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.”
So . . . if the initial performance of SLO Rep’s current homage to the 1980s is any indication, the theatre has a hit on its hands with its production of film-turned-Broadway-phenomenon “Xanadu.”
So . . . The Great American Melodrama in Oceano proudly proclaims they have been “Making Merriment Since 1975.” No truer statement has been uttered—ever—and the proof is in the Melodrama’s most recent production, “The Mark of Morro.”
So . . . first there are the sounds. The wailing of sirens, the swell of the sea, the chiming of a ship’s bell (or is it a church bell, perhaps?). Surely these are the sounds of despair, or loneliness, or sorrow. But then comes the sound of the first words uttered in the latest SLO REP production—a profound but relatively commonplace query: “How are the children?”
So . . . if you take your fairy tales with a dash of bitters, then “Into the Woods” by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine is the stage show for you. Be forewarned: the PCPA production of this magical musical is a tangy mix of sweetness and woe that in the end will satisfy both children and adults.
So . . . Memories. They fade. They soften around the edges. They shift as time reveals new information. They also, in the re-telling, can take on a focus and clarity of detail that probably wasn’t there to begin with.
So . . . director Kevin Harris must have had his hands full as the person in charge of wrangling the two talented performers now gracing the SLO REP stage into the theatre’s production of “Always…Patsy Cline.”
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.