BWW Blogs: California Central Coast Mid-June Theatre Options

BroadwayWorld.com brings you theater recommendations from San Luis Obispo's own Curt Miner.

As we come to the middle of June (already?!), a number of our theatre and live entertainment venues have shows opening, or gearing up to do so, here on the beautiful California Central Coast!

The Great American Melodrama (www.americanmelodrama.com) has kicked off its summer season of exciting melodrama with The Crock of Gold, written by Silas S. Steele and directed by Eric Hoit (photo by Gary Adams).  At the center of this thrilling play is the crock itself - a honey pot full of gold coins that is stolen from its hiding place by the despicable Simon Jennings (Jim Shine), only to be lost soon after.  The crock then finds its way into the hands of Roger Acton (Chuck McLane), an honest but poor man who finds himself sorely tempted by this unexpected discovery.  Will Roger heed the warnings of wife Molly and daughter Grace (Bree Murphy, Megan C.C. Walker) that possession of the crock will only bring sorrow?  Will parlor maid Sarah Slack (Katie Worley) and her beau, the young fisherman Peter Perch (Jim McCaffrey), succeed in protecting Grace from Simon's villainous advances?  And will the testimony of the poacher Ben Burke (Andrew Beck) be enough to save Roger when he is falsely accused of the murder of the crock's owner?  Audiences will find out as they laugh, boo and cheer their way through this terrific blend of comedy and melodrama.

Following The Crock of Gold at each performance, the cast heads for the mountains in "The Great Outdoors Vaudeville Revue."  The best and funniest parts of camping are celebrated in this song, dance and comedy revue, including setting up camp, taking a nature walk, and telling scary stories around the campfire.  And audiences won't want to miss the 'behind the scenes' look at how forest animals really behave when the humans are not around!  Written by Suzy Newman and Jordan Richardson, the revue is directed by Newman, with musical direction by Aaron Lamb and choreography by Michael Jenkinson and Katie Worley.

The Crock of Gold and "The Great Outdoors Vaudeville Revue" plays through September 18 (beginning July 15, this show will alternate with the Melodrama's second summer show, The Tavern).  Performances are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7 pm, Fridays at 8 pm, Saturdays at 4:30 and 8:30 pm, and Sundays at 6 pm.  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 seniors, students, children and groups.  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.

The Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts (www.pcpa.org), the Central Coast's Resident Professional Theatre Company, located on the Allan Hancock College Campus in Santa Maria, presents the musical comedy murder mystery Curtains at the Solvang Festival Theater through July 3.  [NOTE: Saw a Saturday matinee of this production during its Marian Theatre run in Santa Maria and it is absolutely WONDERFUL!]

The Santa Maria Civic Theatre (www.smct.org) will be presenting this year's Summer Fairy Tale Doc, Doc ... Goose! July 9-18.

Upcoming performances at the Clark Center (www.clarkcenter.org) in Arroyo Grande, include Coastal Dance & Musical Academy's We Are The World June 20, the Sweet Adelines' Celebration Chorus' Laugh-In Revisited June 26 (performances at 2 & 7 PM), Jim Messina of Loggins & Messina in concert on August 10, and the 9^th Annual Paul Wolff Accessibility Advocacy Awards with a benefit performance by comedian Josh Blue on August 28.

Ryan Cordero (rccor385@gmail.com) and Sorcerer Productions (check them out on Facebook) recently closed a successful run of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Clark Center Studio Theatre.  What's next on the drawing board for what some are calling the most exciting and creative theatre company on the Central Coast?  I'm hearing rumors of a production of The Drowsy Chaperone as part of a full season slate of possibly as many as 5 productions ... stay tuned!

Murder in Mind Productions (http://murderinmind.com) will present Bewitched: De-Witched at the Spyglass Inn, located at 2703 Spyglass Dr in Shell Beach, July 4 - September 5.  Reservations are required.

The San Luis Obispo Little Theatre's (www.slolittletheatre.org) production of Sherlock's Last Case runs through June 20.  [NOTE: attended the Saturday evening performance of opening weekend, and this is one of the cleverest whodunit productions I've ever seen on stage - WELL worth an investment of your time and entertainment budget!]

In addition, you won't want to miss an encore performance of the dark reindeer-tell-all Christmas comedy The Eight: Reindeer Monologues on June 21 (adult language - NOT intended for children!), and a readers' theatre presentation of Incorruptible, a farce by Michael Hollinger and directed by Jill Turnbow, on June 25. 

Kelrik Productions (www.kelrikproductions.com) presents Cabaret at Unity, 1490 Southwood Drive in San Luis Obispo, through June 26, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7PM.  Tickets cost $16 and may be charged by phone at (805) 543-PLAY.  Due to the adult storyline, Cabaret is suitable for older teens and adult audiences.  Seating will be cabaret-style and wine and cocktails will be available for purchase.  Reservations are strongly recommended.

Upcoming performances at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center (www.pacslo.org) include the DPAC Showcase 2010: Dellos Dance Recital on June 26 (Spanos Theatre - 2 performances: 2 & 6 PM), comedienne Lisa Lampanelli on July 10, the Festival Mozaic Grand Finale on July 25, American Dance of SLO's Just Imagine August 1 (2 performances - 2 & 6 PM), Pacific Coast Dance Convergence's JUMPBRUSH, August 12-14, and (for those who REALLY like to plan ahead!) comedienne Paula Poundstone on October 7.  

The God Is Still Speaking Players (follow them on Facebook or at www.sloucc.org) will hold auditions for their next production, You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, July 19 & 20, with performances scheduled for the first 2 weekends in September.

The Brickyard Theatre (www.brickyardhteatre.com) is currently working on a production of Quilters, which will be presented September 2-25 in Atascadero.  Contact Bobbi Stoffel at stoffelfam@charter.net for reservations or more information.

The Theatre at the Old Grammar School (TOGS) in Cambria will present Hamlet July 9-31.  Contact Emma Duncan at (805) 574-0073, or eduncan@gm.slc.edu for more information.

The Pewter Plough Playhouse (www.pewterploughplayhouse.org), also located in Cambria, closed their production of Finishing Touches on February 28.  The theatre will now be closed for a time while it installs a new fire sprinkler system - stay tuned for details on its reopening and next show! 

The Houselights Theatre (www.houselightstheatre.org) completed a successful remount run of their popular summer musical Always ... Patsy Cline at the Spanos Theatre On the Cal Poly campus this past August.  Stay tuned for details concerning their next show (and where it will be held - they are looking for a new place to call home ... got any suggestions?).

Up Paso Robles way, the Pioneer Players (www.pioneerplayers.org) finished a successful run of Oliver at the Templeton Performing Arts Center in January.  Next up was supposed to be a summer musical production of Fiddler on the Roof, but performance rights were unavailable.  Then the plan was a production of The Unsinkable Molly Brown.  Now, I'm told they are working on a "special project" that has taken them in a different direction at this point, and they will hopefully be making an announcement soon ... stay tuned!

Also in Paso Robles, the Paso Robles Youth Arts Foundation (http://pryaf.org) is in rehearsal for its production of Twelfth Night for actors ages 8-18.  Performance dates are July 9-18.  For more information call (805) 238-5825.

The Central Coast Shakespeare Festival (www.centralcoastshakespeare.org) will present its summer productions of Twelfth Night and The Gamester July 9 - August 14.

So pretty much whatever your entertainment tastes might be, you should be able to find a quality live performance option to while away an afternoon or evening here on the California Central Coast - possibly coupled with some time at one of our picturesque beaches, or a little shopping, or some fine dining at one of our many quality restaurants, or possibly a visit to one of our world class wineries!

Curt Miner ... your BroadwayWorld.com guy on the ground with the California Central Coast theatre "news & views" 

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