One year after a reading of Bernardo Cubria’s “The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote” at the Old Globe’s Powers New Voices Festival, the play is getting a full stage production under the direction of TuYo Theatre’s Maria Patrice Amon. Part of the National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere program, it opens in previews on Friday at Bayfront Charter High School in Chula Vista.
TuYo is one of four theater companies staging Cubria’s satire about a university professor undergoing fertility treatments who is recruited, for a fee, by a political party to help it connect with the aforementioned Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine constituency. A cast of six will perform the play at the charter high school before TuYo takes the show on the road in a touring production that will visit San Diego State University, Cal State San Marcos and one other unconfirmed venue.
“The play is about looking at the complexity of the Latino vote,” said Amon, “and trying to encourage folks to think beyond a single homogenous block. There’s nothing monolithic about Latinidad. There’s so much breadth in of identity and religious background and more. Within Latinidad there are White Latinos, brown-skinned, dark-skinned. And a significant number of people who have varied opinions on things like immigration and abortion and a lot of the hot political buttons.”
Amon recalled that back when TuYo selected this 90-minute comedy to produce, “the world politically felt very different than it does today. After the (presidential) election we had to be really thoughtful about how we were going to produce it in the new world we find ourselves in.”
Toward that end perhaps, there’s an educational role in this production.
“At the universities,” Amon said, “we’re partnering with Chicano studies and women’s studies departments so we can connect with folks who will be the next generation of voices.”
Television
If you tuned into Netflix’s “The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady” last May, you saw comedian Nikki Glaser steal the show. Brady’s ex, Gisele Bundchen, may not have appreciated Glaser’s barbs, but social media did: Glaser’s sharp-tongued roasting went viral.
Glaser has a long resume as a standup comic and on TV, in movies and on podcasts. But her biggest gig to date will be this Sunday, when she hosts the Golden Globes Awards telecast on CBS (Channel 8) and streaming on Paramount.
Truth is, Glaser is perfect for the Golden Globes, which traditionally are far more freewheeling than the staid, self-important Oscars and which have boasted more adventurous hosts, like Ricky Gervais and Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
The fearless and funny Glaser is the reason to watch, but in case you care about the awards, this year’s nominees can be found at goldenglobes.com/nominations/2025.
Standup comedy
If you follow comic Dustin Nickerson on X, you caught one of his recent holiday season posts: “One nice thing about raising Gen-Z kids is I don’t get super sad around the holidays about them growing up so fast. Because based on the economy, they’re gonna live with me forever.”
The foibles of family and marriage are part of Nickerson’s schtick, one that he’s indulged on “The Tonight Show,” in his own comedy special (“Overwhelmed”) on Amazon Prime and onstage. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights that stage will be at La Jolla’s Comedy Store. https://thecomedystore.com/la-jolla/
These are 21-and-up shows, so leave the kids at home.
Pop music
Here’s what you’d call staying power: Baritone Airrion Love, a founding member of The Stylistics, is still singing with the Philly soul/R&B group more than 55 years after its debut. The Stylistics’ catacludes some of the most memorable tunes to ever hit the charts: “You Make Me Feel Brand New”; “I’m Stone in Love With You”; “Break Up to Make Up” (my personal favorite); “Betcha by Golly Wow.”
Next Thursday at the Balboa Theatre downtown, Love, now 75, and current Jason Sharp and Murrell Hill come to town on The Stylistics’ “Falling In Love with My Girl” tour. The album of the same name, the group’s first in 17 years, will be released on Valentine’s Day and features a tune, “Yes, I Will,” in which the guys are ed by country icon Shania Twain.
The movies
On Tuesday at 7 p.m., Media Arts Center San Diego’s Digital Gym Cinema brings a true arthouse-film gem to its DGC Video series: director Wim Wenders’ 1984 cult flick “Paris, Texas.” Loved by film buffs, derided as dull by detractors, the neo-Western starring Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski and Dean Stockwell was co-written by Sam Shepard and featured music by Ry Cooder. If you’ve never seen it but you’re curious, be prepared to be patient and then to possibly pontificate afterward.
On a sad note, Sunday marks the final day in business for Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas. For years it’s been my go-to movie place, a break from streaming at home and a comfortable departure from chaotic, mall-based multiplexes.
Hillcrest Cinemas has been there on Fifth Avenue since 1991. While not every film I saw there was memorable, many were, and I’ll long the good times spent there and cling to the vanishing, beautiful experience of going out to the movies.
The U-T 2025 San Diego arts preview
- 2025 preview: The music events we most want to experience in the coming year
- 2025 preview: The San Diego theater events we’re most excited about this year
- 2025 preview: San Diego classical music events that we’re excited about
- 2025 preview: Legendary and international companies highlight the local dance scene
- 2025 preview: Here are the San Diego art exhibitions we can’t wait to see
- 2025 preview: San Diego authors and book events to read about in the new year
Other U-T arts and dining stories you may have missed
- San Diego’s 50 most anticipated new restaurants of 2025
- Our picks for the top 10 San Diego theater shows of 2024
- 2025 preview: The San Diego theater events we’re most excited about this year
- A bucket list of 50 free things to do in San Diego County in 2025
- San Diego Theatre Critics Circle unveils nominees for 2024 Craig Noel Awards
- La Jolla’s Michelin-recognized Ambrogio by Acquerello restaurant to close on Dec. 31
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:
Do you ever feel your mind racing, distracted or overwhelmed? Mental chaos is something we all experience, but too much of it can harm your health and stifle your creativity. Jaime Pineda, professor emeritus of cognitive science at UC San Diego, shares insights from his book “Controlling Mental Chaos: Harnessing the Power of the Creative Mind.” He reveals how quieting your mind through meditation and mindfulness can boost creativity, strengthen your connections with others and help you see the world more clearly. With decades of research behind him, Pineda offers practical tools to help you find balance, improve your psychological well-being and unlock the full potential of your mind.
“The Deadly Trade in Oil and Gas”
Oil and gas, the world’s most traded commodities, are also driving the climate crisis. Bill McKibben, Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College and founder of Third Act, examines how the export of hydrocarbons threatens efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He highlights America’s role as the world’s largest gas exporter and explores how this contributes to the ongoing environmental catastrophe. You’ll also gain insight into the potential of renewable resources like sunshine and wind to provide sustainable solutions and drive meaningful change.
“How Humans Came to Construct Their Worlds”
Humans have reshaped the planet so profoundly that we now speak of a new geological age — the Anthropocene. But our transformative abilities go beyond the global scale; each of us shapes our own worlds, from the physical to the symbolic and imaginary. This new CARTA series focuses on the construction of buildings as a key aspect of human impact, exploring how architecture is shaped by factors like landscape, culture, and history. Beginning with birds and their nests as examples of species-specific construction, the series spans the evolution of human creativity, from early stone tools to the rise of cities and modern architecture.
And finally, top weekend events
