Raging Lagunatics

Suzie Harrison

Longtime Laguna Beach resident Bree Burgess Rosen has been serving

Laguna Beach satire and parody with her roast of life on the coast

for more than a decade -- this year she’ll be dishing it out

differently.

Sans the milk and the spoon you’ll find all the flakey regulars,

hilarity and more in this bowl, when “Lagunatics” hits center stage

at the Festival of Arts grounds Oct. 16 and 17.

Each year since its inception in 1992 -- “Lagunatics” creator

Burgess Rosen tackles the timely topics that have taken place over

the past 12 months and pokes fun at local, regional and international

politics, issues and controversies that have affected Lagunans.

With Burgess Rosen’s brilliance and lighting fast wit, she said

she tries not to be too vicious to people -- only to subjects. But

she promised there would be random moments of madness.

“I love to play politics but not for real,” Burgess Rosen said.

Some of this year’s topics include Laguna’s skyrocketing real

estate market, parking challenges, kelp reforesting, Montage Resort

and Spa’s purchase of the Aliso Creek golf course and same sex

marriage.

Burgess Rosen has contemplated doing a piece about the Laguna

trolleys for a while and finally the right elements came together to

make it happen.

“We have a performance about the free summer trolleys,” Burgess

Rosen said. “It’s really tight and takes a lot of practice.”

The writing team delivers all its tongue-in-cheek humor and

cleverly written lyrics to the melodies of songs ranging from pop,

operetta, classics and smash Broadway hits. Rosen, Chris Quilter,

Adam Hemming, Todd Payton Leach and Paul Leighton Nygro wrote this

year’s show.

“The hardest thing is not showing my personal politics,” Burgess

Rosen said. “I try to be an equal opportunity skewer.”

Burgess Rosen said they never run out of material and actually

have to cut a lot because there is always something to poke fun of

when it comes to Laguna.

“There were seven or eight numbers we wrote and didn’t use, and

another 10 or 12 ideas we abandoned,” Burgess Rosen said. “Stuff gets

drafted out. We have to cut it because of time, if it’s too similar

[to another piece] or if a person is already doing three numbers.”

Hemming and Payton wrote the finale, which Burgess Rosen described

as so clever, fun and fast.

“My favorite number is a surprise encore from a past show,”

Burgess Rosen said. Burgess Rosen said Quilter helped so much with

ideas all year long.

Quilter said it’s his second year writing being on the writing

team and he’s hooked. He said the writers would brainstorm ideas and

they would have too much fun sitting around the table, “laughing and

laughing and laughing.”

“I wrote a good chunk of this year’s show,” Quilter said. “It’s

more fun than anything and a deeply silly show. These are times the

more silliness the better.”

He stays away from the stage though and leaves the actual

performances to others.

“I have no discernible talent for live performance,” Quilter said.

“There are wonderfully gifted people in the cast, they’re just

terrific.”

It takes a huge amount of work with rehearsals almost every night

beginning six weeks before the show.

“They’re all running on vapors and I am just sitting back

[watching rehearsals] filing my nails and eating bon bons,” Quilter

said. “For a writer there’s nothing much to do at that point. It is

just so fun to watch.”

Quilter echoed Burgess Rosen sentiments that Hemming is hugely

important to “Lagunatics.”

“The common element is Bree and Adam -- he wears three or four

hats and Bree wears three or four hats,” Quilter said. “The rest of

us just wear a hat a piece.”

Per usual “Lagunatics” cast includes and eclectic mix of

professional talent, as well as town dignitaries such as police chief

Jim Spriene, city treasurer Laura Parisi, several council members.

Over the years, “Lagunatics” has contributed thousands of dollars

to charities including Laguna Shanti and Laguna Beach Community

Clinic and has donated to local nonprofit organizations such as No

Square Theatre.

“Lagunatics” usually sells out well in advance and seating is

limited to the front 1,000 seats. Tickets are $45 to $55 for

Saturday’s performance and $60 to $70 for Sunday. Both shows begin at

7 p.m. at 650 Laguna Canyon Road in the Irvine Bowl. For tickets,

call (949) 497-2584 or online https://www.lagunatics.info.

No Square Theatre’s annual fundraiser gala is from 6 to 7 p.m.

Oct. 17 prior to “Lagunatics” on the festival grounds. Admission is

$15 or free with admission to “Lagunatics.” A portion of “Lagunatics”

proceeds will be donated to No Square.