Cats Pounces into the Civic Theatre in its 8-Performance San Diego Stop
By Cassiopeia Guthrie, September 29, 2022 Don’t try to dissect it - people have been trying to do that since the show premiered 41 years ago! - just enjoy. The touring company of Cats has arrived at the San Diego Civic Theatre in its 8-show swing through town running through October 2, and it has brought athletic dancing, beautiful vocals, and a bunch of cat ear-wearing fans along for the ride. Review coming soon to SanDiegoStory.com.
Energy, charisma, joy, and jazz are the bandleaders in CCAE’s Ain't Misbehavin'
by Cassiopeia Guthrie, September 25, 2022 Kicking off the 2022-2023 CCAE Theatricals season, Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical Show brings big show energy and joyful jazz to the stage of Escondido’s Center Theatre through October 8. Directed by Ken Page, one of the original members of the Broadway cast, Ain’t Misbehavin’ is a standalone piece that bridges the gap between revue and musical. The production, with music by Thomas “Fats” Waller’ and conceived by Richard M
History Comes Alive Onstage with Oceanside’s Billie! Backstage with Lady Day
By Cassiopeia Guthrie, September 25, 2022 One part exposé, one part jazz show, and one part history lesson, Billie! Backstage with Lady Day brings iconic performer Billie Holiday to life at Oceanside’s Brooks Theater through October 2nd. This musical, a one-woman show which features playwright/actor/vocalist Synthia L. Hardy as the music legend alongside pianist Woody Woods and jazz combo musicians Russell Bizzett, Dr. Marcus Wilcher, and Gedeon Deák, is in some ways a histor
Spectacle and Restraint Hold Equal Purchase in Cygnet’s Cabaret
by Cassiopeia Guthrie, Sept. 22, 2022 Prepare to be disarmed and subsequently dismantled if you have time to catch Cygnet Theatre’s powerful production of Cabaret. Running in its extension through October 2, this remount by director Sean Murray (who also helmed the 2011 staging of the same production) is exceptional and devastating in all of the right ways. With music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by Joe Masteroff, Cabaret is a show with a long history but, as
If you “let the people decide,” they’ll doubtless call Scripps Ranch’s The Outsider the winner
From the first beat of the pre-show announcement to the very last scene, get ready to laugh your way all the way out of the governor’s office; Scripps Ranch Theatre’s newest offering, The Outsider by Paul Slade Smith, is a searingly hilarious political satire that is not to be missed! Running through October 9, this production, directed by Christopher Williams, enjoyed a well deserved standing ovation on opening night. Review is live now at SanDiegoStory.com.
Sequins, stilettos, and stars overhead (and on stage) grace Moonlight's final 2022 show, Kinky Boots
by Cassiopeia Guthrie, September 15, 2022 Moonlight is going big, flashy, and kinky with the final production in their summer season, Kinky Boots, directed by Larry Raben and running at the amphitheater through October 1. With music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper (yes, THAT Cyndi Lauper) and book by Harvey Fierstein, this show brings all of the zhuzh, vibrancy, and glitter you’d expect, with a healthy dose of sexy sass. Review is live at SanDiegoStory.com.
Annabella in July brings fantasy and a microscope on relationships at North Coast Rep through Oct. 2
by Cassiopeia Guthrie, September 11, 2022 The flame of love can be kindled and extinguished, but sometimes is simply neglected for too long; this theme, which may be familiar to couples over time who find themselves simply sinking into the ordinary, is exactly the case for the couple at the center of North Coast Repertory Theatre’s newest offering, Annabella in July by Richard Strand, running through October 2. Helmed by Artistic Director David Ellenstein, this show is descri
Fandango for Butterflies (and Coyotes) y la experiencia humana e inmigrante
by Cassiopeia Guthrie, September 7, 2022 “If you don’t have the language, how does anyone know you?” Rogelio beseeches the audience, and the question (at odds with what often feels like a social disconnect of empathy for the immigrant experience) sparks a hundred bigger ones. This intentionality of a carefully crafted experience from joyous claiming of culture and heritage to deep grieving and morir de sentimiento, to abused power differentials by policía, federales, coyotes