Theater

- The production of “A Chorus Line” that slipped into San Diego for a brief run at the Civic Theatre last week brought with it a director/choreographer known to San Diego audiences for his work at the Lawrence Welk Village Theatre. Rob Baron, after an eight-month run in Reno with “Chorus Line” and frequent stints in South America staging American musicals, is still high on San Diego.

“It’s great to be back. If I could make a living here, I’d never leave,” he vowed in a pre-curtain interview. “But at least I’ll be coming back regularly to do shows at the Welk. I’m doing ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ in March, and then there’s ‘42nd Street’ in May, and we’re hoping to do ‘She Loves Me’ as the Christmas show.”

“Our advances (for ‘Chorus Line’) were very good,” said Baron, “and we didn’t have the Playgoers Series sponsorship for this show either.”

The final picture was not so bright, however, according to promoter Eddie George.

“Advances were good, but that’s about all. It was a disappointing run. The reviews (which generally dismissed the production as flimsy and amateurish) hurt us. So did the disclaimer (an ad placed by the Playgoer’s stating that the show was not a Playgoer’s production). We paid the bills, but we didn’t make any money.”