece), and Hector, Prince of Troy and Commander of the Trojans. [Read more…]

Man, Oh Man! A Review of ‘Man of La Mancha’

August 20, 2012 by Judi Curry

MAN OF LA MANCHA”
Cygnet Theater Review
Old Town, San Diego
619-337-1525

Dear Reader,

I am so sorry that I did not see this play earlier than today. It was absolutely wonderful. The acting was superb, the singing extraordinary, the adaptation to a small theater was marvelous.

The audience was on their feet before the final strains of the last song. [Read more…]

The Animal Cracker Conspiracy: Puppet Slams Popping Up in San Diego

July 24, 2012 by Jim Bliesner

By Jim Bliesner
Ian Gunn and Bridget Rountree are masters of “creative collaboration”. Their Animal Cracker Conspiracy is part of the Puppet Slam Network which states, “Underground puppet shows are popping up everywhere. They feature contemporary short form puppet and object theatre for adult audiences, open late at night in small venues, night clubs and art spaces, Puppet Slams exist at the nexus of vaudeville, burlesque and performance art through the intersection of experimental theatre, art, music and dance as a viable alternative to the culturally homogenous digital mass media”.

Wow, quite a conglomeration of expectations and styles to live up to, but the Animal Cracker Conspiracy pulled it off at their “Adult Puppet Cabaret” happening at 3^rdSpace, Friday, July 20^th. KaPOW!. The 3^rdSpace is a membership only creative incubator at 4610 Park Blvd. provides space for a variety of performance events on their elevated small stage theatre. [Read more…]

Zoot Suit at the San Diego Rep: The Pachucos Are More Relevant Than Ever

July 19, 2012 by Doug Porter

Set in the barrios of Los Angeles, Zoot Suit takes us back to the early 1940’s and dramatizes a portion of American history in which anti-Mexican prejudice affected the courts, the press, and the attitudes of the general public. Although the show was first performed in Los Angeles more than three decades ago, (It went on to be the only Chicano theater piece ever to go to Broadway), the current version staged at the San Diego Repertory Theatre demonstrates its enduring power as a window into history with relevant lessons for today’s cultural and political realities.

The SD Rep version skillfully combines a compelling history lesson, authentic-feeling slices from the lives of the characters, along with eye-popping song and dance numbers that move the show smoothly through what might otherwise be a pedantic political polemic. Integrated into the cast with equity actors are students from San Diego’s own School of the Creative and Performing Arts(SCPA). A live orchestra composed entirely of SCPA students plays throughout the show, giving the musical numbers an added punch. [Read more…]

Now Playing at the Old Globe: The Trials of Darwin

July 14, 2012 by Source

by Mel Freilicher

In the furor of attempting to clean out my disastrously cluttered home office before school starts again, I came across a recent issue of the National Education Association’s magazine dedicated entirely to teaching Darwin. Before tossing it, I read some astonishing and depressing statistics about the high percentage of Americans who disbelieve in evolution (including, if I recall correctly, about 25% of those with a college education, and more than 50% of those without one). Mostly that issue detailed how teachers might use the mass of scientific evidence from a wide array of disciplines to make the case for Darwin.

That this case still needs to be made is in itself bizarre, of course, since “The Origin of the Species” was published in 1859. It can’t be accounted for simply by the many home-schooled children of fundamentalists, or by graduates of Christian academies such as the chain that unsuccessfully brought litigation against the UC system a few years back for not accepting their creationism course as a legitimate science entry requirement. Even before the right wing’s aggressive and sustained push to control local school boards, many public schools in conservative regions had been teaching evolution– as a thoroughly discredited theory; I vividly remember one student (she’s now a science writer!) from a small, predominantly Mormon town in northern California who was totally shocked when she came to UCSD, and learned that such debunking was hardly a universally accepted truth. [Read more…]

Theater Review: An Iliad – Surely this was, is happening now

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Man, Oh Man! A Review of ‘Man of La Mancha’

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The Animal Cracker Conspiracy: Puppet Slams Popping Up in San Diego

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Zoot Suit at the San Diego Rep: The Pachucos Are More Relevant Than Ever

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Now Playing at the Old Globe: The Trials of Darwin

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