“Driving Miss Daisy,” starring Michael Learned and Lance E. Nichols, will begin previews on Wednesday, Jan. 9, and is set to open on Sunday, Jan. 13, at 5:30 p.m. at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Drive. The show, directed by Michael Bloom, will run through Sunday, Jan. 27.
Sparks fly in Alfred Uhry’s groundbreaking Pulitzer Prize-winning story about the decades-long relationship between a strong-willed, well-to-do Jewish woman and her black chauffeur in the Jim Crow south. Set against a backdrop of changing world events between the late 1940s and early 1970s, what begins as a troubled and hostile pairing soon blossoms into a profound, life-altering friendship.
Performances will take place Wednesdays through Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Sundays at 1 p.m. There will be no performance on Sunday, Jan. 13, at 1 p.m., just one at 5:30 p.m. There will be added performances on Thursday, Jan. 10, at 2 p.m.; Tuesday, Jan. 15, at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Jan. 20, at 5:30 p.m.; and Thursday, Jan. 24, at 2 p.m. Tickets, $55-$85, can be purchased online at lagunaplayhouse.com or by calling 949-497-2787. Group discounts are available.
Calling All Singers
No Square Theatre will hold auditions for “My Ridiculous Valentine” from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 5. Strong adult singers are asked to prepare a two-minute up-tempo or ballad selection from a Broadway musical or the American songbook. Performers must fill out and bring along an audition form and conflict calendar, which can be obtained at nosquare.org along with other audition requirements. Rehearsals and performances will be at No Square, 384 Legion Street.
Pacific Symphony Presents ‘Opera for Kids’
Pacific Symphony presents Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall with life-size puppets designed by Robin Walsh and a cast consisting of Chapman University singers and guests on Saturday, Jan. 12. A musical carnival allowing children to test drive instruments, interact with members of the Symphony and Pacific Youth Orchestra Ensembles and participate in themed crafts, starts at 9 a.m. for the 10 a.m. concert, and at 12:15 p.m. for the 11:30 a.m. concert. Tickets for “The Magic Flute – Opera For Kids!” start at $15. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 714-755-5799 or visit www.PacificSymphony.org.
Assistant conductor and music director of Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, Roger Kalia, conducts the concert, which is written and directed by professor and director of operatic studies at Chapman University, Peter Atherton, along with co-writer Susan Miller Kotses.
Free Entertainment at Segerstrom This Month
Upcoming free performances in January on the Julianne and George Argyros Plazaat the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa include Día de los Reyes, or Day of the Kings on Sunday, Jan. 6, andMartin Luther King, Jr. Day of Serviceon Sunday, Jan. 20.
The Day of Kings stems from the story of the kings, Melchor, Gaspar, and Balthasar, who traveled from the Far East following a star that brought them to Jesus in Bethlehem. This ancient and beloved cultural tradition will be honored with lively music, a community procession, Rosca de Reyes (Kings’ Cake) and storytelling by a local “abuelita.”
On Jan. 20 all are invited to honor the legacy of Dr. King from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and enjoy fun activities and learn new ways to fulfill King’s vision for a better America.
Also on the Plaza in January, Stevie Talkson Tuesday and Thursday, Jan. 8 and 10, and Kai Kalamaon Wednesday and Friday, Jan. 9 and 11. San Diego duo Hummingbird Hotel performs on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 12 and 13, as well as alternative singer-songwriter HLLNDR. The Moon Raysentertain on Thursday, Jan. 31.
LCAD Announces Annual Auction
Art collectors and friends of Laguna College of Art and Design are invited to the Annual Spring Silent Auction at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 5, for an evening of cocktails, hors-d’oeuvres, live entertainment and opportunities to purchase works of art. The auction will be held at Seven Degrees, 891 Laguna Canyon Road. Tickets are $150 and benefit LCAD students and programs. For more information, contact Tracy Hartman at 949-376-6000 ext. 241, email [email protected], or visit www.lcad.edu.
