Theatre Talk – The good, the bad and the musical

Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal

Special to The Village News

Playwright Simon Stephens is a professor of scriptwriting at Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK. It is one of his recent works I observed this afternoon, Sunday, Jan. 30. From the little I've observed by this production, Stephens has a very high opinion of himself coupled with a monumental ego.

The first evidence that this was gonna be a stinker is the name of the production, "Heisenberg." Werner Heisenberg is the father of the "uncertainty principle."

Wikipedia: "A German physicist and Nobel laureate, Werner Heisenberg defines the uncertainty principle, stating that we cannot know both the position and speed of a particle, such as a photon or electron, with perfect accuracy; the more we nail down the particle's position, the less we know about its speed and vice versa." Got that?

"Heisenberg" was even a recent answer on Jeopardy. Like this obscure and irrelevant mathematical principle, Stephens' play at Scripps Ranch Theater is vague and irrelevant.

Here is the thing. Actors cannot be blamed for doing their jobs. Alex Priest (Charlie Reindeau) and Georgie Burns (Denae Steele) did what they were cast to do. They learned their lines, their blocking, and understood their relationship. They each deserve high praise for making it through this one-act anomaly.

Maybe it's still sells in the UK where young misses are forever trying to marry into the aristocracy, but really, didn't we all get past that with Di and Chuck? On this side of the pond, the old May-December relationships died out with Bogie and Becall. Nobody in this decade buys a 75-year old butcher and a 42 year old woman elementary school receptionist having sex; it doesn't sell over here because Stephens didn't make us care about either of them.

What isn't clear is why director Charles Peters bothered to bring it to San Diego. "Heisenberg," like the mathematical theory, babbles along through 80 minutes of gibberish with no direction or reason for being.

I do not blame the cast. Actors never know if they are learning lines for a stinker or a hit. It's not up to them. That is the producer's job and the director's job. Both failed on this one.

"Heisenberg" runs for a few more weeks. Check ScrippsRanchTheatre.org or call 858-395-0573 for more information. Senior tickets start at only $36. The show is in a black box theater inside Alliant International University at 9783 Avenue of Nations off Pomerado Rd. at I-15 south. This show is rated 7 out of 10.

When it comes to good theater, I believe all is better with vodka. And such is the new show at The Cygnet Theater in Old Town, "Life Sucks." The advance publicity suggests when life gives you lemons, make lemonade but add vodka. What could be better than that? I will see it within the next few weeks. Meanwhile, preview tickets cost less, so you might wish to check it out. For tickets, call 619-337-1525 or visit http://www.cygnettheatre.com.

Temecula Valley Players opens with "Clue" this week. This is bound to be a hoot and it's close to home. Tickets start at $18 and there isn't a bad seat in the house at 42051 Main St., Temecula, 951-653-8696.

I'll report on "Catch Me If You Can," the delightful musical based on the book turned movie with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, directed by Steven Spielberg, about a prep school dropout who's many impersonations from an airline pilot to doctor landed him into trouble. It's opening at San Diego Musical Theater at their new location at 4650 Mercury St. For tickets, call 858-560-5740 or visit SDMT.org.

I forgot to mention The Welk Theater, just off 1-15 in Escondido; they're running "Nunsense" or wisdom from the abbey. The Welk Resort has been freshened and provides a comfortable outing to the theater. Easiest way to get tickets is to call the resort at 760-749-3182 and ask to be transferred to the ticket office.

Meanwhile, coming to the New Village Arts theater in Carlsbad is the world premiere of "Desert Rock Garden" a fictional imagining of an experience inside a Japanese internment camp. This will be the NVA directorial debut for Pilipinx-somatic director Yari Cervas. This cozy theater offers ample leg room, free parking on the street or behind the theater, plus there is great ice cream across the street. Located at 2787 State St. in Carlsbad. For tickets, call 760-433-3245 or visit http://www.nva.org.

North Coast Rep continues with "Measure for Measure" until Feb. 12. For tickets, call 858-481-1055 or visit northcoastrep.org. It is located in Solana Beach at 987 Lomas Santa Fe just off I-5 south.

The Old Globe in Balboa Park is running two shows concurrently. "Trouble In Mind" is the backstage experiences of a multiracial cast performing in the south at the Shively Theatre until March 13. "El Borracho" is a Mexican-American family story told through the vibrancy of their music. Tickets: 619-234-5623 or http://www.theoldglobe.org.

Downtown San Diego Rep and Broadway San Diego will reopen in March.

As a reminder, only fully vaccinated patrons with masks will be allowed into San Diego theaters.

Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal can be reached at [email protected].