The Trickster from Kooza

Every two years San Diego gets a little more exciting as the creative wizards from Cirque du Soleil set up the Gran Chapiteau (French for Big Top) at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. In 2010 they are bringing the traveling show Kooza from February 25 to March 14.

Click Here to get your tickets before they are available to the general public and you receive $10 off.

Act fast, as the presale ends on November 7.

Kooza gives you a great reason to make it a long weekend and come on down to San Diego to enjoy the show and the city.

Kooza has all the amazing acrobatics and theatrics you would expect from Cirque, but I am really interested in seeing an act called the “Wheel of Death.”

Tags: San Diego Events, theater

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Pop in here when you visit and get the real scoop on Carlsbad!

I thought I did.  Legos, flowers, strawberries and surfing, right?

Actually, yes.  But there’s so much more!

On a recent visit, I found out there’s also a charming, walkable downtown full of cute shops, an awesome slice of Hollywood history meets hacienda, a museum dedicated to rocking out (debuting the first ever MOOG exhibit on Aug. 29) and a thriving, dare-I-say urban, theater scene.  

During my explorations, I got to meet Kristianne Kurner, actor, director, producer and one of the founders of the New Village Arts Theater (yep, I feel like an underachiever!), located just steps from the Coaster stop in downtown Carlsbad, and I was totally charmed by both her and the 99-seat theater. 

When I was there, NVA’s professional ensemble was busy rehearsing and just about to open their Summer Comedy Festival (running through Aug. 16) but they were kind enough to give me a backstage tour of the show and their brand-new on-site art studios.  

Run by world-class artists (Kristianne and the other founders are alums of The Actors Studio - yes, that one), NVA has been producing critically-acclaimed plays for 8 seasons up in Carlsbad and they’re just about to kick off season 9 with a couple of regional premieres, some Tennessee Williams, a Pulitzer Prize winner and a smart comedy by none other than The Jerk (I love that he’s a writer!) about Picasso and Einstein in Belle Epoque Paris.

I thought I knew Carlsbad but turns out, it’s full of surprises.  If you head up there, I’d recommend stopping at their visitor center (in the gorgeous, historic Santa Fe train depot) and letting them point you in the right direction.

Tags: Carlsbad, flower fields, legoland, museum, strawberries, surfing, theater

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San Diego is a major theater town.  Productions that premiere here head off to the Great White Way every year. Lately, we’ve had a lot of luck with musicals like The Old Globe’s Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and La Jolla Playhouse’s Tony Award-winning Jersey Boys. 

In fact, debuting this fall on Broadway is Memphis which I saw right here, at La Jolla Playhouse, last year. It’s good, check it out if you’re in NYC!

What does this mean for you? Especially if you’re visiting San Diego? Well, you can brag to theater buffs that you saw it first in San Diego. 

This season, if luck holds, it looks like The Old Globe is giving musical fans a chance to preview another (future) Broadway show with the world premiere of The First Wive’s Club: A New Musical showing now through Aug. 23 in Balboa Park. 

Check out a preview of the show with new songs by Motown legends Holland-Dozier-Holland:

PS.  This is our 100th post.  Hooray!

Tags: balboa park, La Jolla Playhouse, musical, old globe, theater

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Wicked

I am super excited that Broadway San Diego is bringing Wicked back to San Diego this summer!  I missed it when it was here in 2006, and have been waiting patiently (or at least somewhat-patiently) for its return! 

Wicked will be playing at the San Diego Civic Center from July 29 – August 30.  For those who aren’t familiar with the story (what rock have you been hiding under?!), here’s the official blurb:

Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz.  One – born with emerald-green skin – is smart, fiery and misunderstood.  The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular.  WICKED tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, and how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.

I am particularly excited for this show, as I just recently saw the Lamb’s Player Theatre’s production of Godspell down the street at the Horton Grand Theater.  The lyrics and music for Godspell were written by Stephen Schwartz, who also did the music and lyrics for Wicked!

If only Wicked drew as dedicated an audience as Comic Con!  Wouldn’t it be awesome to have the theater filled with audience members with green faces and tall, pointy black hats?!

Tags: downtown, theater

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• It’s prime time for pride time because the 34th Annual San Diego LGBT Pride Parade and Festival takes place this weekend. On Saturday at 11 a.m. the pride parade sweeps the streets from Hillcrest to Balboa Park with over 180 celebrating floats. Then on Saturday and Sunday, the party continues with the pride festival in Balboa Park featuring multiple entertainment stages, musicians, bands, comedy and dance performers, art exhibits, music and great food. The parade is free and single day tickets to the festival are $20. 
• The Annual U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition takes place this weekend in Imperial Beach with a street festival
  

  hopefully this sand guy won't sneeze

  pre-party on Saturday and the official competition on Sunday. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., teams of professional and amateur “sand carvers” get down and dirty as they create some of the most extraordinary sculptures out of sand and water. The sand masterpieces will be available for viewing until 4 p.m., before the tide comes in and Mother Nature shows those sand carvers what she really thinks about their work.  

• If you like visors (what? how random!), head down to PETCO Park to help the San Diego Padres celebrate their 40th anniversary this Saturday as they play the Colorado Rockies. The games start at 7:05 p.m. and all fans in attendance will receive a complimentary Padres retro visor as a thank-you gift… See, I was going somewhere with that. 
• This weekend is opening weekend for the World Premiere of The First Wives Club at the Old Globe theatre. Bound for Broadway you can catch it here in San Diego first! Daytime and nighttime performances are available and ticket prices vary. “And remember girls, don’t get even, get everything!”
• This Saturday, check out the Old Town Saturday Market on Harney Street, one of the largest weekly artisan fairs in San Diego. Here, you’ll find handmade pottery, jewelry, clothing, blow glass and more. There will also be live music and festive entertainment. Ole!

Tags: 5 to try, balboa park, baseball, festival, free, imperial beach, music, old town, Petco Park, summer, theater, things to do

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Check out this amazing contest from the Tony Award-winning La Jolla Playhouse:

Tags: contest, La Jolla Playhouse, theater

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