‘Passion’ will open East West season

“Passion,” the Tony-winning musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, will receive its official Los Angeles premiere as the opening production of East West Players’ 2003-04 season, Sept. 10-Oct. 5.

Although the musical about a homely woman and a handsome captain won 1994 Tony Awards for best musical, book and score, its only professional production in L.A. was a one-night staged reading by Musical Theatre Guild in 1999.

The East West season also will include the West Coast premiere of Korean American playwright Lloyd Suh’s “Masha No Home” (Nov. 12-Dec. 7) and the Los Angeles premiere of Philip Kan Gotanda’s “Wind Calls Mary” (Feb. 4-29), which is loosely based on “Hedda Gabler” but set in 1968 San Francisco. A fourth play will be announced later.