California Central Coast Fall 2012 Theatre Performances - SHEER-LUCK HOLMES and More!

As we come to the fall season on the ever idyllic California Central Coast, I hope you are making plans to attend some of the many productions currently (or soon to be) playing at any number of the various live performance and theatre venues that can be found here on the Central Coast!

Sheer-Luck Holmes, written by Ben E. Millet, directed and choreographed by Eric Hoit, with music direction and accompaniment by Sarah Wussow, began to unearth clues at The Great American Melodrama on September 20.

Follow the detective duo of Sherlock Holmes (Philip David Black) and Dr. John Watson (DJ Canaday) as they attempt to solve the mysterious murder of Sir George Blackstone (Billy Breed), the head curator of the RoyalMuseum in London.  Travel with the dynamic duo from England to Egypt as they chase suspects and decipher clues, accompanied by associate curator, Adam Nevilton (Steven Freitas), his fiancee, Eve Blankenship (Crystal Davidson) and the fair Miss Gwendolyn Periwinkle (Bethany Rowe).  Meet crazy characters like Lord Edmund Blackstone (Billy Breed), Professor Plum and Colonel Mustard (both Alex Sheets), and mind your personal belongings when Miss Gooseberry (Jackie Hildebrand) is around!  This musical parody is loads of fun, filled with cleaver detective work, farcical humor, song parodies and characters you know and love.  The play is bound to leave some guessing but most just laughing! [NOTE: Caught the early show on Saturday recently and this show is GREAT fun!]

Following the play is A Salute to the Film Musical Revue, directed by Eric Hoit with musical direction by Sarah Wussow.  The Hollywood studios have produced some fabulous songs, classic dances and memorable performers!  Join the cast as they pay tribute to some of their favorites!

Sheer-Luck Holmes runs through November 11.  Performances are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 4 and 8pm, 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.  Call the Melodrama Box Office for reservations 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.  Find them on the web at www.americanmelodrama.com [PHOTO: (L-R) Philip David Black as Sherlock Holmes, DJ Canaday as Dr John Watson, and Bethany Rowe as Gwendolyn Periwinkle].

The Theatre at the Cambria Center for the Arts (http://artistsofcambria.com/cambriapac/index.html) will present In Living Color, directed by Randy Schwalbe, November 2-25.

The Pewter Plough Playhouse (www.pewterploughplayhouse.org) in Cambria will present their Great American Songbook Holiday Musical in November and December – check their website for specific dates!

SLO Little Theatre (www.slolittletheatre.org) will present The Best Man through November 4, and an Ubus's Other Shoe staged reading of Photograph 51 by Anna Ziegler November 9 & 10.

Kelrik Productions (www.kelrikproductions.com) will take part in the BravoSLO 2012 showcast at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center on October 21, and has announced they will be mounting a "back by popular dermand" production of Avenue Q as part of their upcoming Inspire 2013 Season.  Check out their website in the near future to see what the rest of the season will be!  

Upcoming performances at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center (www.pacslo.org) include "8" the Play on October 18, Quetzal: Dia de los Muertos on October 19, Democracy Now - KCBX Fundraiser on October 20, BravoSLO 2012 on October 21, Alton Brown on October 26, MET Live in HD: Ver4di's Otello on October 27, Jake Shimabukuro on October 27, Clifford The Big Red Dog Live! on October 31, and Eddie Izzard on November 3.  

Murder In Mind Productions (www.murderinmind.com) is taking a break until Spring 2013 – stay tuned for further details and show titles!  

The Spot (https://www.facebook.com/#!/hit.the.spot) will present a Fall Musical Theatre Intensive Workshop October 27 & 28 (ages 14-18) and November 10 & 11 (18 and older).  The Red Eye 24-Hour 10-Minute Play Festival will be held November 2 & 3.

Upcoming performances at the Clark Center (www.clarkcenter.org) include Arroyo Grande High School Drama Department’s Julius Caesar October 18-20, Lynn Anderson on October 19, Agape Church’s More Than a Song on October 20, Jimmy Webb on October 27, and the Glenn Miller Orchestra on November 2.

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 Wizard of Oz November 8 – December 26 in the Marian Theatre.

The Santa Maria Civic Theatre (www.smct.org) will present Over the River and Through the Woods November 16 – December 8.

The Lompoc Civic Theatre (www.lompoccivictheatre.com) will present Count Dracula by Ted Tiller October 19 – November 3.

So, whatever else you might have scheduled on your fall entertainment calendar, I trust you will want to include a few of the theatre and live entertainment performances that can be found here on the Central Coast of California!

Curt Miner ... your BroadwayWorld.com guy on the ground with the California Central Coast theatre "news & views.”  And on a personal note – it looks like this will be my final posting on the California Central Coast theatre scene as I prepare to move to the Midwest … but don’t be surprised if you see a similar column popping up in Ohio in the not too distant future!  Many thanks to those who have said they've found this column helpful over the past 3+ years - the Central Coast truly has an amazing wealth of talent and live entertainment opportunities which we will miss.

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