BACKSTAGE: Enberg to premiere sports play at NC Rep

By PAM KRAGEN - Staff Writer | Wednesday, March 26, 2008 9:55 AM PDT ∞

Veteran sports broadcaster Dick Enberg will present the West Coast premiere of his one-man play "McGuire" ---- based on the life and times of the late Marquette University basketball coach Al McGuire ---- in a two-night engagement next month at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach.

Enberg, who lives in La Jolla, is working with North Coast Rep to stage the two-night reading as a fundraiser for the theater. Tickets to the special engagement, at 7:30 p.m. April 21 and 22, are $100 each and will include a talk-back with Enberg and a hosted, post-show reception after each performance.

Enberg, a 40-year play-by-play announcer known for his trademark "Oh my!" phrase, based the play on the sometimes controversial McGuire, who led the Milwaukee-based Marquette basketball team to the national championship in 1977 and then went on to a career in broadcasting. The script recaps Enberg's memories of his longtime colleague and close friend. McGuire died from a blood disorder in 2001 at age 72.

Actor Cotter Smith, co-artistic director of Cornerstone Theatre Company in Milwaukee, will star as McGuire. Smith's wife, Heidi Mueller-Smith, will direct the production. Cotter starred in the play's world premiere at Marquette in 2005.

"This is one of the most exciting things I've ever done," Enberg said of his play. "Writing in the first person, it was almost as if Al was standing over my shoulder saying 'No, Dicksie, I wouldn't have said that way, I would have said it this way.' He was not only in my head. He was in my soul."

Tickets are expected to sell out well in advance; reservations strongly suggested. Call (858) 481-1055.

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British pop star George Michael will launch his first North American tour in 17 years in San Diego this summer.

Michael's "25 Live" tour will kick off June 17 at the San Diego Sports Arena and will visit 22 cities in the U.S. and Canada before closing Aug. 3 in Florida. The 44-year-old English singer, who has sold 85 million records worldwide, will be touring to promote his upcoming greatest hits album, "Twenty-Five," scheduled to be released on Tuesday.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. April 5. Ticket prices have not been announced. Call (619) 220-8497 or www.ticketmaster.com or visit the Sports Arena box office.

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And tickets go on sale March 30 for another San Diego show that may not be quite as high-profile but is also likely to be a sellout. Hershey Felder, the wildly popular actor/pianist/singer/playwright who sold out an extended engagement of his solo play "Gershwin Alone" at the Old Globe Theatre in 2006, will return to the Globe in May to present the world premiere of his latest musical play "Beethoven, As I Knew Him." It will run May 3 to June 8.

As an encore, Felder will present a two-week engagement of of "Monsieur Chopin" June 11 to 22 and a one-week run of "Gershwin Alone" from June 25-29. Tickets for all three Felder shows go on sale at 10 a.m. Sunday. Tickets are $47 to $72. Call (619) 234-5623.

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North County residents Bree Walker and Jim Lampley, the amicable ex-spouses known for their television broadcasting careers, will reteam in May for a benefit performance of A.R. Gurney's "Love Letters."

Walker, a one-time anchor for Channel 10 News in San Diego who went on to featured television roles in "Jag," "Carnivale" and other series, and HBO boxing analyst Lampley (who has also done featured roles in several sports-related films), will co-star in a May 21 performance of "Love Letters" at the Schulman Auditorium in Carlsbad. Tickets are $20 and proceeds will benefit the Hospice of the North Coast.

"Love Letters," directed by Al Valletta, is the story of a lifelong friendship, told through letters, between a man and woman. Reserve to (760) 931-1325.

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An ex-North County resident will bring her latest film home this weekend when Torrey Pines High School graduate Vanessa Roth screens her latest film, "The Third Monday in October," on March 29 in San Diego.

Roth grew up in North County, graduating from Del Mar Elementary and Earl Warren Middle schools before graduating as senior class vice president from Torrey Pines High in 1988. She went on to a career in filmmaking, earning an Academy Award in March in the Best Documentary Short Subject category for her film with Cynthia Wade, "Freeheld."

"The Third Monday" is a full-length, award-winning documentary on a group of 12-year-old candidates vying for the presidency of their middle school student council. The film follows the 11 students through their races, campaigns, marketing and speechmaking efforts to the final election day results. The film had its premiere at the Austin Film Festival and has since been making the film festival circuit.

It will be shown at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the YouthNoise! San Diego Youth Rising Summit at The Center, 3909 Centre St., San Diego. Admission is open to the public and tickets are $5. Visit www.youthnoise.com.

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Bruno Caproni, the Irish baritone playing Alfio in "Cavalleria Rusticana" and Tonio in "Pagliacci" for San Diego Opera's current double bill production has pulled out of the March 26 performance due to illness. He will be replaced by Mark Rucker, who arrived in town this week for rehearsals of San Diego Opera's next production, "Aida." Caproni hopes to return to the stage in time for the March 28 performance.

Pam Kragen is the arts and features editor of the North County Times. E-mail her at pkragen@nctimes.com.