For the first time since World War II, Balboa Park will not host The Old Globe’s summer season of Shakespeare and other works under the stars. The San Diego theatre company has pushed its 2020 summer season to 2021, with the previously announced Hair, Dial M For Murder, The Taming of the Shrew, and Henry V all remaining on the schedule, with exact dates to be announced.
“The ongoing crisis has already required us to take some difficult steps, but this one is especially painful,” said Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “Just as the Globe reopened after the war, so we will reopen when the pandemic eases, and at some future date these shows and the wonderful work of the great artists making them will once again bring light into our venues.”
The slate of productions includes a list of theatre heavy hitters on the creative side. Tony winner Daniel Sullivan (Proof, The Little Foxes) will direct Shakespeare’s Henry V while Shana Cooper (Terra Firma Off-Broadway) will tackle a contemporary staging of The Bard’s The Taming of the Shrew.
Hair is directed by James Vásquez (Dallas Theater Center’s In the Heights) with choreography by Hamilton alum Rickey Tripp. The world premiere of Jeffrey Hatcher’s new adaptation of Dial M For Murder features direction by Stafford Arima (Allegiance). The play is based on the murder mystery by Frederick Knott that was turned into a film by Alfred Hitchcock.
The Old Globe is just one of several Southern California venues to postpone their summer seasons. Last week, the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles canceled its 2020 programming.
