Arts & Entertainment

The La Jolla Playhouse Debuts 2013-14 Season

Highlights include "His Girl Friday," the season opener directed by the Playhouse's artistic director, Christopher Ashley.

By Carissa CasaresMaureen Cavanaugh, KPBS

The La Jolla Playhouse is back for its 2013-14 season, debuting six dynamic new plays. There are two world premieres, a one-man show, a stage adaptation of an Oscar-winning film and, of course, a little bit of Hollywood flair to look forward to.

Highlights from the season include "His Girl Friday," the season opener that's directed by the Playhouse's artistic director, Christopher Ashley. The west coast premiere of the production was adapted by John Guare from "The Front Page," the book by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, and the Columbia Pictures film "His Girl Friday."

The play, set in 1939, is a romantic comedy that tells the story of ace reporter Hildy Johnson and her love/hate relationship with the world of tabloid journalism. The play opened May 28 and runs through June 30.

Another season highlight is the stage version of "Sideways," which was first a book and later, in 2004, an Oscar-winning film starring Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church. The story takes a look at two friends: Miles, a struggling novelist, and Jack, a less-than-accomplished actor and director.

The two men head to Santa Barbara wine country in an attempt to try to find themselves amidst their respective mid-life crises on the last weekend before Jack's impending marriage. "Sideways" will open July 16 and run through August 18. "Side Show" is a production that's being re-imagined by the Playhouse after its initial debut on Broadway.

Based on the true story of conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton, the story focuses on the twins' rise from circus acts to stage stars and how their bond is tested by fame. The production features music by "Dreamgirls" composer Henry Krieger and is directed by "Twilight" film trilogy director Bill Condon. The show will open November 5th and run through December 15.

On top of the regular season, the Playhouse will also host the Without Walls Festival, a one-of-a-kind festival that will showcase on-site works happening simultaneously in and around the Playhouse Theatre District.

The Playhouse partnered with the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) and the University of California, San Diego for this event, which will feature 12 to 15 site-based works by local, national and international artists. Find out more about who will be involved at the festival's website.

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