STAGE / NANCY CHURNIN : Rep Switches Last Play of the Season

SAN DIEGO — The West Coast premiere of Ariel Dorfman’s “Death and the Maiden” will replace Eugene Ionesco’s “The Chairs” as the final play in the San Diego Repertory Theatre’s 1992/1993 season May 19-June 12 in the Lyceum Space. Douglas Jacobs, the Rep’s artistic director, will direct.

The show tells the story of a lawyer investigating crimes of the Chilean dictatorship in which his wife was a victim. It had its Broadway premiere with Glenn Close, Richard Dreyfuss and Gene Hackman in March.

The Rep will present the play in Spanish for 10 performances as part of its Teatro Sin Fronteras program. The Spanish version, “La Muerte y la Doncella,” will be a world premiere. Call 235-8025 for further information.

The feathers are flying this week at the La Jolla Playhouse.

More specifically, the feathers of the swan in “The Swan” and the angel in “Marisol” are flying. Jose Rivera’s “Marisol,” a tale of a Latina yuppie suddenly abandoned by her guardian angel, opened Wednesday. Elizabeth Egloff’s “The Swan,” the story of a love-scarred nurse romanced by a swan who turns into a man, opens tonight in repertory as part of the La Jolla Playhouse’s FutureFest at the Mandell Weiss Forum.

And then, of course, there are the feathers in the pelican, which the Playhouse uses as its symbol on its posters and souvenir memorabilia.

Before Alan Levey left his post as managing director in 1991 (to be succeeded by Terrence Dwyer), he explained that he and Des McAnuff, Playhouse artistic director, seized upon the image of the pelican when they saw one flying against the wind.

The choice of these two plays seems to fit the spirit of the company’s emblem. In a time of recession, when an increasing number of theaters are trying to play it safe, neither of these productions is likely to draw audiences by virtue of its title, author, performers nor director. The plays were picked, after all, not just because they were considered good, but because they are new works written by new writers and directed by new directors.

Lisa Peterson, the Playhouse’s new associate director, who is directing “The Swan,” acknowledges the risk. She explains that because of the risk, the company has packaged the two plays together in repertory. Sharing the same design team, actors and crew allows the company to produce two shows for less than the cost of last year’s production of “Fortinbras,” according to a company spokeswoman who would not release an exact dollar amount.

This way, a single production doesn’t have to carry the full financial burden of a season.

Peterson, 31, was hired by the Playhouse this year to help the company build a bridge to a new generation of theater voices. Her age, 31, is part of the message. Tina Landau, who is directing, “Marisol” is 30. Rivera is 37 and Egloff is 39. Robert Brill, who designed both sets, is 29 and the rest of the design team are in their late 20s and early 30s.

Does the ages of these players translate into a new way of looking at the world? Peterson thinks so.

“I think they both really are expressions of the contemporary Zeitgeist. I feel that there is the coming of a new generation and Liz (Elizabeth Egloff) and Jose (Rivera) both are very connected to the moment, and they are writing about the world right this minute.”

The idea of repertory, Peterson said, is to set up a dialogue between the alternating shows. In this case, each play centers on a woman on a journey--one on a discovery of love, the other on a discovery of spiritual faith.

“The Swan” is a story of modern love--albeit with a surreal twist. A woman--a nurse--with a history of unhappy relationships is having an affair with a married man when a swan comes into her life. But not just any swan--a swan that turns into a man who falls in love with her.

“Marisol” is also a modern story, but one of survival, faith, political anger and self-actualization, with a little help from heaven. A young Latina yuppie, Marisol Perez, who was getting by well enough with the protection of her guardian angel, has to make it on her own when her angel leaves to head up a war against God.

“The Swan” takes place in wide-open Nebraska, “Marisol” in the congested, dirty and dangerous Bronx. But both environments are depressing and lonely. The introduction of an element of the creature from the sky--a swan and an angel--suggests a longing for some solution other than the humans who are continually failing us personally and politically. At the same time, the humans--specifically the female protagonists--have to change in order for these heavenly messengers to have any impact.

Set designer Brill said he sees both plays as “a cry for help.”

“I think people every day are grappling with confusion about relationships and what their desires are. With ‘Marisol,’ in particular, they’re dealing with becoming more aware of how other classes live and how we’re not able to turn their back on poverty and the decay of society.”

Despite thematic similarities, pulling off the repertory package has proved a challenge for all. Peterson and Landau had to negotiate to share actors (it helped that the two are old friends from their days as roommates at Yale). The vast difference in the two scenic looks proved a big job for Brill as set designer. Early on, he abandoned plans to have one set serve for both plays and designed two sets, one which must be taken down nightly to allow the other one to go up.

And everyone agrees that the actors are exhausted.

“There’s no question that the rep situation has been trying, because of time,” Landau said. “But it’s also been very nurturing and very true. It feels as if it’s been about the work--new risky work and artists that are going to make it. That’s really rare.”

At one point in “Marisol” at the La Jolla Playhouse, a character complains: “I had tickets to ‘Les Miserables.’ But I took the wrong train. Followed bad advice. Ended up on this weird street.”

Coincidentally, through Sept. 26, “Les Miserables” is playing concurrently with the La Jolla Playhouse production. “Les Miserables” is back in town in the Nederlander Organization’s San Diego Playgoers presentation at the San Diego Civic Theatre.

Eric Kunze, the Moonlight Amphitheatre alum from Vista, who made it to Broadway’s “Les Miz” June 16, won’t be in this touring show. He’s still doing eight performances a week as Marius on the Great White Way, where the show is still going strong.

The show, which runs three hours and 15 minutes, keeps him pretty busy, but in his spare time, the college junior (he was attending UC Irvine when he was cast) is reading Hugo’s novel. He’s on page 856 and likes it.

“Marius’ family is not mentioned in the musical, but here there are pages and pages about his father and his growing up.”

After his initial jitters, doing “Les Miz” has become “comfortable” and “relaxed” for him. The trick, now that he’s lost his nervous energy, is pacing himself for the week, he said. But the best part is still taking his bows.

“When you do the finale and you hear the sniffling, you know you’ve done your job.”

PROGRAM NOTES: Undergraund! Theatre will present the world premiere translation of “An open couple” by wife-and-husband-team Franca Rame and Dario Fo Sunday at the Price Center Theatre on the UC San Diego campus in La Jolla. Serena Anderlini’s translation has been endorsed by Rame. The show will continue at the Price Theatre until Sept. 22 and move to the Ruse Theatre Sept. 27-Oct. 12. Call 551-0824 for information. . . .

Musical chairs: Abigail Evans, former interim managing director of the La Jolla Playhouse, has been named managing director of New York’s Circle Repertory Company. Terrence Dwyer, who was named managing director of the La Jolla Playhouse was the outgoing managing director of the Circle Repertory Company. . . .

Sledgehammer Theatre, which postponed its opening last week of “The Saint Plays,” will open Saturday. There will be $2.99 previews tonight and Friday and a Pay What You Can performance Sunday. Call 544-1484. . . .

There will be a Pay What You Can performance for the La Jolla Playhouse’s Saturday performance of “Marisol” at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at the La Jolla Playhouse box office. There will be no Pay What You Can for “The Swan”. . . .

Diversionary Theatre will hold auditions for Martin Sherman’s “Bent” at 7 p.m. today at 2222 Broadway in Golden Hill. Call 574-1060 for information. . . .

San Diego Actors Theatre will present “The Best of Dr. Seuss” on selected Saturdays from Sept. 26-Dec. 19 at the Mission Hills Fair at the Better Worlde Galleria. Call 260-8007 or 268-4494 for further information. . . .

Sweetooth Comedy Theatre will stage a benefit performance for Auntie Helen’s--a linen service for AIDS patients--to close “Vampire Lesbians of Sodom” Saturday. Call 544-9079 for further information. . . .

As a benefit for the Associated Community Theaters of San Diego (ACT) scholarship fund, ACT will present the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” tonight through Sunday at the First United Methodist Church at 2111 Camino del Rio South. Call 588-0855 for further information.

CRITIC’S CHOICE

WEAVING WONDERFUL TALES

Jeans-clad David Cale, on a bare stage at Sushi Performance Gallery, does not, at first glance, cut an arresting figure. But once this magical storyteller starts to deliver the 10 monologues in his latest piece, “Somebody Else’s House,” the effects are mesmerizing.

He becomes, in turn, an Irish alcoholic ruminating about a love affair between God and the Devil, a nymphomaniacal girl, a gay man who is so fearful of embarrassing others that he lives in the world as if he’s living “in somebody else’s house.” Most remarkably, he subtly weaves these seemingly disparate tales into a single journey that becomes a testimonial to how art can reclaim a life.

Performances are Thursdays-Sundays at 8 p.m. through Sept. 27. Tickets are $8-$12. At 852 Eighth Ave., San Diego, 235-8466.