The season will open with a Page To Stage workshop production of Chasing the Song. Directed by Playhouse artistic director Christopher Ashley, the new musical features a book and lyrics by Tony Award winners Joe DiPietro and music and lyrics by David Bryan, who previously collaborated on the Tony Award-winning musical Memphis.
Chasing the Song follows the evolution of the American music scene in the 1960s. "Elegant Edie’s team of hit-makers is upended by the arrival of the newest aspiring songwriter — Edie’s daughter Jinny," press notes state. "As Jinny strives to earn her place in the male-dominated world of songwriting, American rock ‘n’ roll finds itself under siege from the incoming British Invasion."
La Jolla will also present James Fenton's new adaptation of The Orphan of Zhao, directed by Carey Perloff, co-produced with American Conservatory Theatre and featuring Tony Award-winning actor BD Wong (M. Butterfly, "Law & Order: SVU").
Here's how the production is billed: "In the aftermath of a violent coup, an epic story of self-sacrifice and revenge plays out as a young orphan discovers the shattering truth behind his origins. Often described as the Chinese Hamlet, this gripping tale was the first Chinese play to be translated in the West and has inspired countless operas, plays and movies."
The season will also include the world premiere of Kingdom City by Sheri Wilner, helmed by Tony-winning director Pam MacKinnon (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Clybourne Park). "When displaced New York director Miriam finds herself in Kingdom City, Missouri, she reluctantly agrees to direct a high school production of The Crucible," press notes state. "As the students fall deeper into their roles, the play unlocks their own unspoken desires, creating a firestorm in this small, predominantly Christian town."
La Jolla will also present a new production of Eugene Ionesco's The Bald Soprano, directed by Gabor Tompa, head of directing, UC San Diego's Department of Theatre and Dance.
"Ionesco’s seminal 'anti-play' is as fierce and funny as it was during its initial premiere nearly 70 years ago," press notes state. "Tompa brings his trademark physical inventiveness and audacious theatricality to this farcical satire of the middle class."
"La Jolla Playhouse is dedicated to serving as a home for artists, and never has that been more evident than with this upcoming season," Ashley said in a statement. "I'm so pleased to be working again with Playhouse favorites and frequent collaborators Joe DiPietro and David Bryan on their latest project and to be able to continue the show's developmental journey that began last year during our inaugural DNA New Work Series. We also welcome to the Playhouse several internationally-acclaimed, award-winning directors and playwrights — not to mention our dear friend BD Wong — giving these exceptional artists a chance to hone their work in an environment of support that only the Playhouse can provide."
Tickets to the 2014-15 season are available only through a subscription purchase by calling the box office at (858) 550-1010 or online at LaJollaPlayhouse.org.
