Tom Titus

The longtime theater writer for the Daily Pilot and TimesOC takes a bow.

Theatergoers probably feel like they’re living in the Twilight Zone these days, so you can imagine how the people in charge of populating the local stages are feeling.

While the Laguna Playhouse, like all other local theaters, has shut its doors because of the coronavirus pandemic, its officials want to show their appreciation for workers performing essential services to help others during the crisis.

Whoever coined the showbiz adage that “the show must go on� certainly couldn’t have predicted the month of March 2020, when most shows are definitely not going on, or going anywhere.

It’s been eons since Neil Simon’s third effort as a playwright, ‘Barefoot in the Park,� has surfaced locally, but the Laguna Playhouse seems to have a knack for putting a fresh shine on the old favorites.

Few American musicals have enjoyed a more consistent shelf life than “West Side Story,� born in 1957, winner of the best picture Oscar for its 1961 movie version and currently on Broadway in an “updated� interpretation.

South Coast Repertory and the musical theater genre have been little more than nodding acquaintances over the company’s first 55 years, but all that may change under the stewardship of SCR’s new artistic director.

High on the list of emotional rewards offered by live theater is the opportunity, however rare, of watching two superb actors go head to head in visceral verbal combat, for example in plays like “Inherit the Wind� or “A Few Good Men.�

“Fireflies,� Donja R.

(This is the third and final column reviewing local theater in 2019) Two figures stood out like a proverbial but pleasant sore thumb in Orange County theater this year, each combining artistic talent with impressive productivity.