Page 36 - 2015 Travel Guide to California

CA.PERFORMING ARTS
BY JEFF GREENWALD
On With the Show
For Californians, performance is a passion
waste to the notion of spending a quiet
evening (or even an afternoon) at home.
What would one expect, though, from
the birthplace of I Love Lucy and the home
of the San Francisco Mime Troupe? The
performing arts are one of California’s
great attractions, with a variety of
choices—sacred, profane and everything
in between—that is both inspiring and
maddening. A full accounting is impos-
sible, but here are some suggestions to
consider if you are visiting any of the
state’s urban hubs.
SAN FRANCISCO
OPERA
The world-renowned San Francisco
Opera is the second largest opera
company in North America.
Founded in 1923, the company’s first
performance was Puccini’s La
Bohème. Opera had been popular in
San Francisco since Gold Rush days,
but until 1923 had only been
performed by visiting opera
companies. Today, opening night is a
festive occasion, with the War
Memorial Opera House always
packed, above. A scene from a
recent production of La Bohème
appears above right.
Performance is the lifeblood of Cali-
fornia. From the Barbary Coast docks to the
Paramount studio lots, theater and music
have always been an indelible part of the
“Left Coast” spirit. It makes perfect sense
that, in the classic 1936 film San Francisco,
Mary Blake (Jeanette MacDonald) is singing
her heart out when the Great Earthquake
strikes. Today, nearly every town in Cali-
fornia boasts a stage of its own—from the
Lighthouse Repertory Theater in Crescent
City to San Diego’s Coronado Playhouse.
The state’s scores of concert halls, sym-
phony orchestras, jazz clubs, dance
companies, comedy troupes, cabarets,
operas, fringe festivals and circuses lay
Regional Theaters
In San Diego, near the Mexican border, the
La Jolla Playhouse has seen 24 of its pro-
ductions move across the continent to
Broadway, earning 35 Tony Awards. The Old
Globe Theater presents the plays of Shake-
speare (of course), as well as works by the
likes of Arthur Miller and an annual
Christmas production penned by a late
local resident: Dr. Seuss.
Los Angeles, naturally, features dozens
of small theater companies—such as Santa
Monica’s Open Fist, the Actor’s Co-op, the
diverse Cornerstone and Hollywood’s pro-
found Blank Theater (which hosts the
Young Playwrights Festival in June 2015).
The city’s star attraction is the Center The-
atre Group, with three stages: The Mark
Taper Forum, Kirk Douglas and Ahmanson
theaters. Here you’ll find everything from
top-shelf classics (including Noel Coward’s
Blithe Spirit in 2015) to cutting-edge solo
performance.
34 2015 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A
DREW ALTIZER/SF OPERA. OPPOSITE: KRISTEN LOKEN; JOAN MARCUS/FLIICKR