BAD FORMAT - FIX Make some Mother's Day magic: think outside the candy box

Let your imagination take sail, when planning a perfect gift for a mother or mother prototype. Consider a Hornblower cruise, which will take you under the famed Coronado Bridge in San Diego, and around San Diego Bay. Hornblower offers fabulous, relaxing water adventures from "Sights and Sips,"  to harbor or dinner cruises. Consider presenting a gift of theater  tickets in a card you present on the water! hornblower.com

BE ORIGINAL: CONSIDER A PLAY, CONCERT, SAIL, THEATER SEASON, LIVE EVENT FOR SOMEONE YOU LOVE

 The company of "Animal Crackers" featured a brilliant Groucho and Harpo, and brought down the house at Cygnet Theatre in Old Town San Diego. Cygnet's year-round season just featured a brilliant production of the Sondheim hit,  "A Little Night Music." A world premier, "The Wind and the Breeze" opens May 16. cytnettheatre.com

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER 

and  courtesy theater marketing departments 

SHE DOESN'T have to be your mother, a mother, or even female.

Christene (aka Cookie) remembers with love her mother Ellen, violinist and opera singer, who celebrated with theater.

   Follow the stairs from Horton Plaza to San Diego  Repertory Theatre's home in the Lyceum Theatre. Artistic director Sam Woodhouse pushes the envelope with smart, cutting edge dramas and the occasional blockbuster musical. sdrep.org. 

MOM WILL appreciate the thoughtfulness of a ticket or season subscription to a wonderful theater, wherever you live.  In my SoCal world, consider quality offerings 

at San Diego Repertory Theatre, Cygnet Theatre, North Coast Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego Musical Theater, Lamb's Players Theatre on Coronado and those smaller, adventuresome equally professional companies such as Roustabouts, Intrepid, Diversionary and New Village Arts. All exemplary.  Wherever you are, the play's the thing! (Lamb's Players' "Noises Off," BTW, is absolutely stunning theater.

Sharp direction, brilliant physical bits, wonderful company. Top drawer.)

TO KICK it up a notch, consider taking

your mum date for a Hornblower sail

on San Diego Bay, say the Sips and

Sights, or a dinner cruise. Then, over

a champagne toast, present your card,

in which you've tucked a pair of

tickets for a play, concert or opera.

You can always fall back on candy,

flowers, or perfume. Sharing a

live performance is, as the

commercial says, priceless! 

North Coast Repertory Theatre is

known for its creativity, energy and versatility. 

Both accomplished

actor and director, David Ellenstein 

soon directs the West Coast 

premiere of "The Father" and 

plans  a stellar Rep season: 

northcoastrep.org 

San Diego Musical Theater presents

a season of lively musicals. "South

Pacific"  is on the boards, a lively,

tuneful production of the venerable

musical theater gem. Through May 27. 

sdmt.org

If someone has nurtured you, cared about you, or given time, love and concern, a nod of thanks on Mother's Day is appropriate.

Phil Johnson, well known San diego 

actor, stars in "A Jewish Joke," which 

is bound off-Broadway. It  debuted at

 North Coast Repertory Theatre and

 finished  a lauded sell-out run 

at Moxie Theatre, directed by North 

Coast' Rep's talented  artistic director,

 David Ellenstein. Check out "Romeo,

Romeo and Juliet" at theroustabouts.org  

OUR FAMILY's favorite way to celebrate is with a play or concert. 

San Diego Gay Men's Chorus produces

three spectacular shows a year in the

Balboa Theatre. Next up is the July

show with ABBA hits. sdgmc.org

Birthdays, holidays, anniversaries were always highlighted with a trip to the theater, thanks to our enterprising, theater-loving mother Ellen. We miss her energy and love of theater. I still save a playbill for her, as I've done for 50 years. 

La Jolla Playhouse offers elegant staging in a beautiful venue. Many LJPH works have made it to Broadway,

recently the Tony winning "Come From Away," the

27th LJPH connected play to hit Broadway. lajollaplayhouse.org

"Noises Off" is not to be missed at Lamb's Players Theatre.

A crack ensemble, brilliant comic timing, extraordinary

physical bits and a revolving set keep the audience

laughing. The show is held over. "Once," the Tony

winning musical, follows. lambsplayers.org

 UP NEXT: With the royal wedding coming right up, join us for a royal good time.  A look back at Cookie's life as a fan of all things royal.  Her meeting of the Queen Mum and Princess Anne, her watching the coronation with her mum and grandmum as a toddler in 1953, and musings about why she loves the pomp and circumstance. Will she arise for Meghan's and Harry's wedding.  The alarm clock is set.