San Diego State’s recent play promises to “vacuum the dust off the meaning of love and family.” With a talented cast of 5 people, an amazing set and a gigantic yew tree, it does just that, with a few laughs along the way.
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Perhaps the most misunderstood lyrics are “Nants ingonyama bagithi baba. Sithi uhm ingonyama. Siyo Nqoba, ingonyama. Ingonyama nengw’ enamabala.” These words are not gibberish but actually the African language Zulu for “Here comes a lion, Father. Oh yes, it’s a lion. We’re going to conquer, a lion and a leopard come to this open place.” However, they may be more familiar than one might think: They are the opening lines to the Disney film “The Lion King.”
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In 1975, the world learned through the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” that it’s not a matter of where a bird grips a coconut. Instead, as one character said, “it’s a simple question of weight ratios! A 5-ounce bird can not carry a 1-pound coconut.” And if you bang two empty halves of the coconut together, you’ll be ready for your quest for Camelot.
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You’ve seen the movie. You’ve been dragged to the musical. Someone has forced you to sing one of the songs in middle school choir class. Yes, “Fiddler on the Roof” is back, but this time it packs an added punch. With Jerome Robbins’ original Tony Award-winning choreography and Chaim Topol, star of the 1971 film and original 1967 West End cast, this Sammy Dallas Bayes production, which ran until July 19 at the San Diego Civic Theatre, was a performing arts treat.
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Bertolt Brecht, born in 1898 in the German city of Augsburg, is considered to be one of the single most important figures in the world of theater. His “Epic Theatre” defied conventional realism, as Brecht believed the emotional release experienced by audience members during such traditional theater kept them from taking an intellectual interest in what they were experiencing.
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If you ever thought that American history could never be as interesting, let alone as funny, as the Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget or even YouTube’s “Charlie bit me” clip, think again.
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San Diego State theater professor and director/playwright for the SDSU Theatre for Young Audience’s season and touring programs, Margaret Larlham, has brought her own play “1,001 Grains of Sand” to campus. This family friendly romp through space and time will be at the Don Powell Theatre until Saturday, so bring any kids you know while it is still around.
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Outrageous? Stunning? Triumphant? Jonathan Larson’s “Rent” is all of those things and more. “Rent”-heads flocked to the San Diego Civic Theatre to see this raucous musical performed from Tuesday through Sunday last week. The crowd was as diverse as the exuberant characters on stage — young and old, gay and straight all showed up for this musical’s powerful message. As soon as the lights went down, fans screamed as though their houses were on fire as Anthony Rapp (as Mark Cohen) and Adam Pascal (as Roger Davis) began the show, never letting their audience forget it was were witnessing a Broadway-caliber performance.
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A cane with a bronze tip. Clean, white spats. Of course, a pair of yellow gloves. Such is the uniform of the infamous Macheath, gangster of Bertolt Brecht’s murderous, singing-and-dancing classic. San Diego Repertory Theatre’s “The Threepenny Opera’s” opening night last Friday greeted an audience that was all too excited to experience this cynical piece about economic iniquity, which resonates in today’s turbulent economic times.
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If you’re a musical lover or not, you' ll enjoy this roast of noted Broadways
Whether you liked it or not, you've most likely seen a musical before. As contradictory as it may sound, if you’re one of those people who don’t enjoy the musicals you've seen, this might be the show for you.
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The tale of the cheeky, redheaded orphan has been with us since James Whitcomb Riley's poem “Little Orphan Annie” in 1885. However, it is the musical adaptation of the comic strip that has been capturing hearts for decades. Martin Charnin’s “Annie” opened at the San Diego Civic Theatre on Jan. 9 and has moved on to Washington for its next showings.
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So artsy, it would make Salvador Dali cock his head in confusion
Most plays have heroes, villains and a plot. “Hotel Cassiopeia” has none of these theatrical and literary archetypes. What it does have is artistry. Crazy, crazy artistry.
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Stellar acting, coupled with a timeless plot, makes this classic musical a must-see
Whether it’s the Pulitzer Prize- winning 1983 novel by Alice Walker or the Academy Award-nominated 1985 film from Steven Spielberg, “The Color Purple” has permeated American culture. And in 2005, Oprah Winfrey produced a musical based on the same plot.
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The Lyceum Theatre's recent production allows for an intimate experience
Horton Plaza is a shopping center downtown that we’ve all been to. Not so widely known is that there is an underground theater below the shopping center. This semi-secret location houses one of San Diego’s most acclaimed theaters: the Lyceum Theatre.
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In the heart of Balboa Park, after a short walk through the leafy pathway behind the Casa del Prado Theatre and the San Diego Museum of Art, lies the Old Globe Theatre - a convincing replica of Shakespeare's famous theater. It is here where on Sept. 13, the premier of Clare Boothe Luce's "The Women" took place.
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For someone whose knowledge of Broadway musicals begins with “West Side Story,” you might have a vague notion of what “A Chorus Line” is and are probably scratching your head over who wrote it.
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