There’s something special happening in Escondido.
At dinner last week, a close friend asked if I’d seen “Witnesses,” the world-premiere musical currently being staged by CCAE Theatricals at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido.
“No, I haven’t,” I said. “But I know we gave it a great review, since I edited the story.”
“Well, you need to see it,” he said. “It closes in a couple of weeks. It’s Broadway-quality.”
In a region brimming with so much art, especially theater, it’s difficult to watch every show, see every exhibit or attend every concert. There are only so many hours in a day, so I tend to pick and choose based on my schedule. Sometimes, shows come and go and I kick myself for missing them.
So when my friend nudged me to check out “Witnesses,” I immediately put it on my must-see list. I’d already put La Jolla Playhouse’s “Lempicka” on this past weekend’s agenda (for Saturday night), so what’s another theatrical production (Sunday’s “Witnesses” matinee)?
“Lempicka” blew me away. The production, which closed Sunday, was beautifully staged, with soaring vocals, compelling choreography, sharp direction and stunning set design. It was a West Coast premiere — it made its premiere at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts — and San Diego was lucky to have it be a stop before it heads for Broadway. It was Broadway-quality, for sure.
Other than reading our review and preview, I didn’t really know what to expect when I sat down Sunday for “Witnesses.” It’s presented by CCAE Theatricals, a new professional theater company at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. Created in March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, it’s run by Jordan Beck and J. Scott Lapp, who both ran Temecula’s Barn Stage Company before it was acquired by the California Center for the Arts.
When CCAE Theatricals staged “Once” in April, Union-Tribune theater critic Pam Kragen said the new theater company showed “professional polish.” When it mounted “The Light in the Piazza” last month, she called the production “stunning.”
When I read her review of “The Light in the Piazza,” I made a mental note: After two years of pandemic-induced shutdowns, many arts organizations are struggling. Some, like the San Diego Repertory Theatre, have ceased operations. But in Escondido, a new theatrical company is forging a path out of COVID shutdowns, and it’s doing so with expertly staged productions.
When contributor David L. Coddon reviewed “Witnesses” earlier this month, he called the production “thoughtfully staged” and a “triumph.”
I thought to myself: Something special might be happening in Escondido.
Fast forward to Sunday’s matinee showing of “Witnesses.” Beck and Lapp spoke to the audience before the show. They talked about the production’s long journey to the stage. “Witnesses” is a musical that weaves stories from the diaries of Jewish teens who died in the Holocaust. It was back in 2008 when Beck first read a book of excerpts from the diaries of Jewish teens, including Anne Frank’s. He knew there was something there.
Many years later, that “something” has blossomed into a world-premiere musical, conceived by Beck, who co-wrote some of the songs, and directed by Lapp.
After it was workshopped for two weeks last fall, Lapp noticed something special was happening.
“You always hope they are moved and respond in the fashion you hoped they would … and when we ended one of the presentations of ‘Witnesses,’ we had this overwhelming of emotion and excitement and ion for the project that was incredibly rewarding,” Lapp told the U-T’s Kragen recently.
From the moment the house lights dimmed, I knew “Witnesses” was going to be something special. Just how much, I wasn’t sure, but I soon found out.
The book for the 90-minute musical was written by Tony Award winner Robert L. Freedman, who won the Tony for his book for “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” a co-production of the Hartford Stage and the Old Globe here in San Diego. Freedman was in the audience Sunday afternoon, along with several Holocaust survivors, who were introduced before the show.
In “Witnesses,” the stories are poignant and often heart-wrenching. The words are poetic and lyrical, the music a tender mix of melancholy and hope at the same time.
I felt somewhat embarrassed when I had to dig into my pockets for Kleenex when my emotions got the best of me. Freedman, who was sitting in front me, wiped his eyes under his glasses a couple of times. I wasn’t embarrassed anymore. It was OK to tear up. It was OK to not be OK with the stories.
Art, at its best, is supposed to make you feel. Feel something. Anything. Angry. Sad. Happy. Hopeful. Afraid. “Witnesses” made me feel all that. At times, it was overwhelming. People around me wiped away tears, too.
Toward the end of “Witnesses,” the company sings “What Will You Do?” — beautifully led by Kai Justice Rosales, a recent graduate of Cal State Fullerton’s musical theater program. History tends to repeat itself, they sang. What will you do to make sure it doesn’t happen again, they ask. “What will you do?”
Art, at its best, is supposed to make you think. You’re supposed to walk away from it a changed person — hopefully for the better.
When the last words echoed through the theater Sunday afternoon, I was a changed person. “Witnesses” did that. CCAE Theatricals did that.
When art touches your heart, it’s special. It’s magical.
Something special is indeed happening in Escondido, and how lucky we are to be here to witness it.
“Witnesses” runs through Saturday, July 30. 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday. California Center for the Arts, Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. $35-$75. (800) 988-4253. artcenter.org
