BWW Blogs: Mid-May Matinees and More on the California Central Coast!

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

Even with our somewhat odd mid-May weather pattern (rain ... this late in the season?!) - there's nothing odd about finding a goodly number of theatre and live performance opportunities waiting to entertain you here on the California Central Coast!

In Oceano, The Great American Melodrama & Vaudeville (www.americanmelodrama.com) presents the first production of a new play by Neal LaVine, Back After This Break, through June 13.  Each performance is followed by a "School Daze Vaudeville Revue."

Mr. LaVine, who was artistic director at the Melodrama in the 1990's, has crafted a terrific comedy that takes place on the set of a television sitcom in the mid 1960's.  Tom and Tina Trevor (Chuck McLane and Katie Worley) are married actors who portray a married couple on their hit show, "My Favorite Wife."  However happy the two may seem on TV, their real-life relationship is on shaky ground, so it is up to their co-stars, Bill Chumley and Wilma Wendall (Jim Shine and Bree Murphy), and their young director, Steve Stuckerman (Jim McCaffrey), to try to keep the off-set drama from destroying the show.  Complicating matters is Hollywood gossip reporter Hilda Hepper (Suzy Newman), who is nosing around the studio looking for juicy tidbits to spread around.  And when Hilda manages to snag a guest spot on the show's season premiere, it's anybody's guess what will happen as things start to unravel during the live broadcast.  This delightful new farce is directed by George Walker, with costumes and wigs by Jim Tanner and sets by Gary Adams.

Following Back After This Break at each performance, the Melodrama cast heads to the classroom for the "School Daze Vaudeville Revue."  This song, dance and comedy-filled look at a day in an elementary school class puts the "fun" back into the fundamentals.  Director Eric Hoit, Musical Director JorDan Richardson, and Choreographer Michael Jenkinson prove that geography, spelling, and book reports are much more entertaining when set to music, and you've never seen a school cafeteria look or sound quite like this one!  You'll be wishing that all school days were this much fun!

Back After This Break and the "School Daze Vaudeville Revue" play through June 13th.  Performances are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 4:30 and 8:30pm, and Sundays at 6pm.  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.

The Santa Maria Civic Theatre (www.smct.org) proudly presents Everybody Loves Opal, through May 22.

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, will present the musical comedy murder mystery Curtains at the Solvang Festival Theater June 17 - July 3.  [NOTE: Saw a Saturday matinee of this production during its Marian Theatre run in Santa Maria and it is absolutely WONDERFUL!]

Ryan Cordero (rccor385@gmail.com) and Sorcerer Productions (check them out on Facebook) have 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 - stay tuned!

Other upcoming performances at the Clark Center (www.clarkcenter.org) in Arroyo Grande, include Best of the Beat presented by Nipomo High School Drama May 27-29, and ballet pieces from Snow White, Giselle, and La Bayadere by Everybody Can DANCE and the Santa Maria Civic Ballet June 5 & 6.

Murder in Mind Productions (http://murderinmind.com) will present The Altos: Vendetta at the Spyglass Inn, located at 2703 Spyglass Dr in Shell Beach, through May 23.  Reservations are required.

The San Luis Obispo Little Theatre (www.slolittletheatre.org) and Suzy Miller will be holding auditions on May 22 for male dancers and singers (also looking for musicians) for her next song and dance extravaganza, Shimmy Shake Shine! (performances July 8-31).  The theatre's next main stage production, Sherlock's Last Case, opens May 28 and will run through June 20.

Kelrik Productions (www.kelrikproductions.com) will be presenting Cabaret June 4-26 at Unity in San Luis Obispo. 

Upcoming performances at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center (www.pacslo.org) include Marisol May 20-22 (Spanos Theatre), an Early Music Ensemble Concert by the Cal Poly Music Department May 21, a Jazz Night Concert on May 22, an evening of films of the Silent Kings of Comedy - Chaplin, Keaton & Lloyd on May 23, Infusion by the SLO Academy of Dance Jazz Dancers on May 23 (Spanos Theatre), Bela Flack, Zakir Hussain, and Edgar Meyer in concert on May 24, Element by the Cal Poly Theatre & Dance Department May 27 & 28, and the Cal Poly Symphony & Choirs Spring Concert May 29.

The God Is Still Speaking Players (follow them on Facebook or at www.sloucc.org) was pleased to work with Bent Angel Productions on a staged reading of 12 Angry Men, directed by Chrys Barnes, Feb 19-21.  Auditions will be held for their next production, You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, July 19 & 20, with performances the first 2 weekends in September.

The Pewter Plough Playhouse (www.pewterploughplayhouse.org), 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, they are working on a "special project" that has taken them in a different direction at this point, and they will be making an announcement before the summer starts.  Stay tuned!

Also in Paso Robles, the Paso Robles Youth Arts Foundation (http://pryaf.org) has held auditions 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) has held auditions for its summer productions of Twelfth Night and The Gamester.  Performances will be held July 9 - August 14.

So ... pretty much no matter what your theatre and live performance tastes might be - we've got something to satisfy your entertainment hunger pangs here on the beautiful California Central Coast!

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

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