The Dramatic Shape of Things to Come

There aren’t many theater openings at Christmas time. So we’re devoting this week’s column to a glimpse of scheduled theater events in 1989.

The Mark Taper Forum starts off with Jon Robin Baitz’s “Dutch Landscape,” directed by Gordon Davidson opening Jan. 19. Next up: “Sansei,” created and performed by Hiroshima and directed by Robert Egan; Manuel Puig’s “The Mystery of the Rose Bouquet,” directed by Robert Allan Ackerman; and Pedro Calderon de la Barca’s “The Mayor of Zalamea,” adapted by Adrian Mitchell.

At Taper, Too: Jose Ignacio Cabrujas’ “The Day You’ll Love Me,” translated by Eduardo Machado and directed by Lillian Garrett opening Jan. 11; Robert Holman’s “Making Noise Quietly” and Pierre Corneille’s 17th-Century comedy “L’Illusion Comique.”

The Ahmanson season continues with the Stephen Sondheim/James Lapine “Into the Woods,” with Cleo Laine and Charlotte Rae opening Jan. 11, followed by Tom Stoppard’s “Hapgood” (at the Doolittle Theatre) and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera,” starring Michael Crawford.

In February, the Los Angeles Theatre Center’s annual Festival of New Works offers Casey Kurtti’s “Three Ways Home” and Thomas Babe’s “Demon Wine,” directed by David Schweizer. Next: August Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” directed by Claude Purdy; Reza Abdoh and Marlane Meyer’s “Burning Bridges: What to do When the Egg Won’t Stick”; Steve Carter’s “Eden,” directed by Edmund Cambridge; Steven Dietz’s self-directed “Ten November” and Howard Korder’s “Boys’ Life.”

At South Coast Repertory, the Mainstage offers Athol Fugard’s “The Road to Mecca” opening Jan. 13, followed by George Bernard Shaw’s “You Never Can Tell” and the Sondheim/Lapine musical “Sunday in the Park with George.” On the Second Stage: Lanford Wilson’s “Talley’s Folly” and Christopher Durang’s “Laughing Wild.”

Pasadena Playhouse hosts Rupert Holmes’ “Accomplice,” opening Jan. 27 and directed by Art Wolff; followed by “Stepping Out” and Tom Griffin’s “The Boys Next Door.” In the Balcony Theatre: “Liliane Montevecchi on the Boulevard,” “Steven Banks’ Home Entertainment Center” and “Geoffrey Lewis and Celestial Navigations.”

From Los Angeles Civic Light Opera: Alfred Uhry’s 1988 Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy, “Driving Miss Daisy,” opens at the Henry Fonda Theatre in April, starring Julie Harris. Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes” opens at the Pantages in June.

The California Music Theatre continues at the Pasadena Civic with “Kiss Me Kate,” opening April 20, followed by “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” Robert Morse in “Pajama Game” and Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Iolanthe.”

The Long Beach Civic Light Opera opens “The Student Prince” Feb. 23. Debbie Reynolds and Harve Presnell will then take “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” to Long Beach, followed by Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella.”

Also in Long Beach, International City Theatre opens Jan. 13 with Terry Wagnor’s “War Brides.” Next up are the Rebecca Wackler/Larry Larson/Levi Lee “Tent Meeting,” Sandra Deer’s “So Long on Lonely Street” and “Frankenstein,” conceived and directed by Jay Julian.

At A Director’s Theatre at the Lex Theatre: Snoo Wilson’s “More Light” opens Jan. 14, followed by Mark Medoff’s “The Heart Outright” and Neal Bell’s “Cold Sweat.”

Tidbits: “Oba Oba” moves to the Wilshire Jan. 4; David Mamet’s “American Buffalo” opens Jan. 12 at the Gnu. . . . Shane McCabe’s “No Place Like Home” resurfaces at the Santa Monica Playhouse Jan. 12. . . . Ray Barry’s “Once in Doubt” opens at the Cast-at-the Circle Jan. 22, and Suzanne Lummis’ “Night Owls” premieres Jan. 27 at the Cast. . . . Milwaukee’s Great American Children’s Theater brings “Charlotte’s Web” to the Pantages Jan. 23.

Also, Second City opens its new home at the Mayfair in Santa Monica with previews on Jan. 24. . . . The Itchey Foot Cabaret hosts Allan Weitzman’s “I Am Not Lewis Carroll” on Jan. 20 . . . “Jerry Herman: A Musical Toast” is the theme for the fifth annual AIDS Project/L.A. benefit at the Variety Arts Center Jan. 20 and 21. . . . Marcel Marceau comes to UCLA Jan. 28. . . . John Godber’s “Happy Jack,” starring John and Elizabeth Larroquette, opens at the Coast Playhouse Jan. 31.

CRITICAL CROSS FIRE: The Groundlings’ latest revue, “The Groundlings Spectacle on Ice,” recently opened at the Groundlings Theatre. Nancy Bacon directs.

Said Don Shirley in The Times: “At a recent performance, women Groundlings outnumbered the men, 8-4. . . . Which isn’t to say that the overall quality has changed for better or worse. This revue starts out strong and maintains a steady stream of laughs until shortly after intermission.”

From Drama-Logue’s T. H. McCulloh: “The current work of the Groundlings looks sadly more like classroom exercises than anything else. . . . A high point, and one the company should rise to, is the energy level and interior wit of the original music composed and performed by Alan Axelrod.”

Said Daily Variety’s Jane Galbraith: “ ‘Spectacle’ could even thaw the resistance of those with a distaste for improv. Blessed with more structure and scripted material than much previous Groundlings fare, (this show) skates along briskly with scads of humor aimed at the TV generation.”

A marginal thumbs-up from Deborah Klugman in the Reader: “I’ve been to Groundlings shows that had me rolling on the floor. This isn’t one of them, but it’s still funnier and more insightful than most improv you’ll see elsewhere.”

Said the Daily News’ Daryl H. Miller: “(The show) is remarkably unspectacular. When the Groundlings are in top form, their comic sendups cause audiences to laugh at the many absurdities of contemporary life. But in the new show, too many of the jokes are too obvious to be genuinely funny.”

And from Steven Leigh Morris in the L.A. Weekly: “This impressive improv troupe has staged 16 comedy revue skits that, under Bacon’s direction, are briskly paced, well-performed and frequently funny satires of pop culture. As with most Groundlings fare, the strength is in the style over substance.”