and, SEEN!

best use of accordion (Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, Cygnet)

We would ride an hour in a sleigh in 10 degree weather with period-appropriate fur attire to see this show. WEST COAST PREMIERE Book, Lyrics and Music by Dave Malloy. Adapted from War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy Directed by Sean Murray Music Direction by Patrick Marion Choreography by Katie Banville Apr 10 - May 19, 2024 Low-priced Previews Apr 10 - Apr 13, 2024 Overview Artists Photos Talk & Events Romantic • Scandalous • Immersive Two-time Tony® Award Winner Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, is an innovative electropop opera, based on a scandalous slice of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. This immersive performance tells the story of beautiful Natasha who falls for the devilishly handsome rebel Anatole while her betrothed Andrey is off at war. The thrilling, ground-breaking score melds rock, pop, soul, and folk, unlike anything you’ve heard. Join us for this Tony Award-winning spectacle that The New York Times hailed as “the most innovative and best new musical to open since Hamilton!”.

finally a catchy tune! [Ride, A New Musical (The Old Globe)]

Proclaimers scale: we would ride from our house to The Old Globe on bicycles (if we had those bike shorts with padded butts) to see this show. March 30 – April 28, 2024 Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage Old Globe Theatre Conrad Prebys Theatre Center American premiere Book, music, and lyrics by Freya Catrin Smith Music and lyrics by Jack Williams Directed by Sarah Meadows Ready, set, ride! The smash-hit London musical makes its U.S. premiere. It’s 1895, and Annie Londonderry wants to discover if a woman can ride a bicycle around the world. The problem? She’s only ridden one twice! As Annie and her unwitting secretary Martha share unbelievable adventures across four continents, they learn that no matter how far we ride, our past is always right behind us. With a high-energy score and a wildly versatile cast, this fresh and funny show is what Theatre Weekly called “an amazing piece of theatre and a must-watch for everyone.” This production includes strong language.

man bro dude guy love [King James (Old Globe)]

Proclaimers scale: we would drive across the country to see this. March 9 – April 7, 2024 Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre Conrad Prebys Theatre Center By Rajiv Joseph Directed by Justin Emeka The breathtaking career of NBA icon LeBron James is the backdrop for this energetic and funny play by Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph. Shawn is Black and Matt is White, and they couldn’t be more different—except for their love of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The friendship that develops between them, at turns contentious and compassionate, becomes something as enduring and profound as James’s legacy itself. Interwoven with moments of camaraderie, laughter, and poignancy, King James dives into the heart of basketball fandom and highlights the profound connections that sports can cultivate. This production includes strong language and mature themes.

Chaos Menu Disorder Up (Second City Toronto)

International mini Pubisode Proclaimers Scale: 0.5 - 2 watchings of the first Austin Powers movie.

a nearly perfect show [Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (Neptune)

Proclaimers Scale: we would fly 6000 miles to see this again. Fate leads our two heroes to a tragic but inevitable end. Hamlet is turned topsy-turvy in this brilliant modern comedic masterpiece that thrusts Shakespeare’s two minor characters to the forefront with no rules except one: they are destined to die. Reality and illusion mix as bewildered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are trapped in a universe where their lives are left to chance with the flip of a coin. Can our hapless protagonists triumph in a battle of wits, escape their fate, and make sense of a senseless world? Starring from the Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the title roles of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (or perhaps Guildenstern and Rosencrantz?) are Billy Boyd (Pippin) and Dominic Monaghan (Merry) in this unique and stunning new production created by Halifax’s Neptune Theatre. Written by Tom Stoppard Directed by Neptune Theatre Artistic Director Jeremy Webb Starring Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan

X (UC San Diego)

Proclaimers Scale: 3 trips to Pluto X by Alistair McDowall. directed by Rosie Glen-Lambert (MFA 3) February 23 - March 2 |Mandell Weiss Theatre About the Show When X, by Alistair McDowall begins, we are introduced to five travelers waiting to be picked up from their mission on planet Pluto. We are in a near future where much of the earth is no longer habitable, and Pluto is being explored as a viable option for human life. But their research base has lost radio signal, and their expedition has already lasted much longer than expected. The group is tasked with trying to determine if their pickup is late, if their pickup is no longer coming, or--most frighteningly-if they've lost contact with their pickup because earth itself has ceased to exist. As the passing time becomes increasingly more difficult to track, events begin to move out of sequence, and the line between what is real and what isn't becomes blurred. The travelers are desperate to sort through their fragmented memories, and to maintain control of their own lives. X is an evocative, hilarious, and devastating play that uses the metaphor of being lost in space to explore the loss of personal and collective memory. As we as a planet creep closer and closer to having to face the existential threat of environmental degradation, X could not be more timely. How do we want to be remembered, and who will remain to remember us?

did we just go to the Getty? [Age of Innocence (old globe)]

Globe-commissioned world premiere By Edith Wharton Adapted by Karen Zacarías Directed by Chay Yew This Globe-commissioned world premiere, based on Edith Wharton’s Pulitzer Prize–winning classic, is set in 1870s Gilded Age New York City, where high society clashes with love. When the glamorous Countess Ellen Olenska sweeps into town, she upends the lives of everyone around her, especially the dashing lawyer Newland Archer. This new adaptation for the stage from Karen Zacarías (Destiny of Desire, Native Gardens) is the kind of lush period production for which The Old Globe is renowned.

a loss for words [English (old globe)]

January 27 – February 25, 2024 Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre Conrad Prebys Theatre Center By Sanaz Toossi Directed by Arya Shahi Winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize, the Obie Award, and the Lucille Lortel Award. In a classroom near Tehran, four adult students prepare for an English proficiency exam. They each have a reason for being there: a chance at opportunity, access, or a new calling. But as they bond over this new way to express themselves, they also grapple with the lives they must leave behind. Told with hilarious wit and genuine compassion, Sanaz Toossi’s English is “both a buoyant comedy of communication and a subtle but probing exploration of what it means to speak and feel understood” (New York Theatre Guide).

too easy [Redwood (La Jolla Playhouse)]

FEB 13 - MAR 31, 2024 Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre Book by Tina Landau Music by Kate Diaz Lyrics by Kate Diaz and Tina Landau Conceived by Tina Landau and Idina Menzel With additional contributions by Idina Menzel Directed by Tina Landau Broadway icon Idina Menzel makes her La Jolla Playhouse debut in the world premiere of Redwood, a one-of-a-kind theatrical event about one woman’s journey into the precious and precarious world of the redwoods. Idina plays Jesse, a successful businesswoman, mother and wife. She seems to have it all, but inside, her heart is broken. Finding herself at a turning point, Jesse leaves everyone and everything behind, gets in her car and drives… and drives. Thousands of miles later, she hits the ancient forests of Northern California, where a chance meeting and a leap of faith change her life forever. In the presence of the magnificent, towering redwoods, Jesse finds strange and powerful connections, an unexpected sense of community, and a chance at healing. Acclaimed writer and director Tina Landau (Beauty) brings this immersive and cinematic new work to life with lush visuals and a soaring score from Kate Diaz. You will travel with Jesse into an intoxicating environment of dense greenery, fractured light and dizzying heights – a place where nature can help us heal, if only we don’t destroy her first. An exhilarating new musical featuring one of Broadway’s greatest stars, Redwood will awaken your sense of adventure and lift you higher than the treetops. “Now underneath a canopy of stars, I call out to the night. Please keep me safe and show me this is right. I’m scared of letting go of everyone I know.” Jesse, Redwood

2023 year in review

Just what it says on the tin.