“Virgin Blacktop” Is a Heartwarming Film
When I was in sixth grade, my friend and I were sitting bored in his garage when we found two old skateboards. I stepped on one, found my balance, and…
“Music Man” Delights at the Clark Center
The energy in the audience matched the energy on stage Thursday night as Players West opened its one-weekend-only production of The Music Man at the Clark Center for the Performing…
Is “Eddington” Satire? Tragedy? Noir?
As Ari Aster’s filmmaking grows bolder, his critical reception grows more divided. Eddington, the writer/director's most ambitious film, is a surreal, sprawling neo-Western set during the chaos of COVID in…
“Little Shop” Lets the Dark Shine Through
“This show is fun. It’s over-the-top. It’s absurd.” Jacob Shearer, who directs Little Shop of Horrors now playing at the Templeton Performing Arts Center, couldn’t have used truer words to…
“Architecton” Is a Morass of Scenes, Sounds
The scene is relentless, moving over a vast area of destroyed buildings, forming a backdrop to the initial film credits. The opening of the 98-minute documentary Architecton by Russian filmmaker…
“Drowsy Chaperone” Is a Rousing Romp
For a musical whose leading character begins the show with the words “I hate theatre,” Cambria Center for the Arts’ production of The Drowsy Chaperone gives us a whole lot…
“Merry Wives” Makes for a Merry Time
Watching a Shakespeare play in the woods is a life experience everyone should have, and the opportunity is upon us once again as the Central Coast Shakespeare Festival returns to…
Festival Mozaic Orchestra Delivers a Crowd-Pleaser
The PAC was nearly packed for the final program in this year’s Festival Mozaic, and Music Director Scott Yoo and the talented musicians of the Festival Mozaic Orchestra delivered a…
Mid-State Fair Wraps Another Solid Year
It was a mild but wild 12 days of barn dances, watermelon eating contests, and overpriced product demos at the annual “biggest little fair anywhere.” And of course more live…
Works Span 122 Years in Final FM Chamber Concert
Mendelssohn, Thuille, Bridge, Moore The last of this summer’s Festival Mozaic chamber concerts on Friday, July 25, was again performed in the Harold J. Miossi Cultural and Performing Arts…