Celebrating Moms and Theatre on the California Central Coast!

BroadwayWorld.com brings you theater recommendations from San Luis Obispo's own Curt Miner.

With the Gospel according to Hallmark reminding us to remember our Mothers this past Sunday here on the California Central Coast and elsewhere, a goodly number of theatre productions and assorted other live performances are readily available and waiting to offer you the gift of quality entertainment.

Kelrik Productions (www.kelrikproductions.com) proudly presents Oliver through May 16 at Unity in San Luis Obispo. 

In a 19^th-century London marked by the grime of early industrialization, the workhouse orphans devour their meager dinner of gruel.  Then one small boy holds out his empty bowl and requests the unthinkable: "Please sir, I want some more!"  So begins OLIVER, one of the best loved family musicals of all time.

Servings will be bountiful as Kelrik presents its all new, fully staged production of OLIVER, running weekends only from May 1-16 at Unity in San Luis Obispo.  Directed by Erik Austin, with musical direction by Stephen Tosh, the show features a talented local cast of thirty-one in a heart-warming story that will captivate children and adults alike.  The sparkling Lionel Bart score includes such perennial audience favorites as "Consider Yourself," "Food, Glorious Food," "Where Is Love," "As Long As He Needs Me," and "Who Will Buy."

Kelrik's production stars Spencer Doyle as the orphan Oliver who must move through the darkest corners of London, from workhouse to mortuary to thieves' den, before finally finding a happy home with his maternal grandfather.  Along the way, he contends with a colorful cast of characters including the streetwise Artful Dodger (Kaesha Freyaldenhoven), the slippery Fagin (Larry Baldwin), the cutthroat Bill Sykes (Randy Pound), and the passionate barmaid Nancy (Heather Malcolm).

According to Austin, "Kelrik is always proud to showcase the immense talent in our community.  Because Oliver, the Artful Dodger and the kids in Fagin's gang are at the heart of the play, OLIVER is a particularly good showcase for younger performers.  We were thrilled to be able to cast so many talented young people in featured roles and in the ensemble.  It's gratifying to be able to offer such a great performance opportunity to up and coming local talent."

Based on Charles Dickens' 1838 novel "Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress," OLIVER brings to the stage some of Dickens's most unforgettable characters.  With book, lyrics, and music by Lionel Bart, the musical won three Tony awards when it premiered in 1963.  The Broadway premiere was followed by a 1968 feature film which won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.  There have since been numerous revivals.  

OLIVER will perform at Unity, 1490 Southwood in San Luis Obispo May 1-16.  Please note the family-friendly performance schedule: Saturday and Sunday afternoons at 2PM and Saturday evenings at 7PM.  Ticket prices are $12 for Children and $16 for Adults and may be charged by phone at (805) 543-PLAY.

The San Luis Obispo Little Theatre (www.slolittletheatre.org) will be holding auditions for The Fantasticks May 17 & 18 (performances August 26 - September 19), and then on May 22 Suzy Miller will be holding auditions for male dancers and singers (also looking for musicians) for her next song and dance extravaganza, Shimmy Shake Shine! (performances July 8-31).  The theatre's next main stage production, Sherlock's Last Case, opens May 28 and will run through June 20.

Upcoming performances at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center (www.pacslo.org) include the San Luis Obispo Wind Orchestra Finale Concert on May 15, and Jose Rivera in Marisol May 13-15 & 20-22.

The God Is Still Speaking Players (follow them on Facebook or at www.sloucc.org) was pleased to work with Bent Angel Productions on a staged reading of 12 Angry Men, directed by Chrys Barnes, Feb 19-21.  Auditions will be held for their next production, You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, July 19 & 20, with performances the first 2 weekends in September.

In Oceano, The Great American Melodrama & Vaudeville (www.americanmelodrama.com) presents the first production of a new play by Neal LaVine, Back After This Break, through June 13.  Each performance is followed by a "School Daze Vaudeville Revue." 

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 musical comedy murder mystery Curtains at the Solvang Festival Theater June 17 - July 3.  [NOTE: Saw a Saturday matinee of this production during its Marian Theatre run in Santa Maria and it is absolutely WONDERFUL!]

The Santa Maria Civic Theatre (www.smct.org) proudly presents Everybody Loves Opal, through May 22.

Ryan Cordero (rccor385@gmail.com) and Sorcerer Productions (check them out on Facebook) have just closed a successful run of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Clark Center Studio Theatre.  What's next on the drawing board for what some are calling the most exciting and creative theatre company on the Central Coast?  I'm hearing rumors of a production of The Drowsy Chaperone - stay tuned!

Other upcoming performances at the Clark Center (www.clarkcenter.org) in Arroyo Grande, include Best of the Beat presented by Nipomo High School Drama May 27-29, and ballet pieces from Snow White, Giselle, and La Bayadere by Everybody Can DANCE and the Santa Maria Civic Ballet June 5 & 6.

Murder in Mind Productions (http://murderinmind.com) will present The Altos: Vendetta at the Spyglass Inn, located at 2703 Spyglass Dr in Shell Beach, through May 23.  Reservations are required.

North County Christian School (www.educatingforeternity.org) in Atascadero presents The Miracle Worker, directed by Dianne Greenaway, through May 16, with Friday & Saturday shows being dinner theatre performances at 6 PM; Sunday shows are at 2 PM (no dinner).  Tickets can be purchased by emailing ptp@nccsonline.org, calling (805) 466-4457, or at the door.

The Pewter Plough Playhouse (www.pewterploughplayhouse.org), located in Cambria, closed their production of Finishing Touches on February 28.  The theatre will now be closed for a time while it installs a new fire sprinkler system - stay tuned for details on its reopening and next show! 

The Houselights Theatre (www.houselightstheatre.org) completed a successful remount run of their popular summer musical Always ... Patsy Cline at the Spanos Theatre On the Cal Poly campus this past August.  Stay tuned for details concerning their next show (and where it will be held - they are looking for a new place to call home ... got any suggestions?).

Up Paso Robles way, the Pioneer Players (www.pioneerplayers.org) finished a successful run of Oliver at the Templeton Performing Arts Center in January.  Next up was supposed to be a summer musical production of Fiddler on the Roof, but performance rights were unavailable.  Then the plan was a production of The Unsinkable Molly Brown.  Now, they are working on a "special project" that has taken them in a different direction at this point, and they will be making an announcement before the summer starts.  Stay tuned!

The Paso Robles High School Drama Department (http://prhsdrama.com/7brides.html) presents Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the PRHS Activity Center through May 15 [NOTE: Saw the Friday night performance of this production and it was delightful!  Two more performances - Sat, May 15, at 2 & 7:30 PM.  Check it out - these high school Thespians REALLY put their hearts into this one ... bless their beautiful hides!].      

Also in Paso Robles, the Paso Robles Youth Arts Foundation (http://pryaf.org) has held auditions for its production of Twelfth Night for actors ages 8-18.  Performance dates are July 9-18.  For more information call (805) 238-5825.

The Central Coast Shakespeare Festival (www.centralcoastshakespeare.org) has held auditions for its summer productions of Twelfth Night and The Gamester.  Performances will be held July 9 - August 14.

Classic to contemporary, comedy to drama to musical, ballet to orchestra - all are waiting to entertain their patrons ... so get out there and support the performing arts!

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