Faded Glory Celebrates a Blackguard’s American History

Daniel Edgar Sickles’ life should have been a movie – or perhaps a television mini-series…The Sickles story is the equivalent of a blackguard’s American history, and its sweep is all but guaranteed to enthrall…It’s too bad, then, that Tim Burns’ play about Sickles, Faded Glory, now in its world premiere production at North Coast Rep, trades sweep for being shut up with a grumpy old man at the end of his life…

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World Premiere of Paul Robeson Play at La Jolla Playhouse Resonates with Contemporary Events

Mr. Beaty’s subject is Paul Robeson, the singer and actor who rose to the heights of his profession prior to and during World War II and then plummeted to the depths by his open admiration for equal treatment of people of color within the Soviet Union, an admiration that soured once Stalin came to power. Nevertheless, Mr. Robeson was called before the House UnAmerican Activities Committee, and like so many artists so called, he lost his prestige and his ability to work as an entertainer for years to come.

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Triple Threat Needs Help With John Doe Musical

Featured picture for John Doe

On the surface John Doe is about a man (Michael Nieto) who ends up in a hospital emergency room with no identification and apparently in a coma. He is cared for by one nurse in particular (Rachel Propst), who takes a liking to him without knowing anything about him. Also hanging about are five fairly stereotypical and one-dimensional men who are not seen by the staff but who watch the goings on from a set of waiting room chairs. A sixth character (Jane Lui), who it turns out, is John’s wife, flits in and out like a mental case, clinging to one or more of the men.

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