Check out the best performances and plays in San Diego this month.
Edited by Madelyn Harris
Kinky Boots
March 9-12. Based on true events, this Tony Award-winning musical comedy—featuring songs by pop icon Cyndi Lauper—tells the heartwarming story of a shoe factory owner struggling to save his family’s business. Help arrives in the unlikely but spectacular form of Lola, a fabulous performer in need of some sturdy new stilettos. Broadway/San Diego, Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown, 619.570.1100. broadwaysd.com
Red Velvet
March 25-April 30. Lolita Chakrabarti’s multi-award-winning drama, set in London in the early 1800s, uncovers the fascinating true story of a pivotal figure in theater history, Ira Aldridge—a young American who was the first black man to play Othello on the British stage. Shiley Stage at The Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, 619.234.5623. theoldglobe.org
On the 20th Century
March 9-April 30. Luck, love and mischief collide on the Twentieth Century––a luxury train traveling from Chicago to New York––when a bankrupt theater producer attempts to cajole a Hollywood starlet into playing the lead in his new, nonexistent drama. Cygnet Theatre at Old Town Theatre, 4040 Twiggs St., Old Town, 619.337.1525. cygnettheatre.com
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
March 11-12. This concert will feature the San Diego Symphony Orchestra performing every note from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Audiences will be able to relive the magic of the film in high-definition on a giant screen (and two side screens) while hearing the orchestra perform John Williams’ score. San Diego Symphony, 750 B St., 619.235.0804. sandiegosymphony.org
She’s Got That Swing: Women in Jazz
March 18. In honor of Women’s History Month, Jazz @ The Jacobs will be featuring some of today’s most vital women jazz musicians: violinist Regina Carter, bassist Katie Thiroux, alto saxophonist Grace Kelly, jazz vocalist Dena DeRose, percussionist Tina Raymond and jazz flute player Holly Hofmann. 8 p.m. San Diego Symphony, 750 B St., 619.235.0804. sandiegosymphony.org
Bruckner Symphony No. 8
March 25-26. The concert opens with Franz Joseph Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C Major, a work that was lost for 200 years before a near-miraculous rediscovery. Haydn’s concerto will be performed by Principal Cello Yao Zhao. San Diego Symphony, 750 B St., 619.235.0804. sandiegosymphony.org
Tragedy of Carmen
March 10-12. Gypsy Carmen is a sizzling seductress, but play with her and you will get burned. Naïve young soldier Don Jose falls for her, leaving his homespun sweetheart Micaela in pursuit of a life of crime and lust with Carmen and her band. But when Carmen callously drops him for Escamillo the strutting bullfighter, jealousy ignites and Don Jose is pushed to the brink. Passions intensify and burst into an emotional bonfire that threatens to destroy them all. San Diego Opera, 233 A St. #500, 619.232.7636. sdopera.org
Freaky Friday
Through March 12. When a mother and her teenager daughter magically swap bodies, they have just one day to put things right again before mom’s big wedding, in this new musical comedy based on the celebrated novel and hit Disney films. La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Villa Drive, La Jolla, 858.550.1010. lajollaplayhouse.org
Picasso at the Lapin Agile
Through March 12. Steve Martin returns to the Globe with this clever and crowd-pleasing comedy hit set in Paris 1904 about a chance encounter between two soon-to-be-legends––Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein. Shiley Stage at the Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, 619.234.5623. theoldglobe.org
2.5 Minute Ride
Through March 19. This inventive solo show is a roller coaster adventure through the playwright’s family album, focusing on her relationship with her father, a Holocaust survivor, and the ties that bind a family. Diversionary Theatre, 4545 Park Blvd. #101, University Heights, 619.220.0097. diversionary.org
Well
Through March 19. This comedy begins as a reverent study of the playwright’s chronically ill mother and her extraordinary ability to heal a racially divided community despite her inability to make herself well. A funny and magical memoir, Well reveals how we heal ourselves is not always the best medicine for those we love. Diversionary Theatre, 4545 Park Blvd. #101, University Heights, 619.220.0097. diversionary.org
The Illusion
Through March 19. Renowned playwright Tony Kushner (Angels in America) gives us a wildly inventive tour de force, which celebrates the magic and illusory nature of theater. It’s an entertaining tale of passion, regret, love and magic. North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987-D Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach, 858.481.1055. northcoastrep.org
Sex with Strangers
Through March 19. This sensuous and provocative comedy about fame and cyber identity explores the timely question: What transpires when our online and offline identities intersect and our private lives become public domain? Contains strong language. San Diego Rep, Lyceum Theatre, 79 Horton Plaza, downtown, 619.544.1000. sdrep.org
The Blameless
Through March 26. Developed in The Old Globe’s 2016 New Voices Festival, this world-premiere play is a compassionate and moving look at the power of familial bonds in the most extraordinary of circumstances. Contains strong language. White Theatre at the Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, 619.234.5623. theoldglobe.org
