Theatre News
10th Avenue Theatre in Downtown
Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company present “Hoodoo Love,” a play with Blues music by Katori Hall, which runs Saturday, June 7 through Sunday, July 1, 2012, at The 10th Avenue Theatre, located at 930 10th Avenue in downtown San Diego. Tickets can be purchased online at www.moolelo.net, or by phone at (619) 342-7395.
Written by the first Black American woman to win the highest honor in British Theatre, the Olivier Award for Best New Play, “Hoodoo Love” is set during the Great Depression in Memphis, Tennessee, the playwright’s home city. It tells the story of Toulou, a young woman who has escaped her family and the Delta cotton fields to pursue her dream of becoming a Blues singer. She falls for Ace of Spades, a rambling Blues man, and whips up a potion of hoodoo magic to win his love. But when her past catches up with her in the form of her brother, Jib, the magic backfires and she has to fight her way to a new path to her dream.
Originally produced at The Cherry Lane Theatre in New York in 2007, Mo`olelo’s production will be helmed by Director Nataki Garrett, associate dean of the School of Theater at California Institute of the Arts and co-artistic director of Blank-the-Dog Productions in Los Angeles. CalArts MFA Alumna Jasmine Hughes will tackle the role of Toulou, Broadway veteran Stu James will play the notorious Ace of Spades, Kirkaldy Myers plays Toulou’s born -again Christian missionary brother Jib, and San Diego’s own award-winning actor and Executive Director of Common Ground Theatre Monique Gaffney will portray The CandyLady, the Hoodoo Madame of Beale Street.
The creative team includes Travis Stephen Gooden (music director), David F. Weiner (scenic design), Jeannie Galioto (costume design), Stephen Terry (lighting design), Martin Gimenez (sound design), Denise Woods (dialect coach), Will Widick (properties designer), and Elizabeth Stephens (stage manager).
North Park Theatre
San Diego Musical Theatre (SDMT) Presents “Rent” June 22 through July 8 at Birch North Park Theatre. With musical direction by Don LeMaster, choreography by Courtney Corey and directed by Ron Kellum, Gwen Stewart will reprise the role she created in the original Broadway company of “Rent,” including introducing the solo vocals for the musical’s central theme song, “Seasons of Love.” The cast will also feature Dylan Hunter as Mark and Casey O’Farrell as Roger, along with Shaun Tuazon (Angel), Loren Smith (Collins), Desmond Newson (Benny), Katy Harvey (Maureen), Nicole Tillman (Joanne), Ann-Michele Schneider (Mimi), Marisha Castle (Alexi), J.D. Driskill (Gordon), Aaron Meadows (Mr. J), Cordell Mosteller (Paul), Leslie Tammone (Mrs. Cohen) and Tom Vendafreddo (Steve).
Director Ron Kellum has a 22-year career in the entertainment industry, as actor, choreographer and director, has made him the consummate showbiz professional. He’s appeared on Broadway in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” and “Chicago” and toured nationally in “Fosse,” “Chicago,” “Aida,” “Dreamgirls,” “Beauty and The Beast” and “Smokey Joe’s Cafe?.” Kellum has worked in film as a choreographer, most recently on the feature film “Iron Man 2.”
Choreographer Courtney Corey is a notable, professional actor, singer, and dancer. She is best known for her role as Elphaba in the Chicago and Los Angeles productions of “Wicked”.
Don LeMaster is an award-winning musical director, and has been the resident musical director/conductor for San Diego Musical Theatre since it’s inception in 2006.
For tickets and information, call the Administrative Office at 858-560-5740 or visit SDMT online at www.sdmt.org.
San Diego Civic Theatre
“Wicked,” Broadway’s biggest blockbuster, returns to the San Diego Civic Theatre, from June 20 to July 15.With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Academy Award®-winner) and directed by two-time Tony Award® winner Joe Mantello and features musical staging by Tony Award® winner Wayne Cilento.
Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz. One – born with emerald-green skin – is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. “Wicked” tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, and how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.
For more information, visit www.wickedthemusical.com. The San Diego Civic Theatre is located at 3rd and B Street in downtown San Diego. For tickets, visit: TicketMaster.com/wicked.
Diversionary Theatre
“Harmony Kansas” runs from June 14 through July 22 and is directed by James Vasquez
The cast includes Jacob Caltrider, Dylan Hoffinger, Tony Houck, Anthony Methvin, Bill Nolte, John Whitley and Tom Zohar
With a lively, soulful score, “Harmony, Kansas” tells the story of Heath, a gay farmer making his way in a rural community where homogeneity rules. When his city-born partner, Julian, talks him into joining a spirited group of gay guys who meet once a week to sing, Heath discovers a love for making music and a kinship he didn’t expect. But his world is turned upside down when the group considers performing in public, threatening everything that matters to him, including the life he’s made with the man he loves.
Visit www.diversionary.com or call (619) 220-0097 for pricing and order information.
Old Globe
“Nobody Loves You” runs through June 17 at the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre in the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Directed by Michelle Tattenbaum, this funny and irreverent World Premiere musical romantic comedy, is filled with tuneful pop
Songs. “Nobody Loves You” takes audiences on a hilarious behind-the-scenes ride through reality television and into real life. When Jeff, a philosophy grad student, joins a dating show to win back his ex, he breaks all the rules and tries to blow the game wide open…until he meets Jenny. In a world where every kiss is staged for the cameras, can two people find a real connection?
The Old Globe is located in San Diego’s Balboa Park at 1363 Old Globe Way. For information, call (619) 23-GLOBE [234-5623].
Photos of Globe productions are located here: http://www.theoldglobe.org/pressroom
Category: Entertainment
