Jazz + Cajun Food = Yum

What goes better with hot Lousiana jazz than spicy Cajun cuisine? Our friends at Gulf Coast Grill are getting in the spirit of New Orleans by offering an exclusive dinner package for our concert featuring the Preservation Hall Jazz Band on Thursday March 4.

Gulf Coast Grill was born out of love for good times and good food. Their hot menu is inspired by the flavorful and diversified cuisines of the Gulf Coast, the home of New Orleans jazz. On the night of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band concert, Gulf Coast Grill offers two options:

 

DINNER A

- Glass of House Wine

- Soup or Salad

- Entrée Choices: Seafood Gumbo, Jambalaya OR Mississippi Catfish

- One Preservation Hall Jazz Band ticket (25% discount)

Dinner and Gold Circle ticket: $56 per person

Dinner and Reserved ticket: $49 per person

DINNER B

- Glass of House Wine

- Soup or Salad

- Choice of entrée from the menu

- One Preservation Hall Jazz Band ticket (25% discount)

Dinner and Gold Circle ticket: $62 per person

Dinner and Reserved ticket: $55 per person

(This ticket price is not valid for previously purchased tickets. If you’ve already purchased your concert ticket, Gulf Coast Grill will give you a 20% discount if you dine there on the event night - just show your ticket.)

You can buy these dinner and ticket packages directly from Gulf Coast Grill: 619-295-2244 or gulfcoastgrill@gmail.com.

Gulf Coast Grill is a short drive from the theatre, at 4130 Park Blvd. near the intersection of Park Blvd., El Cajon Blvd. and Normal St. in the North Park/Hillcrest area of San Diego. We'll see you there!

Announcing our 2010-11 Season!

Oh boy, are we going to have fun next season! Ready for a musical trip around the world?

It’ll be our 32nd season, if you can believe that. We find it a little hard to believe ourselves sometimes. But you can bet that after 32 years of doing this, we know what works, what’s great, what audiences will love, and what will give both our veteran artists and the new up-and-comers the best possible showcase for their talents on our stage.

(A reminder: all our productions feature our own live orchestra and talented singers, performed at our own Birch North Park Theatre. Why do we always mention that? Because there just simply aren’t all that many musical theatre companies that consistently offer that these days.)

We’re starting the season in Paris, with Lerner & Loewe’s Gigi, based on the classic film musical of the same name. The musical is by the same talented guys that gave us My Fair Lady. Gigi hasn’t been seen live in San Diego in more than 20 years. Our J. Sherwood Montgomery will take the Maurice Chevalier role, singing that famous ditty “Thank Heaven for Little Girls.”

“Figaro, Figaro!” Next it’s off to Seville, Spain, for one of the most popular comic operas of all time - The Barber of Seville. The lovely Emily Douglass, most recently seen here as our Daughter of the Regiment, will be back as Rosina.

Our Venice Beach staging of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers is a real crowd-pleaser, so we’re bringing it back with a fresh new cast. The show is full of tuneful melodies and snappy patter that keep the story moving between the imaginary kingdoms of Venice and Barataria, poking fun of nobility and royalty as only G&S can.

And finally, we wrap up with a trip back in time to Tsarist Russia as our own G.D. Leon Natker reprises one of his signature roles, Tevye in the record-breaking, award-winning Broadway smash Fiddler on the Roof. If you’ve never seen Leon perform this role – here’s your chance. He’ll be joined by Jimmy Ferraro (who was our Sancho in Man of La Mancha) for his first turn as Lazar Wolf. This will be a show not to be missed.

Here’s the bottom line: you can get all four shows for $108 to $188. That’s less than it costs to see just one show at some musical theatre or opera companies. Want to subscribe? www.lyricoperasandiego.org  or (619) 293-8836.

We blush at the praise in this review. But we agree! Thanks, Uptown News!

Raves for "A Little Night Music"

We're back! Opening weekend of "A Little Night Music" went off beautifully. We never get tired of this beautiful show and our cast is simply magnificent. Don't take just our word for it:


"Mr. Gregory made for a very likable Fredrik, and Mr. Ayers lived up to his advance billing as someone who is going places, both as a singer and as an actor. Ms. Chappell was both sly and regal as the worldly-wise countess. As Désirée, Ms. Huber was luminous and her take on "Send in the Clowns," probably the most popular song in the Sondheim canon, was entirely fresh." - Bill Eadie, sandiego.com 


"Among the principals, Andrea Huber’s Désirée Armfeldt is an unalloyed delight, by turns earthy and wise, glamorous and giddy."  "Raymond Ayers as Count Malcolm threatened to take over the show every time he was onstage, singing with a big, punchy baritone and acting with a sure sense of style."  "...a rewarding evening in the theater." - Marcus Overton, San Diego Union-Tribune


"A Little Night Music" has four performances left this week and weekend, so if you haven't bought your tickets yet... you know what to do.

"A Little Night Music" Photos

Last night's final dress rehearsal of "A Little Night Music" has us inordinately excited about opening night tomorrow. The show is beautiful to look at, beautifully staged, and the cast is one of the finest we have ever assembled. (Above: Scott Gregory as Frederik and Andrea Huber as Desiree.)


We've posted Ken Jacques' photos on our Facebook page, so you can see for yourself. (While you're there, become a Fan!)

Sondheim on "Send in the Clowns"

Speaking of "Send in the Clowns," here's an interesting video featuring composer Stephen Sondheim talking about how he wrote the song from "A Little Night Music" that became his biggest commercial hit.

Valentine's Day Dinner Package at West Coast Tavern

     LOSD fans, here's a great Valentine's Day special offer: How about a pair of tickets to "A Little Night AND dinner for two at West Coast Tavern for just $115!

     Come to the Valentine's Day matinee show at 2:30pm and then follow it up with a delicious prix-fixe dinner right across the lobby, at West Coast Tavern at 5pm. On the menu: choice of Dungeness crab cakes with spicy remoulade or steak tartare with traditional accompaniments; choice of pan-roasted pork tenderloin with molasses mustard glaze, smashed sweet potatoes and sauteed greens or lemon spice-crusted scallops with citrus beurre blanc, crispy potato cakes and grilled asparagus; and choice of panna cotta with strawberry balsamic reduction or chocolate flourless torte with raspberry coulis.

     Click on this link and scroll down for details and to purchase the package - NOT AVAILABLE THROUGH OUR BOX OFFICE. Happy Valentine's Day!

There Should Be Clowns…

“A Little Night Music” may be one of Stephen Sondheim’s many Broadway hit shows, but it stands out from all the rest because it is the show that gave Sondheim his only pop hit to date: the ballad “Send in the Clowns.”

Even those who have no idea who Stephen Sondheim is, and who have never heard of “A Little Night Music,” instantly recognize “Send in the Clowns,” which has become a jazz standard performed by everyone from Judy Collins and Frank Sinatra to Kenny Rogers and, most famously, Barbra Streisand. From the very first bars and the opening line, “Isn’t it rich?”, audiences know they are in for a musical and vocal treat that is also achingly romantic and bittersweet.

The principal character, Desirée, sings the ballad in Act II of “A Little Night Music.” She reflects on the ironies and disappointments of her life, reacting to her former lover Frederik’s rejection after she urges him to leave his young wife and reunite with her. The song is later reprised as a coda after Frederik’s young wife runs away with his son, and Frederik is finally free to accept Desirée’s offer.

Sondheim wrote the lyrics and music over a two-day period during rehearsals for the play's Broadway debut. He wrote the song specifically for the actress Glynis Johns, who created the role of Desirée on Broadway. According to Sondheim, “Glynis had a lovely, crystal voice, but sustaining notes was not her thing. I wanted to write short phrases, so I wrote a song full of questions,” and the song’s melody is within a small music range. It became Sondheim’s most popular song after Judy Collins (right) recorded it in 1975. Subsequently, many other famous artists have recorded the song, and it has become a jazz standard.

Click here to see a video clip of Barbra Streisand sing "Send in the Clowns."

Is it, in fact, a song about the circus, as some assume from the title? Uh, no. The “clowns” symbolize fools, as Sondheim has explained in various interviews: when it comes to love, we are all capable of being fools. In the song, Desirée experiences both deep regret and furious anger, allowing artists a wide range of interpretations to play with in performing the song.

“Send in the Clowns” can now be found on more than 900 recordings by hundreds of performers, including Frank Sinatra, Shirley Bassey, Bing Crosby, Frida (of ABBA), Grace Jones, Mel Tormé, Frankie Laine, Elizabeth Taylor (for the 1978 film adaptation of “A Little Night Music,” in which she starred); Carmen McRae, Many Patinkin, Angela Lansbury, Barbra Streisand, Bryan Ferry, Glenn Close, Tom Jones, the Tiger Lilies, and even Krusty the Clown on “The Simpsons.” We’re sure you have your favorite version. But we’re also quite sure hearing the gorgeous Andrea Huber sing it LIVE on our stage will be an experience to remember. Buy your tickets… now!

Dinner and a Play for Valentine’s Day! What Could Be More Romantic?

If you’re planning a perfectly romantic evening with your sweetie, look no further than our production “A Little Night Music” at the Birch North Park Theatre, combined with dinner or dessert at one of the fabulous restaurants within steps of the theatre.

“A Little Night Music” includes some of the most romantic music ever written for Broadway, including the bittersweet “Send in the Clowns,” made famous by Barbra Streisand and countless other great jazz and pop singers. The play itself is a wonderful tribute to love of all kinds – young love, unrequited love, lost love, and the incomparable happiness of lost love regained after the rekindling of an former romance. Although each couple takes the audience along on an emotional roller-coaster ride throughout the show, in the end true love triumphs and all is as it should be. What could be more fitting on Valentine’s Day weekend?

As for dinner, there are so many options in our vibrant neighborhood that the hardest part is deciding where to eat. Of course, there’s the lively West Coast Tavern right in our lobby, where a full bar and bistro menu make a great casual meal. Steps away on neighboring streets, choices include Urban Solace, Sea Rocket Bistro, The Linkery, the brand-new North Park Fish Market & Grill, Rancho’s Natural Foods, Spread, and Peking House, to name just a few. And for coffee and dessert after the show, there’s Starbucks on our corner, Claire de Lune Coffee Lounge right across the street, and the aptly named Heaven Sent Desserts one block away. Make it an evening to remember with theatre tickets and a wonderful meal! Happy Valentine’s Day!

San Diego Veteran Kandis Chappell Makes Lyric Opera Debut in “A Little Night Music”

San Diego theater fans will be delighted to learn a beloved local veteran, Kandis Chappell, is finally coming to our stage as Madame Armfeldt in “A Little Night Music”!

Kandis grew up in San Diego and is an Associate Artist of the Old Globe Theatre. She did her first show as a prop girl there and has since appeared in more than 25 Old Globe productions. She has performed in numerous productions at South Coast Rep in Costa Mesa, and earned Los Angeles Drama Critics’ Circle Awards for Outstanding Lead Performance for four of those shows, more than any other actor. The productions for which she was recognized show her tremendous range: “The Crucible,” “Shadowlands,” “Woman in Mind,” and “Collected Stories.”

Outside San Diego, Kandis has worked at theatres across the country including Lincoln Center, the Huntington in Boston, Milwaukee Rep, Seattle Rep, ACT in San Francisco, the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, and North Coast Rep in Solana Beach. We can’t wait to see her Lyric Opera San Diego debut in this wonderful role of Madame Armfeldt, who acts as a sort of dramatic compass in this wonderful show, Feb. 12-21 at the Birch North Park Theatre. If you haven’t bought your tickets yet, do it today!