Local theaters blast into the past

Tom Titus

What do South Coast Repertory, UC Irvine and the Newport Theater Arts

Center have in common this weekend? Well, for one thing, they’re all

turning back the clock -- in SCR’s case, way back.

All three theaters are raising their curtains on oldies, with

Newport’s production of “The Subject Was Roses” the newest play of

the trio. And that one dates back some 40 years.

UCI has Shakespeare’s tragic love story “Romeo and Juliet” on the

stage of its Claire Trevor Theater, and as for South Coast Rep, the

fare is “Antigone” by Euripides, one of the classic Greek tragedies.

“Antigone” centers on the defiance of the title character,

daughter of Oedipus, who proceeds to bury her slain brother in

defiance of her ruler Creon’s decree. Kate Whoriskey is directing

this story of bitter confrontation in the name of moral conviction,

which dates from between 500 and 400 BC.

“I was intrigued by the timeliness of the play,” Whoriskey said.

“It’s remarkable how many similarities we can find between our world

and the world of Antigone. We are living in the after math of tragic

events. The natural response is to create a sense of security, but

eventually the very actions taken to provide order and stability can

limit personal freedom. ‘Antigone’ clearly expresses that idea.”

At UCI, “Romeo and Juliet” will receive a modern spin on

Shakespeare’s timeless story of young love. Director Cliff Faulkner’s

production offers a mixture of Renaissance Italy and contemporary

America with an eclectic musical score.

“The range demonstrates the way we’re trying to bridge

Shakespeare’s world with our own,” Faulkner said. “Just as

Shakespeare spoke in the vernacular and idiom of his own day, we’re

mixing in the gestures, visuals and eclectic musical sources of our

own times to further the passion and beauty of his gorgeous text.”

Conflicts, not as life-threatening but psychologically

life-changing, are presented at Newport Theater Arts Center in Frank

D. Gilroy’s Pulitzer Prize winner “The Subject Was Roses,” centering

on a son who went to war a pampered boy and returned a strengthened

man, caught in the Cold War between his squabbling parents.

“The theme is timeless as it portrays the young man’s struggles

for his parents’ understanding and, in turn, their pain in attempting

to come to terms with him and themselves,” director David Colley

said.

If conflict and tragedy aren’t what you’re looking for, there’s a

one-weekend-only presentation of “Journeys,” billed as a dance of

self-discovery, at Vanguard University. The heroine, Allyson, battles

obstacles that attempt to misplace her love of dancing.

“Audiences will love to share in this unique and vital form of

movement articulation,” said Deborah Marley, creator and director of

the special production at the Costa Mesa college.

To learn more about this weekend’s theater activity, call SCR at

(714) 708-5555, UCI at (949) 824-2011, Newport Theater Arts Center at

(949) 631-0288 or Vanguard at (714) 668-6145.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Fridays.