'CURTAINS FALL & RISE' As Fall Arrives On The California Central Coast

As Fall officially arrives on the California Central Coast, a number of curtains fall on several area theatre productions - but the only reason one curtain falls is so that another may rise on some other theatrical offering that is well worth your time!

The Santa Maria Civic Theatre's (www.smct.org) first production of their 50th Anniversary Season - Love, Sex, and the I.R.S. runs through October 3.  Auditions for the second show of the season, Wake Up, Darling, were held recently, with performances scheduled for November 20 - December 12.

The Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts (www.pcpa.org) has just completed their 2008/9 Season with Distracted at the Severson Theatre in Santa Maria.  This week, you can catch La Guitarra California 2009 - including a lineup of 16 internationally acclaimed artists, September 25-27.  And as you make plans for your future theatre viewing, you won't want to miss the first show of PCPA's 2009/10 season - C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which will run November 5 - December 23 at the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria.

In Oceano, The Great American Melodrama & Vaudeville (www.americanmelodrama.com) has just brought the curtain down on their productions of Gold Fever at the Rough and Ready and Rip van Winkle. 

Next - it's Super-Nanny-Gone-Ballistic-Expialidocious as Scary Poppins!

Scary Poppins tells the story of young Jack and Jill Peabody (Chuck McLane and Katie Worley), who live in Edwardian London with their widowed father Henry (George Walker), and their servants, Jeeves and Prudence (John Keating and Megan C.C. Walker).  Professor Peabody is a nutty inventor with little time for his children, so when he threatens to hire a nanny to care for them, Jack and Jill take matters into their own hands and write to everybody's favorite Super Nanny.  But they get more than they bargained for - instead of Mary Poppins, they end up with her bizarre twin sister, Scary Poppins (played by Bree Murphy)!  This Poppins is a frightening creature who arrives with creepy theme music, mind control powers, and whose idea of a fun outing is a trip down into the sewer to meet her good pal, Dirt (also played by John Keating).  Soon enough, however, Scary Poppins wins over the children, and when the evil Russian ambassador Baron Dmitri Nogoodnik (Billy Breed) shows up desperate to get his hands on one of the Professor's inventions, it's up to her to save the day.  Written by Ben Millet, with direction by Eric Hoit, choreography by Michael Jenkinson and musical direction by JorDan Richardson, this show is full of outrageous characters, hilarious song satires and pop culture references. It's a "practically perfect" parody for the whole family!

Following Scary Poppins at each performance is the "United Swing Organization Vaudeville Revue."  Set in a USO dance hall during World War II, this song, dance and comedy revue features the same cast singing great jazzy harmonies and dancing up a storm to some of the most popular tunes from the height of the swing era.  Featuring songs made famous by the likes of Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole and the Andrews Sisters, "It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing," "Straighten Up and Fly Right," and "Moonlight Serenade" are just a few of the songs that will set your toes a-tapping.  Suzy King directs this high-energy revue, with musical direction and arrangements by JorDan Richardson and choreography by Michael Jenkinson and John Keating.

Scary Poppins and the "United Swing Organization Vaudeville Revue" play through November 15.  Performances are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 4:30 and 8:30pm, and Sundays at 6pm.  (On Thursday October 15 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.  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.  Now in its 34th year, the Melodrama has been providing professional family entertainment on the Central Coast since 1975 (Chuck McLane & Bree Murphy pictured above).

The Clark Center (www.clarkcenter.org) in Arroyo Grande has a number of quality entertainment opportunities in the weeks ahead, including the Central Coast Follies "Love is in the Air!" October 1-4 to support Parkinson's Disease research, Emmylou Harris and her Red Dirt Boys on October 7, the Sons of the San Joaquin on October 10, Pacific Repertory Opera's The Pirates of Penzance October 16-18, and Smokey Joe's Cafe October 24.

The Studio of Performing Arts (www.thestudioofperformingarts.com), also in Arroyo Grande, will present The Miracle Worker November 6-21.

At the San Luis Obispo Little Theatre (www.slolittletheatre.org), the first production of their 2009/10 Season, The Clean House, closed September 20.  The second show of the season, Rumors, will run October 9 - November 1.  Auditions for a readers' theatre presentation of The Visit, written by Friedrich Durrenmatt and directed by Stewart Moss, will be September 29, with performances on November 6 and 7.  A staged reading of The Devil's Chaplain, a new play about "the real Charles Darwin," by Alan Navarre, will be presented on November 29.

Kelrik Productions (www.kelrikproductions.com), also located in San Luis Obispo, is currently in rehearsal for RENT, which will be presented at the Spanos Theatre (www.pacslo.org) October 15-18.

Laramie Project - Ten Years Later: An Epilogue

Written by Moisés Kaufman, Leigh Fondakowski, Greg Pierotti, Andy Paris and Stephen Belber; Directed by Jeffrey Azevedo

October 12th, 8pm, Chumash Auditorium at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 

Description:
In 1998, members of the Tectonic Theatre Project traveled to Laramie, Wyoming to interview over 200 people regarding the brutal murder of gay college student Matthew Shephard.  What resulted is now a world renowned play that was adapted into an HBO original movie.

Ten years later in 2008, members of the group returned to Laramie, Wyoming to re-intereview many of the same people.  The resulting new play examines the effect that ten years has had on this small American town and what changes (if any) have been made.

This performance will be one of over 100 staged readings taking place on the same night across the country as part of a nationwide event. 

An NYTimes article about the new play and the premiere event can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/theater/04theater.html.

Please contact Jeffrey Azevedo (415-328-3582 or JeffreyAzevedo@gmail.com) with any questions.  

Providing a broad selection of live entertainment options, the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center (www.pacslo.org), is pleased to present Bellydance Superstars on September 27, Merle Haggard on September 30, Imani Winds with special guest vibraphonist Stefon Harris on October 2, the San Luis Obispo Symphony with guest pianist Robert Edward Thies on October 3, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn on October 10, Kelrik Productions' RENT October 15-18, Grammy Award-winning storyteller and guitarist Bill Harley on October 16, the silent film version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame accompanied by the grand Forbes Pipe Organ on October 17, and Gaelic Storm (as seen in the film Titanic) on October 21.

The Pewter Plough Playhouse (www.pewterploughplayhouse.org) in Cambria opens their fall season, with The Mousetrap, which runs through November 8.  Homeland Insecurity or How I Learned To Love The Patriot Act will be presented in a readers' theatre format on October 14.

The Houselights Theatre (www.houselightstheatre.org), also in Cambria, recently completed a remount run of their popular summer musical Always ... Patsy Cline at the Spanos Theatre (www.pacslo.org).  Stay tuned for details concerning their next show.

In Paso Robles, the Pioneer Players (www.pioneerplayers.org) are gearing up for their next production - Oliver, scheduled to be presented sometime in January of 2010.  Stay tuned for specific details concerning audition and performance dates in the near future!

So there you have it - some curtains have fallen, some are about to rise, and others are currently in production.  Hope to see you at one of our Central Coast live performance venues soon - and if you see me, be sure and say HI and let me know that you heard about the show in one of my articles here on BroadwayWorld.com!

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

 

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