GREATER TUNA To Broadcast From The Great American Melodrama

The comedy Greater Tuna, written by Joe Sears, Jaston Williams, and Ed Howard, directed by Bradley J. Carroll and starring Billy Breed and George Walker kicks off the 2012 season at The Great American Melodrama.

Great American Melodrama describes the show as "A tall Texas tale takes place one day when popular disc jockeys, Arles Struvie (George Walker) and Thurston Wheelis (Billy Breed), spin morning musings on the popular Radio Station OKKK. They not only deliver the news and farm reports, but introduce us to men, women, children and animals of some of Texas' most colorful residents like Petey Fisk, for example, from the Humane Society; Vera Carp the town snob; UFOlogist R. R. Snavely; and several others. Two actors, playing 20 classic characters, create a world where it's ok to laugh at the people we love. Greater Tuna is the hilarious comedy where the Lion's Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. The eclectic band of Tuna citizens are all portrayed by two uniquely talented actors, making this spoof on life in rural America even more delightful as they depict over 15 inhabitants of Tuna - men, women, children and animals. This irreverent and insightful send-up of small town life is a “tour-de-farce” of costume quick-changes and comic characterizations. The play is at once an affectionate comment on small-town, Southern life and attitudes but also a withering satire of the same."

After “Greater Tuna,” Bobby Banuelos and Matthew Steven Lawrence join George and Billy onstage to pay tribute to the legendary Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Joey Bishop in “The Pack Vaudeville Revue.” Written and directed by Bobby Banuelos, with musical arrangements by Mark Pietri, join the boys as they croon to the tunes of some of your favorite songs like “Minne the Moocher,” “My Funny Valentine,” and “My Way.”

This evening of music and comedy opens January 19 and plays through March 4. Performances are Thursdays at 7pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 4 and 8pm, and Sundays at 6pm. (On Thursday, March 2 a 2pm matinee will replace the 7pm performance.) The Melodrama’s in-house snack bar features great food and drinks served before the show and during intermissions.

Tickets are $18 to $22, with discounts available for groups, seniors, students, active military, and children. For more information or to make reservations call the Melodrama Box Office at 805-489-2499.

The Great American Melodrama is located on Highway 1 in Oceano, just three miles south of Pismo Beach. The Melodrama has been providing professional family entertainment on the Central Coast since 1975.