Lagunatics Set to Bring Down the House with ’30 Years of Yucks’ Anniversary Performance

The Lagunatics community theater group will once again steal the show with “Lagunatics 30 Years of Yucks,” a special anniversary performance featuring their “silliest moments and greatest hits.”

A cast and crew of more than 40 people, logging more than 100 hours each, will bring this year’s nine-show performance at the Forum Theatre to life this month. Opening night is March 10 at 7:30 p.m., and performances will be each weekend until the final show and fundraising gala on March 26. 

Founding Artistic Director Bree Burgess Rosen co-founded No Square Theatre in 1997, changing it from a single benefit show to a theater company. 

“Sharing ninety minutes of laughs with my town and some of my favorite people is one of my favorite things about Lagunatics,” Rosen said. “That it’s been 30 years is a bit surreal. So much has changed since 1992. I’ve made new friends, but also, some are gone and sorely missed. I did the show pregnant in 1997, and now my Boya (sic) is all grown up. This show has been a touchstone in my life. The passage of time is bittersweet. So many memories flood my mind and heart. It’s been a wild and wonderful ride.”

Lagunatics’ 30 Years of Yucks will be Jay Rechter’s eleventh performance with the company. Rechter has been with the Lagunatics since 2011 and said the show will be a mash-up of the best acts they’ve done over the years.

“I started doing this when I was 50,” Rechter said. “I never sang before. I never did anything like this. I’m an introvert, but I’m not an introvert when I’m here. I don’t know why, but for me, performing is such a great feeling. Yeah, you get nervous backstage, but then, when you get on stage, you have such fun.”

Rechter said Lagunatics is more than a theater company – they’re a family. 

“Outside of the theatre, we may have individual issues, but we all support each other,” he said. “You become friends off-stage and on-stage. We go to shows together. We have a little breakfast club that we get together. It is so, so cool.”

True to comedic form, Lagunatics cast and No Square Theatre board marched in the Laguna Beach Patriots Day Parade last Saturday to spread the word about the upcoming performance.

“Keeping with our goofy approach to all things Laguna, those of us in the cast marched with our costume racks, set pieces and props.” board and cast member Carrie Reynolds said. “The funniest part? After we passed city hall in the parade, our costumed gang kept marching with all of it straight to the Forum Theatre to move in and start prepping the venue for our show.”

Tickets for 30 Years of Yucks start at just $45 the first weekend. Lagunatics is presented by No Square Theatre, Laguna’s only community theater. No Square Theatre is sponsored by the Lodging Establishments & City of Laguna Beach, Patrick Quilter, the Dorene & Lee Butler Family Foundation, Yvonne & John Browning, the City of Laguna Beach, Chris Quilter and the Festival of the Arts Foundation. Lagunatics sponsors include Rodney Strong Vineyards. 

More about No Square Theatre and Lagunatics can be found at www.nosquare.org.