La Jolla Playhouse, La Jolla, Calif.
The historic La Jolla Playhouse (founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer) takes a minimalist approach with its two summer 2009 productions, both of which use small casts to portray multitudes. In the one-man show Herringbone, B.D. Wong sings, dances and plays 11 parts in the fable-like story of a young hoofer making his way in Depression-era Hollywood. While Wong is best known as the forensic psychiatrist on TV's Law & Order: SVU, he's actually done a fair share of stage work, including M. Butterfly (a Tony-winning turn) and Pacific Overtures. But Wong's got nothing on the cast of The 39 Steps, a troupe of four that plays 150 characters (or so they claim) as they race through this campy stage version of the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock spy classic on the La Jolla main stage. Tickets & info: 858-550-1010