La Jolla Playhouse Blog

During American Night, Juan José embarks on a wild  journey through American history as he studies for his U.S. Citizenship test.

Do you think you have what it takes to pass the U.S. Citizenship test?

Here’s a question from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Naturalization Test:

Who was the President during the Great Depression and World War II?

Leave a comment with the correct answer below and you’ll be entered to win a pair of tickets to American Night: The Ballad of Juan José at La Jolla Playhouse. Must enter by noon on Friday, January 27.

René Millán (Juan José) in American Night: The Ballad of Juan José

Big week for us here at the Playhouse! Here’s some of the things that happened:

• We welcomed the cast of American Night to La Jolla! The uproarious political comedy started rehearsals on Tuesday and begins performances next week! Read more.

• The Playhouse-developed Peter and the Starcatcher is headed to Broadway! Get the details from UT San Diego.

• We announced our Community Partners for American Night – the Chicano Federation of San Diego County, Centro Cultural De La Raza and the Media Arts Center of San Diego, who hosts the San Diego Latino Film Festival. Learn more about these fantastic organizations here.

• New lineup for Foodie Friday! Join us on February 10 as we celebrate American Night with Stone Brewing Company and food trucks Super Q, Ms. Patty Melt and Sweets in Motion. Get the details.

• We posted live photos from our Spotlight Dinner for American Night from the Barry Estates, Inc property in Rancho Santa Fe.

• Starting next week, David Dickinson from Recipe for Disaster will be tweeting from our Education Department’s Twitter account. Follow @EducationLJP for a behind-the-scenes look at this year’s POP Tour!

Richard Montoya (left) and David Kelly in AMERICAN NIGHT: THE BALLAD OF JUAN JOSE

Happy Friday the 13th! Here’s some of the things that happened at the Playhouse this week:

• We announced our 2012 POP Tour production: Recipe for Disaster, a co-commission with Arizona’s Childsplay, that will tour San Diego schools January – March. UT San Diego has the details.

• Set your DVRs! Anna Deavere Smith’s Let Me Down Easy will be featured on KPBS during “Great Performances” this Sunday at 12:30 pm. (Cable 11, Cox 1011, Time Warner 15-1). Last spring, we presented this powerful drama at the Lyceum Theatre with San Diego REPertory Theatre and Vantage Theatre.

• We introduced you to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, who originally commissioned American Night: The Ballad of José. Don’t miss the show’s premiere at the Playhouse on January 27! Click here for more info.

• The one and only Sandra Berhnard is coming to the Playhouse for a limited engagement (March 14-17)! Read her bio here.

• The Second City is bringing its Laugh Out Loud Tour to the Playhouse (March 21-24). Learn more about this celebrated comedy empire.

• We posted new footage of Adam Pascal performing as Huey Calhoun in the Playhouse-developed musical Memphis on Broadway. Watch the video.

The cast and creative team behind this year's POP Tour, Recipe for Disaster.

Happy New Year’s everyone! Here’s what went down at the Playhouse this week:

• We posted production photos of American Night: The Ballad of Juan José and introduced you to Culture Clash, America’s most prominent Latino comedy troupe, in this tribute video.

• We bid a fond farewell to the amazing cast of Jesus Christ Superstar. Catch them on Broadway this spring

• Jim Hebert included Sleeping Beauty Wakes, Milk Like Sugar and Peer Gynt on his list of TOP 10 Local Theater Favorites in the Union Tribune. Check it out here.

• La Jolla Light posted a piece on what we have in store for 2012  (including American Night, The Car Plays, Sandra Bernhard’s I Love Being Me, Don’t You? and The Second City’s Laugh Out Loud Tour). Read more.

• We posted a video from The Second City about their upcoming Laugh Out Loud Tour. Watch it here.

Richard Montoya and David Kelly in American Night: The Ballad of Juan José.

Happy Holidays everyone! Here’s what happened at the Playhouse this week

• Jesus Christ Superstar takes its final bow in La Jolla this Sunday. Make sure you see it before it heads to Broadway next spring! There are still a few seats left for tomorrow night’s performance. Click here to check for tickets.

• Final casting has been announced for American Night: The Ballad of Juan José! Find out who you’ll be seeing on stage in this article from Playbill.

• Love the music from Bonnie and Clyde? Today the show’s producers announced that they will be releasing a cast recording. Get the details from Playbill.

• Two of our co-productions, Ruined and Let Me Down Easy, made it onto the San Francisco Chronicle’s Top 10 Productions list. Ruined was also listed as a favorite in The Boston Globe’s Top 10 List of 2011 Theater Picks.

• A live filming of Memphis will be featured on PBS’ “Great Performances” February 24, 2012. Get the details here. To check out of production photos of Adam Pascal playing Huey, click here.

Chilina Kennedy as “Mary Magdalene” in the Stratford Shakespeare Festival production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. Closes Sunday!

What went down at La Jolla Playhouse this week? We’d love to fill you in!

• Jesus Christ Superstar and Anna Deavere Smith’s Let Me Down Easy (which we presented with San Diego REPertory Theatre in April) were both named “Best in Theater” by The Los Angeles Times. Click here to check it out.

• We were honored to participate in The San Diego Foundation‘s give BIG campaign! The organization graciously matched a portion of any donation made to La Jolla Playhouse on Dec 14 & 15. Learn more.

• Today, we kick off Foodie Friday for Jesus Christ Superstar! If you have a ticket for tonight’s performance, join us at 6pm for a free beer tasting from Stone Brewing Company. Plus we’ve invited food trucks Chop Soo-ey, Tabe BBQ, Mad Maui and Corner Cupcakes to join us! Details here.

• Our Director Emeritus and Jesus Christ Superstar Director Des McAnuff was featured in a special “By The Numbers” piece for Voice of San Diego. Check it out here.

• And if you’re looking for Jesus Christ Superstar tickets, there are still a few more left for December 24 and New Year’s Eve! Look for tickets here.

Voice of San Diego took a look at the career of Des McAnuff in a special "By The Numbers" feature

Tomorrow we’ll be celebrating Jesus Christ Superstar with Foodie Friday, our pre-show mixer featuring some of our favorite food trucks Chop Soo.ey, Tabe BBQ, Mad Maui and Corner Cupcakes.

Here’s what’s on the menu:

Tacos – $3.25 each

*Served with Korean BBQ Beef, Korean Spicy Pork, Teriyaki Chicken,Fish or Portobello Mushroom

Burritos – $6.50 each

*Served with Korean BBQ Beef, Korean Spicy Pork, Teriyaki Chicken, Seafood or Portobello Mushroom

Cali Style or OMG Burrito – Made with 5 spice french fries

Rice Bowls – $6.50 each

*Served with Korean BBQ Beef, Korean Spicy Pork, Teriyaki Chicken, Seafood or Portobello Mushroom

Tabe Asada Fries – $6.50 each

*Served with Korean BBQ Beef, Korean Spicy Pork, Teriyaki Chicken, Seafood or Portobello Mushroom

Sliders – $3.25 each or 2 for $6.00

Spicy Korean Pulled Pork Slider

Premium Natural Grass Fed Slider

Bulgogi Beef Slider

Click here to see Tabe BBQ’s full menu

Mad Maui Burger $8–blue cheese, tropical salsa, bacon, sweet-chili glaze

Brisket Sandwich $7

Pulled Pork Sandwich $7

Kalua Wrap $7–Asian peanutbutter slaw, kalua pork, rice, wrapped in a tortilla

Sliders 2/$6

Maui Wowee $4–kalua pork, blue cheese, caramelized onions, sesame seeds, our Wowee sauce, in a Hawaiian roll

Tiki or Street Taco 3/$5

Sweet Potato Fries $4

Sides: $2–cranberry coleslaw, french fries, onion rings

Wild Boar Chili With Jalapeno Cornbread and Chipotle Honey Butter $5

Lobster Roll Sandwich with Waffle Fries $7

Four Cheese Lobster Mac & Cheese with Mixed Green Salad – $7

Turkey Philly Sandwich with Yam/Waffle Fries $6

Cake flavors

• White
• Red Velvet
• Chocolate
• Gingerbread
• Eggnog
• Coffee.

Frosting Flavors

• Vanilla
• Chocolate
• Cream Cheese
• Caramel (salted or plain)
• Orange
• Peppermint
• Cinnamon

Want to learn more about Foodie Friday? Click here

Happy Friday everyone! Here’s a few things that happened at the Playhouse this week:

• More rave reviews for Jesus Christ Superstar! Check out what Variety, Back Stage, San Diego Reader and SDGLN had to say about the show.

• On Wednesday, we had an amazing time with the local biotech/high-tech community during Innovation Night. We even met the mayor! Check out some of the photos from the event.

• Music Director Rick Fox sat down with Dave Drexler from Jazz 88 to talk about the music in Jesus Christ Superstar. Listen to the entire interview here.

• We announced the second piece in our Without Walls series – Moving Arts’ The Car Plays: San Diego. Experience five intimate 10-minute plays, each from the back seat of a different car! Learn more.

• We celebrated Jesus Christ Superstar with the local LGBT community during Out & About yesterday.

• Next week on December 14 and 15, the San Diego Foundation will match any donation made to La Jolla Playhouse as part of their GiveBIG campaign.  More info.

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders at Innovation Night.

This week has been EPIC for La Jolla Playhouse! Find out why in our Weekly Wrap Up:

• Critics call Jesus Christ Superstar “ELECTRIFYING!” The show opened on Wednesday to rave reviews:

                     -The LA Times said the show “gives everyone a reason to artistically rejoice this holiday season.” More.

                     -The Union Tribune called it “radiant and retro!” More.

                     -The North County Times said the show was “dazzling…stunning. Playhouse’s electric ‘Superstar’ is clear, focused and well-sung.” More.

                     – SanDiego.com said it was “a masterful version of a masterpiece” More.

                     -San Diego Magazine said the “voices were incredible – rich, warm and superstrong… WOW. Go see it.” More

• The North County Times and LA Times posted two fantastic interviews with Des McAnuff.
• KPBS’ Culture Lust went back through time and asked San Diegans about their favorite Jesus Christ Superstar memories from the 70s. Listen to the segment here.
• Jesus Christ Superstar took over the air waves. Bruce Dow, who plays King Herod, was on KUSI News on Thursday. Des McAnuff did an interview on KPBS Radio (Listen to the audio transcript here) and will be on KPBS TV’s  “Evening Edition” tonight at 6:30 ( Cable 11, Cox 1011, Time Warner 15-1)
• We’ll be celebrating Jesus Christ Superstar with two events – Karaoke Night at The Lamplighter this Monday, December 5 at 9pm and Foodie Friday on Friday, December 15 at 6:30pm.

Bruce Dow (centre) as King Herod with members of the company in Jesus Christ Superstar. Photography by David Hou.

What’s the buzz? Tons of exciting things going on at La Jolla Playhouse this week! Here are just a few:

• The wait is over – Jesus Christ Superstar starts performances today! Get your tickets here.

• Meet the cast of Jesus Christ Superstar! Check out the pictures from our Meet and Greet on Wednesday.

• Our roving apostle, Jonathan Winsby, finished his road trip from Stratford to La Jolla! Here are some of our favorite pics from his trip.

• The Union Tribune published a phenomenal feature on Jesus Christ Superstar, on the cover of Night & Day, complete with a full interview with Des McAnuff.

• We announced that Megan Mullally from “Will and Grace” will be performing at our gala next spring. Get the scoop.

• We posted the song list for Jesus Christ Superstar Karaoke Night. Meet us at Carriage House Lounge this Monday, November 21 at 9:00 for cocktails, giveaways and some good old fashioned karaoke! More details.

• We’re giving away a pair of tickets to Jesus Christ Superstar on Twitter. Just tweet “Don’t miss JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR @LJPLayhouse bit.ly/nkmVRy” to enter to win. Plus the first 25 tweeps will receive a #JesusHadFollowersBeforeTwitter button!

Here's some of the JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR cast members enjoying our gorgeous view of La Jolla!