La Jolla Playhouse

Elite '08

100

388

Denise M.

San Francisco, CA

It's a small theater, but it's big enough so that you don't feel like you're sitting on the stage with the actors.  It's a fun time where a 'condensed' show is performed.  I love it.  

You don't need the huge 3000 seat auditorium to enjoy a good show.  I'd rather see the actors closer.  Entertain yourself with a Broadway musical in miniature at this intimate venue tucked away in beautiful La Jolla.

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Elite '08

77

220

Julie E.

Los Angeles, CA

I just saw a performance of CRY-BABY in it's trial run before Broadway, and it was a great show! It was an invite-only event, and the entire John Waters crew was there: the man himself, Ricki Lake (she's really thin!), the original Link and Tracy from HAIRSPRAY, Katherine McPhee and her old bf, Karyn Manheim...what a fun-filled show! I had never been on UCSD's campus, and it was a chilly, misty night, which only enhanced the Dr. Seuss-ness of it all. A wonderful little theater - not a bad seat in the house!

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2

9

Shera R.

Long Beach, CA

They are one of the most innovative large theatres in the country... I've seen  some great stuff like "after the quake" and "Carmen" and some not so great - but still memorable stuff like "mother courage" (the actor couldn't remember her lines)
they dare to try new things and create a conversation amongst the audience that the other theatres around just won't do.

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Elite '08

69

716

David O.

Vallejo, CA

I saw the most demented piece of modern theatre ever produced here at The La Jolla Playhouse.   It was Happy Days by Samuel Beckett sometime in 1996.

The whole play's bent... but the really twisted part (twisted as in the movie 'Pi' or 'Requiem for a Dream', if you catch my drift) is this 130 Decibel alarm bell that goes off every once in a while...  130 decibels, by the way, is the threshold of pain in human hearing.   By the time you're halfway through the play, you start whimpering in utter fear that this alarm is going to go off and hammer the inner core of your brain.   Meanwhile, the actors remain nonchalant as ever, not even noticing this evil menacing sound.

I have since moved from San Diego, and there are several things I miss dearly.   If I lived there now, though, I can assure you I'd have season tickets to La Jolla Playhouse because its productions (this play and others I've seen that were equally good, albeit not nearly as marking) truly make going to the theatre pure joy.

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Elite '08

15

56

Heather O.

San Diego, CA

Just saw THE WIZ. It was excellent and boasted a stellar cast in a tricked out set that wrapped around the whole theatre! Talent washed the stage from the singers, to the dancers, to the slightly hidden musicians. I love to see working entertainers in  quality productions like this. This new rendition of the 1975 version was well written for 2006 and had a lot of humor. Bravo LJP!

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389

588

Christine C.

San Diego, CA

It is a little piece of Broadway in San Diego. La Jolla Playhouse has produced some of the most acclaimed plays in recent history and it is right here in our backyard. Weather or not you are a fan of the extravagant productions like "Zhivago" or "The Wiz," you have to admit that the La Jolla Playhouse has something unique to offer when it comes to the theatre.
Personally, I don't think every play produced by the Playhouse is genius, but what I love about the institution is its immense contribution to the San Diego theatre scene.
Sure, I get a warm fuzzy feeling inside when I recall my memories of watching "Jersey Boys," but unlike most local, theatre buffs, I don't pray to the La Jolla Playhouse alter on a daily basis.
But the Playhouse is unique because it is in San Diego, not New York.  So even if you are not into theatre (and considering the amount of crap theatre out there, I don't blame you) you shouldn't take the location of the Playhouse for granted. It certainly beats flying to New York.

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