On Theater: Laguna Playhouse gears up for 98th season
It was founded in 1920 and has been continuously operating ever since, the first 50 years as a community theater, the last 48 as a professional equity operation.
The Laguna Playhouse is by far the oldest theater in Orange County, perhaps in California, and certainly among the most senior showplaces in the nation. And it’s getting ready to present its 98th season in 2017-18.
Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham and Executive Director Ellen Richard have selected a lineup of stage productions both familiar and somewhat foreign, beginning in early July with a show that recently was presented live on television.
That would be “Hairspray,” the rollicking musical focusing on a chubby teenager in 1962 Baltimore who battles for integration on a local dance show. This winner of eight Tony awards will inhabit the playhouse from July 5 through 30.
The musical theme continues with “A Night With Janis Joplin,” bringing the late pop star front and center from her beginnings in 1967 to her mercurial journey as the queen of rock ‘n’ roll. Creator Randy Johnson will direct the show, which will run from Aug. 16 through Sept. 10.
“Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me. Aren’t you?” Movie fans will have no trouble associating that line with its cinematic source — “The Graduate,” which will be presented from Oct. 4 through 22. Michael Matthews will direct the stage version of the classic flick made indelible in the 1960s by Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft.
The theme becomes somewhat darker with “I Am My Own Wife,” which despite the lightness of the title, will relate the story of a woman who survived the Nazis and the repressive East German Communist regime by keeping a deep, dark secret. Jenny Sullivan will direct the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning production, which runs from Jan. 10 through 28.
The classic TV drama that became a landmark movie, Reginald Rose’s “12 Angry Men,” will take over the Laguna stage from Feb. 28 to March 18. Tension inside a jury room mounts as a dozen jurors debate the fate of a young man accused of killing his father.
The next show, running from April 4 through 22, hasn’t been announced. It’s identified only as the “artistic director’s choice,” and Wareham describes it as “a very special show.”
“Clybourne Park,” Bruce Norris’ winner of the Tony and Pulitzer Prize, is the fare for May 30 to June 17. It’s a spinoff of Lorraine Hansberry’s drama, “A Raisin in the Sun,” and is described as a “razor-sharp satire.”
The season comes with a bonus option, “Aladdin & Jasmine’s Winter Wish.” Geared toward younger audiences, it’s a classic fairytale set to modern music. It’ll be on the Laguna stage from Dec. 7 through 31.
The playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, currently is offering subscriptions to the 2017-18 season and may be reached at (949) 497-2787 or online at www.lagunaplayhouse.com.
TOM TITUS reviews local theater.
