Godspeed
Remembering Priscilla Allen, and the rest of this week's theater happenings
In her later years, Priscilla Allen didn’t work the stages as often as most of the local talent pool. But after her 2004 performance as the Corpulent Gentleman in Vantage Theatre’s The Painting, she didn’t really need to. Anybody who saw that legendary turn was touched for the ages—and now, the ages have claimed the Gentleman herself. Allen died Thursday, Aug. 14, at age 70 in her La Jolla home after a lengthy illness. Numerous education and acting awards and, above all, an exhaustive attention to detail marked her 40 years’ local stage work. She’d even stake a claim to immortality in pop cinema culture—if you remember the exploding head from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Total Recall, you’re already a step ahead in your familiarity with Allen’s work. Very, very few performers of Allen’s caliber grace even fewer stages throughout San Diego or, most certainly, anywhere else. A tribute for Allen will be held at The Lyceum Theatre, 79 Horton Plaza, Downtown, from noon to 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 21.
Now playing
* All’s Well That Ends Well: Helena jumps through a bunch of hoops to land her man, and she finds that this marriage thing isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Through Sept. 27 at The Old Globe’s Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. $56-$64. 619-23-GLOBE or www.oldglobe.org.
* Nemesis: Two schlubs who work at a pretzel factory stage a fight to the finish that takes them around the globe. Produced by Vox Nova Theatre Company, the show runs through Aug. 24 at Compass Theatre (formerly 6th@Penn Theatre), 3704 Sixth Ave. in Hillcrest. $17-$19. 858-539-2651 or www.voxnovatheatrecompany.com.
* Pretty Fire: Actor Charlayne Woodard’s biography touches on racism, family and growing up. Produced by Lamb’s Players Theatre, it runs through Sept. 7 at the Paul and Ione Harter Stage, 1142 Orange Ave. in Coronado. $20-$52. 619-437-0600 or www.lambsplayers.org.
Romeo and Juliet: Two crazy kids from Italy fall in love, only to die amid a pointless family feud. Through Sept. 26 at The Old Globe’s Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. $56-$64. 619-23-GLOBE or www.oldglobe.org.
* Sailor’s Song: Two men confront each other’s feelings for women (and each other) amid the death of a loved one. Through Aug. 24 at New Village Arts Theatre, 2787-B State St. in Carlsbad. $22-$26. 760-433-3245 or www.newvillagearts.org.
* Sight Unseen: An acclaimed artist reunites with his muse in England, only to endure a crisis of identity over past mistakes. Produced by The Old Globe Theatre, the show runs through Sept. 7 at the Copley Auditorium, 1450 El Prado in Balboa Park. $47-$54. 619-23-GLOBE or www.oldglobe.org.
Spring Awakening: Melchior embarks on a journey from adolescence to adulthood in the Germany of 1891, when the old people hold all the cards. Produced by Broadway/San Diego, the show runs through Aug. 31 at the Balboa Theatre, 858 Fourth Ave., Downtown. $12.50-$45.50. 619-570-1000 or www.broadwaysd.com.
The Merry Wives of Windsor: John Falstaff uses his celebrity to hit on two married women. Through Sept. 28 at The Old Globe’s Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. $56-$64. 619-23-GLOBE or www.oldglobe.org.
The Joy Luck Club: A group of Chinese-American immigrant families feast on food and retell the stories that shaped their mother-daughter relationships. Produced by the Asian-American Repertory Theatre, the show runs through Sept. 14 at The Lab, Academy for the Performing Arts, 4580-B Alvarado Canyon Road in Mission Valley. $15-$20, $30 opening night. 888-568-2678.
Dinner theater
Chalk it Up to Murder: HIT Productions features a cavalcade of new clues for a terrible crime. Fireside Steakhouse, 439 W. Washington Blvd. in Escondido. $16-$29.50. 619-561-8673.
Joey & Maria’s Comedy Italian Wedding: The fortunes and foibles at the heart of an Italian wedding are laid on the table. Holiday Inn on the Bay, 1355 N. Harbor Drive. $49.50. 800-944-5639.
Where There’s a Will... There’s a Wake: Gangland figure Sonny Shoehorn is heir to the family fortune unless his siblings have their way. Presented by Mystery Cafe Dinner Theater at Imperial House Restaurant, 505 Kalmia St. in Bankers Hill. 619-544-1600.