La Jolla Lists a McAnuff-Less Season

The world premieres of a new Stephen Sondheim musical and a new James Lapine comedy, both directed by Lapine, will highlight the La Jolla Playhouse’s 1993 six-play season.

Announced over the weekend, the season will also include a show by the Los Angeles-based Latino comedy troupe Culture Clash, and plays by Eugene O’Neill and George Bernard Shaw performed in repertory.

For the first time in the company’s 11-year-history, artistic director Des McAnuff will not be directing. McAnuff, who has staged 20 productions at the Playhouse in the last decade, is currently winding up the casting for the Broadway production of last year’s La Jolla Playhouse blockbuster “Tommy,” opening April 22. But he says he will be working actively as artistic director in 1993.

Not directing, he explained on the phone from New York, “is part of making room for other artists. Next season, I’ll be back shoving productions in everybody’s face again. I’ll very likely kick off the following season (directing), but I think this is a good time for me to do this.”

The Playhouse season will run from May through November.

Theater officials say the Sondheim musical still does not have a title, subject matter or opening date, but it has been widely rumored that it might be based on Sam Fussell’s book, “Muscle.” The show will start previews Oct. 12 and continue through Nov. 21 in the Mandell Weiss Theatre.

The premiere of Lapine’s “Luck, Pluck and Virtue,” inspired by Nathanael West’s “A Cool Million”--a parody of Horatio Alger stories--will be staged by Lapine Aug. 1-29 at the Mandell Weiss Theatre. That show and the new Sondheim work make it three San Diego area productions for the Pulitzer- and Tony-winning Lapine this year; he’ll be directing “Falsettos,” which won him the second of two Tonys, at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre in March.

The playhouse is currently negotiating with Culture Clash (featuring Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas and Herbert Siguenza) to do either a remounting of their show, “The Mission,” or a new work, according to Siguenza. It will run Aug. 29-Sept. 26 at the Mandell Weiss Forum.

Playhouse associate director Lisa Peterson will stage one of the repertory shows, Shaw’s “Arms and the Man” (June 13-Aug. 1) in the Forum. Matthew Wilder, who will receive his MFA from UC San Diego in March, will direct the other: O’Neill’s “The Hairy Ape” (July 4-Aug. 8).

The first production of the season remains to be announced, but will run May 16 through June 13 at the Mandell Weiss Theatre. Information: (619) 534-3960.