THEATER NOTES : A New Life and New Name for LBCLO?

Expect an announcement soon of “a major restructuring in all aspects, on all levels” of Long Beach Civic Light Opera, said Alex Bellehumeur, co-chair of a Long Beach city task force that is trying to resuscitate the bankrupt organization, formerly Southern California’s foremost producer of stage musicals.

“All aspects” apparently includes the name--Bellehumeur said a contest to come up with a new moniker is in the works because “Civic Light Opera” has “a connotation not in keeping with the productions.”

If so, Long Beach will join a trend. The groups formerly known as civic light operas in San Gabriel and La Mirada recently changed their names to Music Theatre of Southern California and Musical Theatre West, respectively.

Bellehumeur said he does not expect the Long Beach group to lower its professional standards: “We want it to remain first-rate, in keeping with the reputation it has gained. That will not be impaired.”

But that will take money. The bankruptcy papers disclose an outstanding debt of $2.4 million (including the $1.5 million that will be owed to subscribers if the organization does not finish the current season.) When the papers were filed on Oct. 20, the group had $990,000 in assets.

Since then, $35,000 was raised at a Nov. 17 fund-raiser aboard the Queen Mary. More important than the money is the fact that the event drew a crowd of 210--about 60 more people than expected--and enthusiasm for keeping the organization going was evident, Bellehumeur said.

He wouldn’t talk about specific proposals under consideration by the task force and the Civic Light Opera board. “The issues are sensitive, emotions are high,” he said.

Added his co-chair Jane Netherton: “We want to make sure it’s down to a science before we promise anything. We can’t afford another disappointment.”

B ut details of one proposal before the task force and the board were made available by Mark Edelman, whose Theater League already presents musicals at the Alex Theatre in Glendale and Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.

Edelman is offering to produce three musicals for three weeks each at the Terrace Theater next year. Civic Light Opera would provide the hall and its 17,500 subscribers; Theater League would keep single-ticket revenue and would obtain the exclusive right to produce at the Terrace for the Civic Light audiences.

Edelman has a tentative schedule lined up, in case his proposal is accepted and LBCL0 can raise enough money to support it. “The Goodbye Girl,” which he already slated for his other local venues, would be presented Feb. 29-March 17. He also would add Long Beach to his planned tour of “Evita” next spring-summer, which would give Long Beach subscribers something approximating what they’ve already bought (the pre-bankruptcy Civic Light Opera had scheduled its own production of “Evita”). Finally, Edelman would bring in “Godspell” next fall.

Bellehumeur confirmed that Edelman’s plan is “an option. There are others.” He is confident that something will work out: “We believe we’re very close to putting together the pieces of the puzzle to guarantee longevity” for Long Beach Civic Light Opera--or for whatever it becomes.*