THEATRE news, REVIEWs,
& interviews
AIRNESS at Loud Fridge Theatre Group
Airness cranks the volume all the way up and dares you not to have a good time; It's a show that knows exactly what it is, big, bold, cheerfully ridiculous, and full of humor and heart.
Interview: Kian Kline-Chilton of AIRNESS at Loud Fridge Theatre Group
Interview with 'Airness' director Kian Kline-Chilton about air guitar, community, and staying in a state of play presented by Loud Fridge Theatre Group April 11- 19th.
THE LEHMAN TRILOGY at Cygnet Theatre
“The Lehman Trilogy, now playing at Cygnet Theatre through April 26, is an epic in every sense: sweeping, ambitious, unexpectedly funny, and, even at a three-hour runtime, utterly engrossing.
WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? at Backyard Renaissance
'Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is undeniably a marathon, but in the hands of Backyard Renaissance, the journey rarely loses its grip.
SOMEWHERE OVER THE BORDER at Cygnet Theatre
“Somewhere Over the Border,” now playing at Cygnet Theatre through March 15, wraps that hope in music, metaphor, and a road-trip structure in a production that is charming and colorful on its surface, but anchored by performances strong enough to carry its deeper weight.
A MAGICAL HOLIDAY: CHRISTMAS AT THE JOAN at Cygnet Theatre
Cygnet Theatre’s “A Magical Holiday: Christmas at The Joan” is precisely what its title promises: a bright, polished, joy-forward holiday revue that knows its job is to lift spirits, sparkle confidently, and send you back into December humming.
THE WAVERLY GALLERY at Backyard Renaissance
Backyard Renaissance delivers an exquisite reminder: we do not choose when the people we adore begin to fade, but we do get to decide how fiercely we hold them while they do.
TO MY GIRLS at Diversionary Theatre
“To My Girls” has an excellent cast and direction, and what begins as a sun-drenched escape quickly turns into a messy, deeply funny excavation of chosen family, generational baggage, and the versions of ourselves we perform for the people who know us best.
THE STRANGERS at Chalk Circle Collective
“The Strangers” is the kind of production that invites discussion; some will love its chaos, others may resist it, but Chalk Circle Collective handles its complexity with ambition and clarity.
MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG at SDSU
The concert version of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s bittersweet musical at San Diego State University offered a sharp, soulful rewind through friendship, ambition, and the cost of success.
ARMS AND THE MAN at Lamb's Players Theatre
“Arms and the Man”, the classic George Bernard Shaw play, is currently skewering the romantic ideals of going to battle or falling in love with wit at Lamb’s Players Theatre through November 16th. Under the sharp and playful direction of Deborah Gilmour Smyth, it turns 19th-century notions of heroism and passion delightfully upside down. It’s brisk, bright, very funny, and may have you craving something chocolate before it’s over.
POE & MORE POE by Write Out Loud at the historic Villa Montezuma
The 1887 Queen Anne Victorian mansion is equal parts Gothic whimsy and jewel-box museum, which sets the perfect stage for“Poe & More Poe”, Write Out Loud’s annual immersion into the master of the macabre.
WE LOVERS at Loud Fridge Theatre Group
“We Lovers” is an imaginative evening that lingers like moonlight long after you leave the clearing. Directed by Kate Rose Reynolds at the Light Box Theatre in Liberty Station.
MANIFEST PUSSY at Diversionary Theatre
Diversionary Theatre’s current show, “Manifest Pussy”, is a wild, warm, and deeply human solo show by Shakina Nayfack full of heart, humor, and revelation.
FOLLIES at Cygnet Theatre
“Follies” remains a glittering ghost story about theatre itself, what it means to chase applause, and to live forever in memory. With Cygnet’s production, “The Joan” gets its first haunting, and it’s a glamorous one.
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE at Backyard Renaissance
Backyard Renaissance’s “A Streetcar Named Desire” isn’t just a drama; it’s a ghost story. Director Rob Lutfy leans into the spectral energy of Tennessee Williams’ New Orleans, conjuring a version of the classic that feels both timeless and supernatural.
OKLAHOMA! at Cygnet Theatre is Classic Musical Theatre with a Modern Kick
Director Sean Murray brings a fresh twist to this Rodgers and Hammerstein classic with a spirited, skillful blend of the classic and the contemporary. There is toe-tapping joy with frontier tension in a land where romance is risky, rivalries are real, and the possibilities rise "as high as an elephant's eye."
MERRY ME at Diversionary Theatre
If you like your theatre smart, sexy, and a little bit sacrilegious, then “Merry Me” is the genre-bending farce for you! Running at Diversionary Theatre through June 15th.
THE DARK HEART OF DOOLEY STEVENS at Backyard Renaissance
Horror, dramas full of difficult people, and things that may be hard to explain are all things at which Backyard Renaissance excels. So it is no surprise that when presenting the world premiere of “The Dark Heart of Dooley Stevens,” written by Backyard Renaissance Artistic Director Francis Gercke and playing through March 15th, this play is a mix of all those things.
WE ARE CONTINUOUS at Diversionary Theatre
“We Are Continuous” is an intimate play with an unusual recurring monologue and some in-scene format. Luckily, this production is very well-cast with Marti Gobel, Elliott Sagay, and Eli Wood and is excellently directed by Kian-Kline-Chilton. “We Are Continuous” is playing at Diversionary Theatre through March 9th.