Bree Murphy News

Bardway Baby! is back at the Utah Shakespeare Festival for its fifth annual night of musical entertainment. Bardway, Baby! is a late-night concert event which, this year, will feature the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Performed by Festival actors, the concert will be held on two nights, August 1 and August 8 at 11:30 p.m. in the Auditorium Theatre. Tickets are $25 for reserved seating and are available now at the Festival ticket office or by calling 1-800-PLAYTIX.

As we move into the latter portion of June, I really hope you've made your reservations to see some of the GREAT shows that are presently running (or soon will be) at the various live theatre and performance venues that we have here on our beautiful California Central Coast!

As we approach April 15 (got YOUR taxes done yet?) and on into springtime, I trust you are making plans to frequent one of the several live performance and theatre venues here on the beautiful California Central Coast!

As we come to April 15 (got YOUR taxes done yet?) and on into springtime, I trust you are making plans to frequent one of the several live performance and theatre venues here on the beautiful California Central Coast!

'The Medicine Man' scoots onto the melodrama stage beginning March 10. This hysterically funny farce marks the directing debut of Kitty Balay, well-known for her performances on the PCPA stage and for her teachings of early child music classes up and down the Central Coast with Strawberry Music Together.

The hilarious musical comedy ' Under the Boardwalk,' written by Central Coast favorite Erik Stein and directed by George Walker, returns to the stage of The Great American Melodrama to open their 2011 season.

The hilarious musical comedy ' Under the Boardwalk,' written by Central Coast favorite Erik Stein and directed by George Walker, returns to the stage of The Great American Melodrama to open their 2011 season.

The hilarious musical comedy ' Under the Boardwalk,' written by Central Coast favorite Erik Stein and directed by George Walker, returns to the stage of The Great American Melodrama to open their 2011 season.

Looking to add some zing to your nostalgic holiday traditions? Don't let this holiday go by without experiencing an evening at The Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville. Rejuvenate your holiday spirit with Ebenezer Scrooge in the classic timepiece, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, tickle your funny bone with a fractured fairytale, Sleeping Beauty, or You Snooze, You Lose, then find the rhythm inside with the heart-warming Holiday Vaudeville Revue. The Holiday Extravaganza runs November 18 through December 31, and this year features some twists in the three-part evening.

A "tale as old as time" is given a complete makeover as The Great American Melodrama presents the hilarious musical spoof, "Trudy and the Beast, or the Creature from the Black Lake Lagoon," opening September 23 and running through November 14.

Looking to add some zing to your nostalgic holiday traditions? Don't let this holiday go by without experiencing an evening at The Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville. Rejuvenate your holiday spirit with Ebenezer Scrooge in the classic timepiece, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, tickle your funny bone with a fractured fairytale, Sleeping Beauty, or You Snooze, You Lose, then find the rhythm inside with the heart-warming Holiday Vaudeville Revue. The Holiday Extravaganza runs November 18 through December 31, and this year features some twists in the three-part evening.

As we say goodbye to September and hello to October (and all the Halloween trimmings in the stores that go with it!) - we also say hello to a number of shows that have started, or soon will start, their production runs here on the California Central Coast, along with a couple whose runs will soon come to a close.

A "tale as old as time" is given a complete makeover as The Great American Melodrama presents the hilarious musical spoof, "Trudy and the Beast, or the Creature from the Black Lake Lagoon," opening September 23 and running through November 14.

A "tale as old as time" is given a complete makeover as The Great American Melodrama presents the hilarious musical spoof, "Trudy and the Beast, or the Creature from the Black Lake Lagoon," opening September 23 and running through November 14.

This week The Great American Melodrama adds George M. Cohan's delightful mystery-comedy to its summer season of fun! 'The Tavern,' directed by Roger DeLaurier, takes place on a dark and stormy night, when a wild wind blows all sorts of oddball characters into the tavern run by Freeman (Alan Benson), his son, Zach (Jim McCaffrey) and their hired girl, Sally (Megan C.C. Walker). First to arrive is a whimsical vagabond (Chuck McLane), who delights in the theatrics of the events that unfold throughout the night, including the discovery of a woman asleep in the wood shed. She is Violet (Bree Murphy), a distraught lady with a mysterious past who has lost her way en route to the capitol to seek an audience with the Governor. Situations heat up when the Governor himself (Jim Shine) arrives, along with his daughter, Virginia (Katie Worley) and her fiancé, Tom (Andrew Beck), seeking shelter from the storm and on edge from having been robbed on the road. Suspicions abound until all is resolved with the arrival of the Sheriff (Aaron Lamb) and Stevens (Suzy Newman). One of the most popular plays written by one of America's greatest showmen, 'The Tavern,' offers up mystery and madcap fun!

The Great American Melodrama kicked off its summer season of exciting melodrama on June 17 with THE CROCK OF GOLD, written by Silas S. Steele and directed by Eric Hoit.

This week The Great American Melodrama adds George M. Cohan's delightful mystery-comedy to its summer season of fun! 'The Tavern,' directed by Roger DeLaurier, takes place on a dark and stormy night, when a wild wind blows all sorts of oddball characters into the tavern run by Freeman (Alan Benson), his son, Zach (Jim McCaffrey) and their hired girl, Sally (Megan C.C. Walker). First to arrive is a whimsical vagabond (Chuck McLane), who delights in the theatrics of the events that unfold throughout the night, including the discovery of a woman asleep in the wood shed. She is Violet (Bree Murphy), a distraught lady with a mysterious past who has lost her way en route to the capitol to seek an audience with the Governor. Situations heat up when the Governor himself (Jim Shine) arrives, along with his daughter, Virginia (Katie Worley) and her fiancé, Tom (Andrew Beck), seeking shelter from the storm and on edge from having been robbed on the road. Suspicions abound until all is resolved with the arrival of the Sheriff (Aaron Lamb) and Stevens (Suzy Newman). One of the most popular plays written by one of America's greatest showmen, 'The Tavern,' offers up mystery and madcap fun!

The Great American Melodrama kicked off its summer season of exciting melodrama on June 17 with THE CROCK OF GOLD, written by Silas S. Steele and directed by Eric Hoit.

As we come to the middle of June (already?!), a number of our theatre and live entertainment venues have shows opening, or gearing up to do so, here on the beautiful California Central Coast!

Beginning April 29, The Great American Melodrama in Oceano presents the first production of a new play by Neal LaVine, 'Back After This Break.' Mr. LaVine, who was artistic director at the Melodrama in the 1990's, has crafted a terrific comedy that takes place on the set of a television sitcom in the mid 1960's.