Curtain call

The theater is saved: Ever since Cygnet Theatre Company announced in March that it won’t renew the lease on its Rolando space when it expires in July 2010, I’ve been looking for news on the future of the venue. Now, I can close my eyes and go to sleep. MOXIE Theatre, the scrappy troupe that’s made its name through some very good excursions into women-driven fare, will sublease the property for the duration of the pact. Cygnet has since moved its artistic headquarters to Old Town. A MOXIE official, who declined to reveal the lease amount, said the company will decide whether it wants to renegotiate the agreement once it runs out—but for the moment, the venue, which Cygnet artistic director Sean Murray helped refurbish with his bare knuckles six years ago, is in some of the best of hands. 

Opening

Drink Me: Can imaginary childhood friends become actual living beings? Produced by MOXIE Theatre, it’s in previews and opens Aug. 29 at The Mandell Weiss Theatre Forum Studio, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive in La Jolla. $15. 858-598-7620, www.moxietheatre.com.

Now playing

Coriolanus: A great military leader can’t seem to stomach the idea of popular rule and pays the ultimate price for his betrayal of Rome. Through Sept. 27 at The Old Globe’s Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. $29-$56. 619-23-GLOBE, www.oldglobe.org.

Herringbone: A boy’s penchant for tap dancing leads to a battle for his heart and mind. Through Aug. 30 at La Jolla Playhouse’s Potiker Theatre, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive. $30-$65. 858-550-1010, www.lajollaplayhouse.org.

* Leaving Iowa: A newspaper columnist is on his own road trip to honor his dad’s memory amid flashbacks of childhood vacations. Produced by Lamb’s Players Theatre, it runs through Sept. 20 at the Ione and Paul Harter Stage, 1412 Orange Ave. in Coronado. $22-$58. 619-437-0600, www.lambsplayers.org. See our review on this page.

* Shopping and Fucking: If you killed someone, what would it feel like? Produced by Triad Productions, it runs through Sept. 12 at Compass Theatre, 3704 Sixth Ave. in Hillcrest. $10-$23. 619-688-9210, www.compasstheatre.com.

* The First Wives Club: Three women take their heartache out on their cheating men and launch a memorial to a dead friend in the process. Through Aug. 30 at The Old Globe Theatre mainstage, 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. $55-$81. 619-23-GLOBE, www.oldglobe.org.

The 39 Steps: An innocent man’s on the lam for the murder of a woman that may have been committed by the cops. Produced by La Jolla Playhouse, it runs through Sept. 13 at The Mandell Weiss Theatre, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive in La Jolla. $38-$65. 858-550-1010, www.lajollaplayhouse.org.

Twelfth Night: A secret love and some false bravado make Malvolio’s life suck, but it all works out. Through Sept. 27 at The Old Globe’s Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. $29-$56. 619-23-GLOBE, www.oldglobe.org.

* Wicked: The pre-Wizard of Oz witches cultivate a love-hate relationship to end ’em all. Produced by Broadway-San Diego, it runs through Aug. 30 at the Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., Downtown. $30-$140. 619-570-1100, www.broadwaysd.com.

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