and, SEEN!

Hair (Old Globe)

SEEN: Aug 31, 2021

 

Hair

The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical
Book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado
Music by Galt MacDermot
Directed by James Vásquez
Choreography by Mayte Natalio
Music Direction by Angela Steiner

The Age of Aquarius dawns again! It’s the Summer of Love, and a group of young Americans are looking to change the world! Directed by Old Globe Resident Artist James Vásquez (The Old Globe’s American Mariachi and Tiny Beautiful Things), this legendary rock musical bursts onto the outdoor stage with its Grammy Award–winning score, featuring iconic hits such as “Let the Sunshine In,” “Good Morning Starshine,” and the exuberant title song. Make love, not war!—and celebrate “harmony and understanding” with Broadway’s first great rock musical.

Youngblood (tiki bar!! speakeasy!!)

This is not a play. Repeat: this is not a play. We were so excited to be out doing things! in the world! next to other people! that we couldn't resist recording this episode. 

Theatre is ALIIIIIIVE!

This is not a show. Repeat: This is not a show. But we were excited to hear about theatre making a come back, and our favorite pre-Old Globe-show restaurant, The Prado in Balboa Park, opened up again. SO we made dinner reservations and had date night where we pretended that life was normal again and that we could see shows. 

Hurricane Diane (Old Globe)

SEEN: March 30, 2020

Hurricane Diane

By Madeleine George
Directed by James Vásquez

This unconventional new comedy from Pulitzer Prize finalist Madeleine George sees the Greek god Dionysus return to the modern world disguised as the butch gardener Diane, whose secret mission is to seduce mortal followers and restore the earth to its natural state. Where better to begin than with four real housewives from New Jersey? The New York Times cheered Hurricane Diane as an “astonishing new play,” and New York magazine hailed it as “hilarious and full of keen observation and profound human affection.” 

August Wilson‘s Jitney (Old Globe)

SEEN: Feb 11, 2020. Two enthusiastic thumbs up. 

August Wilson's Jitney

By August Wilson
Directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Originally produced by Manhattan Theatre Club

A jitney is an unlicensed taxicab. Five tireless drivers in Pittsburgh’s Hill District fight for love, survival, and respect as the powers-that-be threaten to close down their garage in the name of neighborhood improvement. The Los Angeles Times recently proclaimed it a Critic’s Choice, saying, “This is an extraordinary company! A triumphant melding of acting and drama. Don’t make the mistake of skipping this one. It’s among the finest productions of a Wilson play I’ve seen.” The Washington Post calls Jitney “a consistently funny and absorbing evening,” while The Hollywood Reporter asks, “Is there a more accomplished living interpreter of the plays of August Wilson than Ruben Santiago-Hudson? The timing feels ideal to visit Wilson’s inimitably pulsating world with a peerless company of actors.” Contains strong language.

Noura (Old Globe)

SEEN: Oct 15, 2019

 

Noura

By Heather Raffo
Directed by Johanna McKeon

A riveting West Coast premiere loosely inspired by Ibsen’s A Doll’s House from acclaimed playwright (and Old Globe/USD Shiley M.F.A. Program graduate) Heather Raffo. Noura and her husband are Chaldean Christian refugees from Iraq, celebrating their first Christmas Eve as American citizens. But the long-anticipated visit of an orphan girl they once sponsored, now a promising college student, causes them to question who they’ve become and what they’ve left behind. The Wall Street Journal’s Terry Teachout calls this powerful drama “one of the finest new plays I’ve ever reviewed. Full of unexpected revelations and flashes of sudden, blinding illumination.” Contains strong language.

Almost Famous (Old Globe)

SEEN: Oct 1, 2019

 

Almost Famous

Book and lyrics by Cameron Crowe
Music and lyrics by Tom Kitt
Directed by Jeremy Herrin

Based on the Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures motion picture written by Cameron Crowe

It’s all happening… San Diego, 1973. Led Zeppelin is king, Richard Nixon is President, and idealistic 15-year-old William Miller is an aspiring music journalist. When Rolling Stone magazine hires him to go on the road with an up-and-coming band, William is thrust into the rock-and-roll circus, where his love of music, his longing for friendship, and his integrity as a writer collide. Written by Academy Award winner Cameron Crowe based on his iconic film, Almost Famous is about a young man finding his place in the world and the indelible characters he meets along the way. Directed by Tony Award nominee Jeremy Herrin, it features classic hits as well as new songs by Pulitzer Prize and two-time Tony Award winner Tom Kitt. This joyous world premiere is a celebration of community and the power of music. Contains strong language. This production contains lit (cocoa bean) cigarettes.

Romeo and Juliet (Old Globe)

SEEN: Sep 3, 2019

Romeo & Juliet

By William Shakespeare
Directed by Barry Edelstein

After his smash-hit Othello and record-breaking Hamlet, Barry Edelstein returns to the Shakespeare Festival to take on the greatest love story of all time. Verona’s Montague and Capulet families have been feuding for ages, and whenever they meet, violence breaks out. But when Romeo glimpses Juliet across a crowded dance floor, something different happens. Can star-crossed love survive in a world of rivalry and rage? With a plot featuring a masqued ball, sleeping potions, and all-out brawling in the street, wrapped in a text full of soaring poetry, it’s no wonder Romeo and Juliet has inspired countless adaptations, from ballets to movies to musicals like West Side Story. Young love has never been as dangerous or delightful as it is in Shakespeare’s romantic masterpiece, brought to vivid life on our outdoor stage under the stars.

The Underpants (Old Globe)

SEEN: Aug 20, 2019

 

The Underpants

By Steve Martin
Adapted from Carl Sternheim
Directed by Walter Bobbie

Legendary comedian and writer Steve Martin is back with a riotously funny farce. Newly married Louise is bored with her demanding and uptight bureaucrat husband. Then one day at the royal parade, she jumps up on a bench to see the king go by, and oops—wardrobe malfunction!—her bloomers come loose and fall down around her ankles. Her husband is frantic that her faux pas will cost him his job and reputation. But suddenly the room they’ve been trying to rent out has plenty of takers, and it just might have something to do with…the underpants. Steve Martin, who gave Globe audiences hits like Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Bright Star, and Meteor Shower, brings us a hilarious look at sudden fame and the crazy things people do when they’re in the grip of romantic fever. The New York Times calls the play “laugh-out-loud funny!” and “an amalgam of comic book and social commentary made out of sex jokes, slamming doors, and sophisticated repartee.”

Tale of Despereaux (Old Globe)

SEEN: July 30, 2019

Book, music, and lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co.
Based on the novel by Kate DiCamillo and the Universal Pictures animated film
Directed by Marc Bruni and PigPen Theatre Co.

The acclaimed PigPen Theatre Co. charmed and astonished Old Globe audiences with The Old Man and The Old Moon. Now they return to San Diego, bringing their one-of-a-kind theatrical and musical inventiveness to Kate DiCamillo’s beloved, Newbery Medal–winning modern fable. Despereaux is a courageous mouse who dreams of becoming a knight. He sets off on a noble quest that will take him down into dungeons and up to the heights of a castle tower to rescue a beautiful human princess—but the dark-hearted rat Roscuro has other ideas. The Boston Herald proclaims, “PigPen Theatre Co. is already a phenomenon,” while The New Yorker says, “It’s like watching child geniuses at play!” Full of gorgeous music, stunning stage effects, witty performances, and a message of optimism and community, The Tale of Despereaux is an inspiring and beguiling story for all ages.