Lest We Forget . . .

The “Sunset” Saga: After Glenn Close got the nod to star in the Broadway production of “Sunset Boulevard,” Andrew Lloyd Webber asked Faye Dunaway to replace her in L.A. But a few weeks later he changed his mind, decreeing that Dunaway couldn’t sing. With no time to find yet another Norma Desmond, and with slumping summer advances, Lloyd Webber closed the L.A. run with Close’s final performance. Dunaway sued Lloyd Webber, but an out-of-court settlement is likely.

The Incredible Shrinking Theatre Corp.: With its Pasadena Playhouse-based circuit of productions already up and running in three cities, Theatre Corp. of America opened 1994 by launching a second circuit of three different venues, starting at the newly renovated Alex Theatre in Glendale. But it cost too much. By May, Theatre Corp. was going broke and scaled back, leaving angry subscribers in satellite cities. By August, the company had retreated to only its original Pasadena venue--and even there the company had to borrow $200,000 from the city to keep going. The city of Glendale took Theatre Corp. to court over its abrupt withdrawal from the Alex.

Mid-Size Mania: More than 1,000 attended a July conference on developing mid-size theaters in L.A. Along these lines, the city of Glendale approved $2.5 million each to Colony Studio Theatre and A Noise Within to help establish mid-size theaters. Santa Susana Repertory Company opened a new mid-size venue in Thousand Oaks, Grove Theater Center reopened an old one in Garden Grove, Laguna Playhouse bought a new one and the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts won $250,000 in federal seed money for a theater on Olvera Street.

Invigorated Ovations: Theatre LA’s Ovation Awards, previously presented for lifetime achievement, became L.A.’s first peer-judged competitive theater awards, handed out in a ceremony at the Alex. The big winners: Center Theatre Group, “Sunset Boulevard,” “Fool Moon,” “Men on the Verge of a His-panic Breakdown” and Blank Theatre Co.’s “The Fantasticks.”

Taper Tonys: The Mark Taper Forum co-produced three of the four nominees for best play in this year’s Tony competition, a record for a producer in a single production category. “Angels in America: Perestroika” won.

Ahmanson Advances: The Ahmanson Theatre went through a $17.1-million renovation and was rededicated on Dec. 15.

Latino Lab Moves: After only a year of the Mark Taper Forum’s Latino Theatre Initiative and the poorly received “Bandido!,” the Latino Theatre Lab left the Taper to try to create a mid-size company at Plaza de la Raza. The Taper’s second mainstage show under the Initiative-- the two-part “Floating Islands”-- also was judged a dud.

Earth Moves: The Jan. 17 temblor derailed Actors Alley’s city-supported move into El Portal Theatre, closed Henry Fonda Theatre for more than a year, damaged the Pantages, and sent several small companies in search of new homes.

New Faces of ‘94: Tom McCoy and Cathy Rigby took over La Mirada Theatre’s professional series, Michael Greif the La Jolla Playhouse, Luke Yankee the Long Beach Civic Light Opera and James Freydberg the Coronet Theatre.