Scene and heard about The July 25 opening night of “Dogfight” at Cygnet Theatre (which plays through August
23) brought out myriad theater folk, some not seen for quite some time. One was the
show’s choreographer, David Brannen, who did a super job with the period dance “1969” on the eve of the brash marines’ shipping out for ‘Nam. Incidentally, “Dogfight” creators Benj Pasek and Justin Paul just opened their new musical, “Dear Evan Hansen,” at Washington, D.C.’s Arena Stage. The rumor mill
says watch for a Broadway transfer. Director is Michael Greif, former artistic
director of La Jolla Playhouse. Also among the throng was James Saba, executive director of San Diego Junior Theatre, who confided he’s returning to the stage in Cygnet’s next two shows, the Noel Coward double bill of “Hay Fever” (Sept. 23-Nov. 8) and “The Vortex” (Sept. 24-Nov. 8).
Managing Director Bill Schmidt divulged that Charles Evans Jr., in the company of
“Dogfight,” will portray the conflicted son in “The Vortex.” “Dogfight” centers on the seamier aspects of life among rowdy young servicemen, featuring a longstanding competition to recruit the ugliest date for a party. Theatermania announced casting for the first national tour of “The Gentleman’s
Guide to Love and Murder” this week. In the touring company is the exceptionally
talented San Diego State University MFA graduate Kristen Mengelkoch, who’s been seen locally in musicals at North Coast Repertory Theatre and Moonlight Stage, among others. UCSD graduate Jefferson Mays wore out his upper lip with changing facial hair. As directed by Darko Tresnjak, he continues to play all the Asquiths (as he did at The Old Globe Theatre) and remains in the Broadway company. Soprano Isabel Leonard, who will appear in the title role of Jake Heggie’s world
premiere production of “Great Scott” at San Diego Opera (May 7-15), is currently
creating the role of Ada in the world premiere of Jessica Higdon’s “Cold Mountain” at Santa Fe Opera (through Aug. 22). Gene Scheer, Heggie’s librettist for “Moby-Dick,” also wrote the libretto for “Cold Mountain.” Last I heard from Heggie, he was putting the finishing touches on the “Great Scott”
orchestration. “Great Scott,” a co-production of Dallas Opera and San Diego
Opera, opens in Dallas Oct. 30. Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company welcomes a new general manager, Will Neblett, who formerly served as executive director of San Diego Junior Theatre for 15 years.
Mo`olelo is now a core member of the National New Play Network (NNPN), which has been working since 1998 to bring new works to the American theater. Mo`olelo was asked to nominate two people from San Diego to represent Mo`olelo on the NNPN Council. Chosen were Mo`olelo board member Joani Nelson and actor Linda Libby. The season comprises the world premiere of Cassandra Medley’s “Cell” (Sept. 24-Oct. 18), the NNPN rolling world premiere of Lauren Yee’s “In a Word”(Jan. 14-Feb. 7, 2016) and the West Coast premiere of Andrea Thome’s “Pinkolandia,” directed by ion theatre co-artistic director Claudio Raygoza (May 5-29, 2016). No dearth of female playwrights here. Female guest conductors of the highest order are represented in San Diego Symphony’s
new season, which begins in October. The two women – Mirga Gražinyt?-Tyla
(Dec. 4, 5, 6) and Karina Canellalos (Jan. 8 and 10, 2016) are among a field of
nine potential new music directors. Music director Jahja Ling, who conducts his 12th
season in 2015-16, departs following the end of the 2016-2017 season. Congratulations to San Diego playwright Thelma Virata de Castro, who just received a
fellowship to participate in the highly competitive “A Room of Her Own” retreat, which
takes place this month and will reunite Thelma with Dipika Guha, who will be coming
to San Diego to write a play for Mo`olelo’s inaugural InCommunity project. More
on that later. Small world, isn’t it? Usman Ally, so marvelous as Dr. Watson in Ken Ludwig’s “Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery” at the Globe (through Sept. 6) played Amir in Ayad Akhtar’s 2013 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, “Disgraced.” Akhtar is remembered for his work “The Who and the What” at La Jolla Playhouse last year.
