So . . . it never really gets old. Seeing the enduring humor that playwright Neil Simon finds in the foibles of human relationships is a familiar and fascinating thing. Seeing it presented live on a local stage, in the able hands of an inventive director and quite an amiable group of performers, is a genuine pleasure.
So . . . eclectic, surprising, and a whole lot of fun. That’s Pump Boys and Dinettes, a crowd-pleasing patchwork quilt of a musical headlining The Great American Melodrama’s first show of 2020.
So . . . “Double, double, toil and trouble . . .” chant the three witches during the opening scene of Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth.
Toil, trouble and tragedy may be key themes of the play, but they are not descriptive of the fine, fluid and intensely physical work now on display in the Academy of Creative Theatre’s production at SLO Rep in downtown San Luis Obispo.
All told, SLO REP’s production is “A Christmas Story” to remember, and to remember fondly.
Who needs a film like “It’s a Wonderful Life” when you have “My Three Angels” live and in person to get you into the spirit of the season?
This year’s “Holiday Extravaganza” keeps The Great American Melodrama’s reputation for talent and tradition alive.
PCPA promises a spectacular adventure, and thanks to imaginative direction, choreography, lighting and scene design, “The Little Mermaid” delivers.
There is much in SLO REP’s “Deathtrap” to amuse an audience looking for an evening of made-up murder and mayhem.
As Halloween entertainment goes, you won’t find a better haunt this fall than “Drac in the Saddle Again” at The Great American Melodrama.
Whether the lovers in “The Fantasticks” end up with a happy ending isn’t really the point; by show’s end you’ve gotten the message that “without the hurt the heart is hollow.”