Posts by Martin Jones Westlin
595 Doors Herald the Mood in NCR’s Well-Conceived ‘Moon Over Buffalo’
One look at the set for Moon Over Buffalo, the current North Coast Repertory Theatre showbiz send-up, and you know what’s in store for the duration. About 48 1/2 doors line its perimeter, all ripe for the slamming; and if that doesn’t foretell a high farce, little else does. The story peaks a crumb too…
Read MoreSan Diego Theater in 2018 Marked a Long 15 Years of a Disconcerting Trend
Just as ‘Hamilton’ was the best show in the history of the universe in 2018, all wasn’t exactly right with the theater world. Case in point: San Diego had an enormous success in ‘Hamilton,’ even as its general theater climate has been quietly drifting toward commercial enterprise for some time.
Read MoreThe Bigger Picture Is Missing in NCR’s Unanchored ‘Always… Patsy Cline’
Patsy Cline, as much as anyone, fueled ‘50s and ‘60s country music into a major genre as rock commanded the music scene — even so, Cline harbored a dark side in her private persona. ‘Always… Patsy Cline’ is aboard right now at North Coast Repertory Theatre, but the piece heralds only what playwright Ted Swindley wants you to see.
Read MoreInnerMission’s Great ‘Melancholy Play’ Unearths a Vital Emotional Truth
Melancholy isn’t an easily defined state, yet its aftereffects are a powerful marker in the affected person’s emotional mix. Playwright Sarah Ruhl thinks it’s also an important component in mental health — and with InnerMission Productions’ very nice ‘Melancholy Play,’ it looks like she has a point.
Read MoreSensational ‘Wicked’ Is At Once Teacher and Cultural Marker
‘Wicked,’ whose rise to untold fame began 15 years ago, harbors life lessons that date to the advent of theater itself. Currently, the colossal Broadway San Diego production serves as an outstanding example.
Read MoreFamily Dynamic Comes to Call in TPN’s Earnest ‘Guadalupe in the Guest Room’
Television stakes its own reality, often at the expense of real life. In Teatro Pueblo Nuevo’s good ‘Guadalupe in the Guest Room’, a Mexico native and her former son-in-law learn this indelibly — and two cultures come away a little wiser.
Read More