The national tour of "Little Women —— the Broadway Musical," scheduled to open Tuesday at the San Diego Civic Theatre, will now open three days behind schedule as the result of a fire that damaged both the musical's sets and the Civic Theatre's stage floor.

The first three performances of "Little Women" on Aug. 30-31 and Sept. 1 have been canceled. The tour is scheduled to move Sept. 6 to Costa Mesa, so the canceled performances can not be made up, according to officials with Broadway/San Diego, the local tour presenters.

The fire occurred at 3:30 a.m. Aug. 18 when a malfunctioning light box, which electronically cues the banks of overhead lighting on the Civic Theatre stage, caused some lights to come on accidentally in the middle of the night. The light overheated and a small fire started in the freshly painted scenery, causing the theater's sprinkler system to turn itself on. At first, theater and tour officials thought they could replace the set pieces in time for Tuesday's opening, but serious water damage to the stage floor led Civic Theatre officials to cancel the first three performances so that repairs could be made.

"Hundreds of people worked behind the scenes to restore the Civic Theatre and 'Little Women' to performance readiness. They worked diligently around the clock to try and meet the original Aug. 30 opening, but ran out of time," said Joe Kobryner, general manager for Broadway/San Diego. "It was important to the producers of the show, and to us, that our patrons see this beautifully realized national tour production rather than a compromised version."

Ticket-holders for the canceled performances can receive refunds or may exchange their tickets for the remaining performances Sept. 2-4. Subscribers can call (877) 225-9686 and non-subscribers can call (619) 570-1100.

"I can't express my appreciation enough to all of the people who made a tremendous effort so that our audiences would still have the first opportunity to see this splendidly staged musical version of the Louisa May Alcott classic," Kobryner said. "I hope our patrons affected by this delayed opening will take the opportunity to attend one of the weekend performances, and understand the extraordinary circumstances that have allowed this to happen."

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A Vista-bred musician has been named to America's top symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra.

Marisela Sager, who grew up in Vista and attended Palomar College's music program, has been named assistant principal flutist with the Cleveland Orchestra, a position she'll assume next month after she marks another milestone in her life —— her marriage.

Because of the Cleveland Orchestra's pre-eminence, openings occur very rarely —— "usually once every couple of decades," Sager said —— but she was one of just 23 flutists in the nation invited to audition for the opening, and even she was surprised to be chosen after the third round of cuts.

"I am very excited about my new position," Sager said, in an e-mail from Baltimore, where she has spent the past year as assistant principal flutist with the Baltimore Symphony. "This is really a dream come true. Cleveland is still very far from Vista. I miss my family and I think the Cleveland winters are a little colder, but the opportunity is unbeatable. This means packing up my life in a couple of weeks and time to start practicing like crazy."

Sager said music has been a part of her life since she was a little girl. While attending Monte Vista Elementary and Lincoln Middle School, she studied piano and flute and played in Lincoln's school band under conductor Margo Redford.

But when she graduated from Rancho Buena Vista High School, Sager said she wasn't sure she wanted a concert career, so rather than apply at a musical conservatory, she spent two years at Palomar College (where her father is a world religions and philosophy professor), studying flute under Jane Masur and enjoying the small campus experience. She later earned her bachelor's degree at San Diego State University and master's degree at Houston's Rice University, where teachers Claude Monteux and Leone Buyse, respectively, helped her sharpen her auditioning skills.

From 2001 to 2004, she served in Miami's New World Symphony Orchestral Academy, a steppingstone orchestra that allows musicians to continue their musical education while performing at the pro symphony level. Then last year, she was hired by the Baltimore Symphony.

"Even with all my training, the first year at my first job (in Baltimore) was challenging," Sager admits. "But I had a great time learning the ins and outs of the workings of a professional orchestra."

Sager said she still tries to get back to Vista frequently to visit her family and friends. She performed at La Jolla Music Society's Summerfest series in 2002, 2003 and 2004, and she returns for local recitals and visits to the classroom of Lake Elementary School teacher Susan Gonzalez, who was her very first teacher in life. Gonzalez taught Sager dance at the YMCA when she was just 3 years old, and Gonzalez said she's enjoyed watching Sager grow up and blossom into a first-rate musician.

"We're all so proud of her here. She has done amazing things," Gonzalez said.

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The Old Globe marks the 90th birthday of its founding director, Craig Noel, Aug. 25 with the unveiling of a sculpted bust of Noel that will stand in the main theater's lobby as a tribute to his lifelong contribution. The unveiling is part of a birthday dinner party that will raise money for Globe programs.

The Globe was a 2-year-old community theater group when Noel joined the company as an actor in 1937. He guided its transition into a major regional professional theater, supervised the construction of the Globe's three-theater complex in Balboa Park (as well as two rebuilding efforts after arson fires razed the mainstage and outdoor theaters), staged more than 225 productions over the years as a director and founded the California Theatre Council. Noel handed over the Globe's creative reins to two-time Tony winner Jack O'Brien in 1982, but his continuing influence in developing San Diego as a major theater town led the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle to rename its annual awards in his honor in 2002.

Noel is scheduled to attend the unveiling of the bust, designed by sculptor Lark Grey Dimond-Cates, at 5 p.m. in the Old Globe lobby. The birthday dinner will be attended by O'Brien, Globe associate artist Marion Ross ("Happy Days") and honorary chairs Donald and Darlene Shiley.

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To celebrate its 60th anniversary, the Hidden Valley Community Concert Association will increase its concert season from four to five concerts, but members will still be able to purchase subscriptions at the same annual rate of $60, according to association president Dennis Tomlinson.

The season opens Sept. 29 with an "Orient Express" concert by Quartetto Gelato, an internationally touring string quartet. The season continues Nov. 6 with the Woods Tea Company, a Vermont-based folk quartet that is back by popular demand. Next up on Jan. 31, 2006, is Anna and Kirill Gliadkovsky, a piano/violin duo from Russia. The season continues March 12 with a performance by San Diego's Civic Youth Orchestra, and closes May 11 with a performance by concert violinist Linda Wang. All concerts will be presented at the 400-seat Center Theatre at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. Performance times vary.

Community concert associations sell a subscription season in advance to members. All associations nationwide are affiliated, so members can attend other associations' concerts on a space-available basis. Tomlinson said that this year he's offering memberships at half-price for youth and students up to age 25.

For information, call (760) 740-0619.

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Irish dancing superstar Michael Flatley, who retired his tap shoes five years ago after creating a sensation in "Riverdance," "Lord of the Dance" and "Feet of Flames," is coming out of retirement to launch a new dance show, "Michael Flatley's Celtic Tiger World Tour."

The new dance show, which will dramatize the resilience of the Irish people through history, will make its U.S. debut on Sept. 27 at New York's Madison Square Garden and will arrive at the iPayOne Center at the San Diego Sports Arena on Oct. 27 for one night only. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at Ticketmaster outlets, (619) 220-8497.

The tour got off to a rough start this week with the cancellation of the world premiere in Prague. Originally scheduled for July 12, Flatley canceled the show because he said in a statement that he was unhappy with the safety of the stage and roof built for the production. The show was rescheduled for Aug. 27, but was canceled again when Flatley said he could not come to terms with the concert promoters. Posts on the michaelflatley.com Web site's fan forum report that Flatley has been sued by the Prague promoters for breach of contract.

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A cast member's name was incorrect in the review of Starlight Theatre's "The Sound of Music" on Aug. 18.

Kara Keyes of Coronado stars in the role of Brigitta in the musical.

Pam Kragen is the entertainment editor of the North County Times.