Playhouse offers ’36 Views’ -- it’s all about art

Tom Titus

Laguna Beach, as we’re all aware, is known as the Art Colony. And the

upcoming production at the Laguna Playhouse should generate a ton of

local interest.

It’s called “36 Views,” and it’s all about art. Playwright Naomi

Iizuka has woven her story around a document which might be an

ancient manuscript -- a priceless Japanese pillow book.

In this Southern California premiere production, an art dealer and

an art historian endeavor to learn whether their find is authentic.

In the process, their search becomes, to quote the playhouse’s

brochure, “an erotic game of greed, love, and mental hide-and-seek as

the play explores the relationships between feelings and words,

objects and photographs of objects, antiques and perfect copies and a

woman’s heritage and her physical features.”

Sound intriguing? You’ll get the chance to find out this weekend.

The show, directed by Chay Yew, opens Saturday after a week of

previews and will run through Jan. 30.

“Naomi Iizuka has created a carefully textured exploration of the

meaning of truth -- not just in the art world but in the human heart

as well,” according to the show’s advance publicity.

Meanwhile, the one-nun comedy presentation “Late Nite Catechism”

continues well into its second year of dark night performances at the

Playhouse. This would be the hit comedy by Vicki Quade and Maripat

Donovan, an evening of “uproarious interactive theater,” to quote one

review of the show.

The two-act solo performance features Sister giving instruction to

a roomful of students (the audience). Throughout the course of the

class the benevolent instructor rewards her “students” for correct

answers with glow-in-the-dark rosaries and other nifty prizes.

Naughty students may well find themselves on stage sitting in a

corner reflecting upon their actions.

Classes are in session every Monday at 7:30 p.m. through Jan. 24

-- although that’s subject to change, since the show has been held

over repeatedly ever since its debut in September. That’s September,

2003 -- which means the Laguna production of “Catechism” will now be

in its third calendar year as of next week.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Coastline Pilot.