Civic Light Opera Opts for Package Deals

Despite promises two years ago of a new commitment to original production, Los Angeles Civic Light Opera recently announced yet another season that’s lacking in signs of local production initiative.

The four shows next season will come to Los Angeles as packages developed elsewhere, with only one semi-exception--”Annie Warbucks.” LACLO is co-producing its Western tour, along with four other theaters, including San Bernardino Civic Light Opera and San Diego’s Starlight Musical Theater. The theaters have split the $1.3-million cost of the tour on a prorated basis according to weeks played. LACLO coughed up nearly a quarter of the total amount in order to book the show for four weeks at the Pantages Theatre in October.

But “Warbucks” is not a California native. It already played at two theaters near Chicago earlier this year. Still, LACLO producer Martin Wiviott said most of the physical production and 70% of the cast are new for the five-city tour and that his work on the show is “taking all my time.” LACLO will see it at the end of the tour, when presumably it will be in its most advanced pre-Broadway shape. (The tour opens Friday in San Bernardino.)

Asked if any other local production effort has born fruit, Wiviott cited two LACLO-sponsored readings of a new musical, “Hurry! Hurry! Hollywood!” that will go on to a full production this fall.

However, “Hurry! Hurry!” won’t be presented as part of the LACLO season, but at the semi-professional Whittier/La Mirada Musical Theatre. Wiviott said it’s too much of a financial risk to stage a brand-new show for the LACLO without prior developmental productions.

Although Wiviott was brought in to overhaul the LACLO, he acknowledged that the Nederlander Organization, which owns the company, has also given him other assignments; he recently produced a “Mame” with Juliet Prowse at Lake Tahoe.

SHUBERT BOOKINGS: A few musicals just keep rollin’ along. “Cats” and “A Chorus Line” will return to the Shubert Theatre in Century City for Sept. 15-Oct. 4 and Nov. 17-29 runs, respectively.

“FIDDLER” FUSS: And then there’s “Fiddler on the Roof.” A touring production has been booked into Pasadena’s Raymond Theatre, recent home of the defunct California Music Theatre, by Las Vegas promoter Bill Cramer for five performances, Oct. 28-30.

Cramer’s press release claimed that his “Fiddler” is “the national touring company” and used the phrase “Winner of the 1991 Tony Award as Best Broadway Musical Revival” to describe this “national company.”

In fact, there is no connection between this Troika Productions revival and the production that won the Tony.

The release also promises “a professional cast, many with Broadway credits,” and an accompanying flyer cited an “ALL STAR CAST DIRECT FROM NEW YORK.” But Troika’s “Fiddler” is not using any union contracts, and its Tevye is someone named John Preece.

Asked whether his release didn’t imply that the production was an offshoot of the more stellar revival (which played the Music Center in 1989), Cramer replied that “that was not the intention.” He added that his show was indeed cast in New York.

“I find it misleading,” said Barry Weissler, co-producer of the Tony-winning “Fiddler.” He said he’ll ask the company that licenses “Fiddler” to order Cramer to stop associating the two productions.

WOMEN’S FEST: The National Women’s Theater Festival, which recently completed eight days of performances at UCLA, will return next year, but in “a less expensive venue” and perhaps during the school year, said its president, Katie Goodman.

That’s assuming “some heavy-duty fund-raising” is successful. Revenues fell below the $34,000 in expenses--no administrative salaries were paid and a few performers even donated their fees--but Goodman hopes to pay off this year’s bills by November.

Audiences usually filled less than half of the 600-seat Macgowan Hall, but they were sufficiently “mesmerized” to warrant another L.A. fest, said Goodman. However, she won’t be in charge; she’s moving to Chicago to explore a Midwest version of the festival, which was begun in Philadelphia.