Director’s Russian Stint Prompts Shift at Helm of ‘Lulu’ in La Jolla

Glasnost may have its positive side when it comes to promoting world peace and understanding, but it can wreak havoc with theater schedules.

Mark Lamos, who was supposed to direct “Lulu,” Frank Wedekind’s turn-of-the-century play for the La Jolla Playhouse this season, had to cancel when he flew to Moscow last month to become the first American to direct a play in the Soviet Union.

The play, Eugene O’Neill’s “Desire Under the Elms,” was a success that produced an opening-night ovation for Lamos at Moscow’s Pushkin Theater. But it meant that Lamos had to plunge right into rehearsals for “School for Wives” at the Hartford Stage Company, where he is artistic director.

Sharon Ott, artistic director of the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, will fill in for Lamos. It will mark Ott’s directing debut at the La Jolla Playhouse.

Des McAnuff, artistic director of the playhouse, said he understands the importance of “strengthening cultural ties with the U.S.S.R. while the thaw lasts.” He should. McAnuff will also be among the first handful of Americans to direct in the Soviet Union when he travels to the Sovremennik Theater in Moscow in October.