Posts by Welton Jones
‘Hunchback’ Fills The Stage at La Jolla
Quasimodo. Esmeralda and the rest of Victor Hugo’s 15th Century Paris will probably end up on Broadway, produced by the almighty Disney machine, but meanwhile, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” is flexing many a theatrical muscle on the La Jolla Playhouse stage.
Read MoreBoxing as Ritual in Old Globe’s “The Royale”
Boxing is far too violently intense for easy stage interpretation but Rachel Chavkin’s ritual staging of Marco Ramirez’s play “The Royale,” now at the Old Globe Theatre, shows that imagination and skill can respect the sport while ming it for metaphor.
Read More“Bright Star”: Globe’s Reward For the Faithful
Bright Star, a new musical now in its world premiere at the Old Globe Theatre, is a very special show, one to be cherished and recalled from now on, the sort of reward that avid theatregoers dream of. Steve Martin, who just seems never to
Read MoreOnly the Boots are Kinky in Jolly British Musical
Kinky Boots isn’t at all what one might expect. No guys hook up with other guys, no loss of dignity is required, no pain is inflicted and outrageous tastes are revealed as mere…
Read MoreIn La Jolla Playhouse “Kingdom City,” Censorship Brings Its Usual Result
The bedrock reality of censorship is that it doesn’t work. Things learned cannot be unlearned. Confused, distorted, condemned, even forgotten, but never erased. So battles over access to knowledge ultimately are nothing but struggles for power. Check out the early part of Geneses in the Bible. Or catch Sheri Wilner’s new play Kingdom City, now…
Read More‘Two Gents’ Trimmed and Polished for Old Globe
Is it possible trim ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’ down to 100 minutes and still deliver the goods? Of course it is.
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