If you’ve been following the media coverage of theatre in Southern California (for example, here), you know that last weekend marked the West Coast regional premiere of the musical The Boy From Oz at Celebration Theatre (FB). Reviewers and bloggers are gushing over how great the production is, and how it is nice to finally see the show on the West Coast. I haven’t seen the show yet, but knowing the caliber of Celebration’s work, I’m sure it is great. In fact, I had been planning to see it later in the run.
So what’s the problem?
The Southern California reviewers have blinders on to the fact that there is another West Coast premiere of the same show, starting the same date and the same time, from Landmark Musical Theatre (FB) in San Francisco. The Celebration production has April 22-28 and opened April 29 with no stated closing date. The Landmark production opened April 23 and runs to May 15. The Landmark production has also gotten good reviews, and is TBA (Theatre Bay Area) recommended.
I discovered the Landmark production when I was looking for Bay Area theatre to see while in Berkeley to attend my daughter’s graduation the weekend of 5/13. I had wanted to see Boy from Oz, and Landmark’s production was the only thing of interest that weekend, so I supported their Kickstarter and got tickets to their production instead of Celebration’s (since then, I’ve learned New Conservatory Theatre is doing On a Clear Day…, starting 5/13, so I’ll see if I can somehow work that in). I’m very curious how theatre in other cities compares with the LA ecosystem, and I’ve seen some great work in the Bay Area (Tabard Theatre (FB), TheatreWorks (FB)).
From my vantage point here in Los Angeles before the trip, however, it is as if the northern half of the state doesn’t exist. From reading coverage in Northern California, it is as if Los Angeles doesn’t exist. Neither acknowledges the other. To me, that’s wrong. We should be celebrating the Joint West Coast Premiere of The Boy From Oz. If you’re visiting down south, go to Celebration. If you’re up north, go to Landmark. I’m debating whether to go to both (budget and time permitting). Landmark’s show is in a 300-seat old theatre in Chinatown; Celebration is in a small 99-seat theatre in Hollywood. This is Landmark’s second musical, and (as evidenced by their Kickstarters) has limited budget. Celebration is a well established company with some good industry support and connections; I’d expect some “fabulous”-ness in their production. The contrast should be quite interesting, just as when I saw Last 5 Years both at the Pasadena Playhouse and at REP East.
Good theatre is good theatre, whereever it is. We shouldn’t be blind in SoCal about the great NoCal theatre; and NoCal should recognize the great theatre scene we have here. Here’s an idea: Wouldn’t it be great to have an intimate theatre tour, bringing the best shows in intimate theatre throughout the state?
