Daniel Durston’s “1996 – A Blink-182 Musical” is being premiered at the San Diego International Fringe Festival. The musical incorporates the music of blink-182 and addresses issues of mental health. Durston spent 10 years writing the show, which is about 2 1/2 hours long, but has been stripped down to an hour to meet Fringe Festival length limitations. The show is a staged reading with actors holding scripts, but Durston dreams of taking his cast-of-nine musical to Broadway. The Fringe Festival runs until Sunday, and “1996 – A Blink-182 Musical” has shows on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Good morning, and welcome to the U-T Arts & Culture Newsletter.
I’m David L. Coddon, and here’s your guide to all things essential in San Diego’s arts and culture this week.
If you’re looking for something new and exciting to do in San Diego, look no further than the San Diego International Fringe Festival. This annual event showcases an eclectic mix of theater, dance, music, and more, and this year’s lineup is sure to impress.
Blink-182 Musical Debuts at San Diego Fringe Festival
One of the most highly anticipated shows at this year’s Fringe Festival is “1996 – A Blink-182 Musical,” which marks the world premiere of Daniel Durston’s stage show that incorporates the music of Poway-born blink-182.
Durston, a longtime Elvis on the “Million Dollar Quartet” national tour and a former “Big Brother” house guest, conceived the idea for the show a dozen years ago after seeing the Green Day jukebox musical “American Idiot.”
“I walked out not feeling like I got a story,” Durston recalled. “I’m a bit bigger of a blink-182 fan than of Green Day. Two years went by and I thought ‘No one’s doing it, so I’m going to do it.’”
What Durston created is a musical integrating blink-182 songs with a tale about a fledgling pop-punk band that also addresses issues of mental health. Durston spent 10 years writing the show, which is about 2 1/2 hours long, but has been stripped down to an hour to meet Fringe Festival length limitations.
“It’s not just about the blink-182 music,” he explained. “Those songs sell themselves. It’s what I’m trying to say to audiences – we don’t know who’s fighting depression. By doing this, I try to shed light on it and live in memory of those I’ve lost.”
Durston’s dreaming big: He’s hoping to someday take his cast-of-nine musical to Broadway. But before that, he’s seeking official support from blink’s band members. “If they read the script,” he said, “they’ll see I’m very passionate and real and honest about it.”
The Fringe show, which is a staged reading with actors holding scripts, is promising but has some kinks to work out. You can still catch “1996 – A Blink-182 Musical” at the Centro Cultural de la Raza at 9 p.m. Friday; 6 p.m. Saturday; and 4 p.m. Sunday, which is the Fringe festival’s closing day.
More Fringe
In addition to “1996 – A Blink-182 Musical,” there are plenty of other shows worth checking out at this year’s Fringe Festival. Here are just a few:
Normal Heights
Fresh off a production of his “Monsters of the American Cinema” at Diversionary Theatre, locally based playwright Christian St. Croix is debuting an atmospheric three-hander piece titled “Normal Heights” at the Fringe Festival, presented by Loud Fridge Theatre and…
For more information on these and other shows at the San Diego International Fringe Festival, visit https://www.sandiegofringe.org/.
