Arts & Culture Newsletter: Celebrating 25 years of ‘South Park’
This week, ‘Lion King’ at Broadway San Diego, Grupo Firme at Petco Park and more
Good morning, and welcome to the U-T Arts & Culture Newsletter.
I’m David L. Coddon, and here’s your guide to all things essential in San Diego’s arts and culture this week.
The Colorado roots of “South Park” are deeply ingrained. Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone met while in a film class together at the University of Colorado in Boulder. The satirical, subversive, often scatological animated series is set in a fictitious Colorado town called South Park about an hour from Denver. So as “South Park” the series marks its 25th anniversary, what better place to do so than in the Centennial State?
Just a couple of weeks ago, Parker and Stone hosted “South Park: The 25th Anniversary Concert” at the storied Red Rocks Amphitheatre a half-hour’s drive from Denver in Morrison. A live concert there featured performances of original music from the TV show, with the bands Primus and Ween headlining. Demand for tickets was so heavy that a second concert night was held.
If you missed the live broadcast of the first Red Rocks show back on Aug. 13, you can stream it for free via Paramount. Rowdy and high-energy, it’s as much a celebration of “South Park’s” fans as it is the show they love.
For me, it’s also a souvenir of a place I just visited for the first time, for a concert by Amos Lee: Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Built literally into the area’s formidable red rocks and more than 6,400 feet above sea level, it’s a concert venue unlike any I’ve ever been to. Besides being visually striking, the acoustics are exquisite. The Colorado Music Hall of Fame is also on the premises.
A bit of advice should you ever go: Dress in layers, and be prepared to walk. Uphill. A lot.
Theater
You never forget the first time you saw “The Lion King” the stage musical. For me it was at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood years ago, where I went in thinking “This is a kids show.” Turned out that was true: It was a kids show, for the kid in all of us.
“The Lion King” roars again in our midst, onstage at the Civic Theatre downtown through Sept. 11 in a Broadway San Diego presentation. There’s something about this story that always strikes a chord in me, whether it was the original animated film telling from 1994, this Broadway musical or the live-action film from 2019. It could be that it’s a coming-of-age tale that is never pretentious. Just pure.
READ MORE: ‘Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ tour sits atop the musical world
Classical music
The first-ever four-week La Jolla Music Society SummerFest comes to a close Friday with “Finale: Metamorphosis,” a program of transformative works that spotlights compositions by Strauss and Schubert.
Prior to the concert at the Baker-Baum Concert Hall at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center at 6:30 p.m., the Pelia String Quartet from Stony Brook University in New York will perform Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major.
Pop music
The definitive proof that “American Idol” has zero credibility: Jennifer Hudson was judged seventh at the end of Season 3 in 2004. Since then? Wow. She’s a member of the exclusive EGOT Club — performers who’ve won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony award.
I’m consistently impressed by her, most recently when I watched her portrayal of Aretha Franklin in the bio film “Respect.” It’s available for viewing on Amazon Prime.
So what finer way to wrap up the summer than a concert from Hudson at the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park on Sunday? A fireworks show will follow the performance, but you can bet it will be anti-climactic.
More music
The Tijuana-based band Grupo Firme will be the first Mexican act to ever perform at Petco Park when it appears Saturday night in San Diego.
Back in June, my Union-Tribune colleague George Varga singled out this show as one of his 2022 “Summer Musts,” and with good reason. This is an ensemble that last year sold out seven — count ‘em seven — concerts at L.A.’s Staples Center. (Yeah, yeah, I know it’s called Crypto.com Arena now.) Grupo Firme performed earlier this year at Coachella, where after Week One of the music festival members were honored by Mayor Steven Hernandez with the key to the city.
Last chance
Want to experience Shakespeare the way The Bard staged his plays in his day? Get over to the little amphitheater at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Point Loma for a performance of “As You Like It” presented by New Fortune Theatre Co. It wraps up its run on Sunday.
As the Union-Tribune’s Pam Kragen pointed out in her review, this “As You Like It” is true to the lyricism and spirit of Shakespeare’s language. I couldn’t agree more. New Fortune’s production also benefits from captivating performances by Richard Baird, Amanda Schaar, Brian McCann, Rachel VanWormer and others. I promise you’ll like it. Maybe even love it.
READ MORE: New Fortune’s ‘As You Like It’ enchants simply with Shakespeare’s words
More theater
Here are more theater-related stories by the Union-Tribune’s theater critic, Pam Kragen:
• ‘Jesus Christ Superstar,’ ‘Saturday Night Fever’ highlight Moonlight’s 2023 season
• Teatro San Diego makes impressive solo debut with ‘The Wiz’
• Moxie’s ‘Pleasure Trials’ a funny and thought-provoking look at women and sex
• Moonlight’s spectacular ‘Ragtime’ shines with big voices, epic scale
UCTV
University of California Television invites you to enjoy this special selection of programs from throughout the University of California. Descriptions courtesy of and text written by UCTV staff:
“Life Without Earlids – Learning to Listen to the World”: What does it mean to have no earlids? According to Steven Schick, conductor and music professor at UC San Diego, it means we have no way of removing ourselves from the sounds that are all around us. Enjoy this Triton Talks presentation as world-renown percussionist Schick discusses the nature of sound and how to listen – really listen - as he creates music through common, everyday objects like clay flowerpots.
“How Do Infant Microbiomes Influence Childhood Health?”: Our bodies are dynamic ecosystems housing trillions of microbes that, while invisible to the naked eye, play a critical role in shaping human health. Scientists are just beginning to understand the superpowers the microbiome holds. In this program, Susan Lynch, Ph.D., director of the Benioff Center for Microbiome Medicine, explains research into the microbiome and how infant microbiomes influence childhood health.
“Design At Large: Alternative Transportation Futures”: In California, the car is king. Most travel is conducted by car across all socio-economic groups and has been incentivized by massive government investment in roads, infrastructure, and sprawling land use developments. Will gas-fueled cars continue to dominate the roads, or do we need an alternative transportation future? How can we redesign our transportation system to reduce chronic traffic congestion, promote healthier environments, reduce the cost of travel and provide greater mobility between work, home and play for all?
And finally: Top weekend events
Here are the top events happening in San Diego from Thursday, Aug. 25 to Sunday, Aug. 28.
Coddon is a freelance writer.
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