There’s no bad news when it comes to The Great American Melodrama’s latest iteration of its infamously popular show, “Scary Poppins,” running through November 12 at the company’s theatre in Oceano. That descriptor applies as well to The Villains Vaudeville Review that follows the two-act melodrama, bringing the evening to a close after three high-grade, hauntingly hilarious hours.
SLO REP’s production of Mark Brown’s adaption of “Around the World in 80 Days” doesn’t take as long as the title suggests to go ’round the world, but it does deliver the hustle and bustle and action and adventure that makes this race against time an audience-pleasing romp.
If you want to explore a dialogue “on topics like privilege, race, influence, power, perceptions, where we choose to live, and how we define and claim space”—as director Catalina Maynard writes in her director’s note—then this production is for you.
With just a painted backdrop suggesting the Dunes, some appropriate costumes, and a minimum of props and accessories (swim fins, anyone?), this Melodrama family has created a delightful distraction that celebrates the beach, Oceano, and everything you could think of that happens next to the sea . . .
If you are in need of an Agatha Christie fix, chug on over to Morro Bay for By the Sea Production’s version of “Murder on the Orient Express,” a play adapted by Ken Ludwig from one of Christie’s novels that proves “the impossible must be possible.”
Six remarkable actors play six strong characters in SLO Rep’s current production of “Steel Magnolias,” the 1987 play by Robert Harling that was reworked into a 1989 film starring six big-box-office names (re-made in 2012 with another six big-box-office names, if you’re interested). Save yourself the streaming fees, though . . .
It’s all about the words. Which is what makes this weekend’s By the Sea Productions staged reading of Jason Odell Williams’ play “Church & State” so powerful.
If you haven’t seen the movie or the live show, PCPA’s current production is a must-see. Even if you’ve seen it many times over, experiencing “The Sound of Music” through the fresh eyes of the PCPA family is guaranteed to warm your heart. Bring your family and yes, your eyes and ears—after all, what’s really so bad going about your daily routine humming “Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens . . .”?
So . . . you might be a little confused when the curtain rises on The Great American Melodrama’s latest offering in Oceano: “Butch Cassidy and the Sunburnt Kid.” That’s because, in true Melodrama fashion, almost everyone onstage throughout the production fumbles with Butch’s friend’s name, never getting to Sunburnt, let alone Sundance.
So . . . if light-hearted comedy with a bit of sexual repartee is your cup of tea, head on out to Morro Bay for By the Sea Productions’ first full-length show in two years: Andrew Bergman’s “Social Security.”