‘Luann’ fans, musical theater lovers unite

Patio Playhouse Greg Evans Repertory

“Quibbling Siblings” & “A Boy and a Girl”

When: Runs in rotating repertory through Feb. 17. Showtimes, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. 2 p.m. Sundays.

Where: Patio Playhouse, 116 S. Kalmia St., Escondido

Tickets: $20, adults. $17, seniors, military, students. $12 for youth 16 and under.

Phone: (760) 746-6669

Online: patioplayhouse.com

Lovers of the comic strip ‘Luann,’ musical theater aficionados unite at Patio Playhouse this month. And they can thank ‘Luann” creator and longtime Twin Oaks Valley resident Greg Evans for the musical theater experience.

The CW San Diego – News 8

Evans brings ‘Luann” to the Escondido stage on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through February 17th in the form of two musicals that will alternate dates at the intimate upstairs theater just off Grand Avenue.

Quibbling Siblings!’ is the story of the family of two kids who bicker and fight to no end and end up competing on a game show that pits families against each other to see who fight the nastiest. Through their twists and foibles, they learn that even if they argue at times, their love for each other runs deep.

‘A Boy and A Girl’ is all about two children born on the same day who couldn’t be more different and from more different families. They take you on a journey of their life growing up together, but in the end, it is the differences that help them get along.

The two productions are partnering with the San Diego Fire Rescue Foundation to help them fund the needs of San Diego’s Fire & Rescue divisions.

*In Repertory means that Quibbling Siblings! and A Boy and A Girl will be presented on alternating nights at our downtown theater on Kalmia. We encourage you to attend both shows. Check the ticketing window below to ensure which show will be playing on which day.

“Quibbling Siblings” is the fourth musical penned by the 71-year-old San Marcos author/artist since he premiered “Luann: Scenes from a Teen’s Life” in the mid-1980s, according to Pam Kragen of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Evans also wrote a musical for the senior set called “Wrinkles” in 2010. Still percolating in his head is an all-female show about meeting “Mr. Right.”

Evans is the creator of the nationally syndicated comic strip, Luann, which launched in 1985 and appears in 400 papers worldwide. In May 2016, Evan’s received an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from CSUSM. In 2006, Center Artes at CSUSM produced his musical, “Luann, Scenes In A Teen’s Life.” He’s also a recipient of the National Cartoonists Society’s highest honor, Cartoonist of the Year, for 2003.

Evans was born in Burbank, California. Afflicted with “Cartooning Disease,” he dreamed of becoming the next Walt Disney or Charles Schulz. He submitted dozens of comic strip ideas which yielded nothing but a pile of rejection letters. At age 37, he was about to give up his cartooning dream when his six-year-old daughter, Karen, inspired the idea behind Luann.

The syndicated strip now runs in more than 400 newspapers and its online readership, at luanncomic.com, attracts more than 100,000 pageviews a day. In 2003, Evans won the National Cartoonists Society’s prestigious Reuben Award, according to Kragen.

The idea of creating musicals came from his shared passion for writing music and songs and a desire to see his characters come to life in front of an audience.

“I love to entertain people with the comic strip, but I never get to see readers’ reactions,” he said. “My job is really solitary, so being able to sit in a theater and see and hear people reacting to my work is amazing.”

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