New Paul Rudnick, Kimber Lee Plays Round Out La Jolla 2020-21 Season
(© David Gordon)
La Jolla Playhouse has announced the final two productions of its 2020-21 season. To the Yellow House, a new play by Kimber Lee (Tokyo Fish Story) and directed by Neel Keller (School for Wives), will run July 14-August 9. And Guilty Pleasure, by Paul Rudnick (Jeffrey, In & Out) and directed by Christopher Ashley (Come From Away), will make its world premiere November 8-December 6.
The two new productions join a season that already includes Heidi Schreck's Tony-nominated What the Constitution Means to Me (September 1-27); the world premiere of Lauren Yee's Mother Russia (September 8-October 4); the world premiere of the new musical Bhangin' It (February 8-March 28, 2021), with a book by Mike Lew and Rehana Lew Mirza, and music and lyrics by Sam Willmott; and the pre-Broadway run of Lempicka, with a book and lyrics by Carson Kreitzer and music by Matt Gould, and directed by Tony winner Rachel Chavkin (Hadestown).
To the Yellow House is described as follows: "February, 1886. Vincent Van Gogh is broke again. Trailing past due notices and annoyed innkeepers, he arrives unexpectedly at his brother's doorstep in Montmartre determined to make another fresh start. Caught in the colorful whirl of the Parisian art scene, he drinks too much, falls in love with the wrong woman, argues with everyone — and paints. Night and day he works to translate what he feels onto the canvas, relentlessly chasing a new form of expression that seems to be always around the next corner. But at what point in an endless cycle of failures do faith and persistence become delusion and foolishness? A meditation on love, art and not being popular."
And Guilty Pleasure is described as follows: "Bethany's life as a middle-aged, midwestern housewife comes to a crashing halt when her husband suddenly announces he's leaving her for a woman named Kelli-Amber. Shell-shocked, Bethany finds solace in her secret hobby — penning gay erotica. When her playful fantasies of lover pirates, star-crossed congressmen and clowns with marital issues become hugely popular online, she's given a new outlook on life. But as her fame grows, will the risks of being a 'slash fic' author lead to danger, happiness or the very best combination of both?"
