Here they are, nine necessary know-abouts for the week ahead. It’s the theater-season B9:
➤ And just like that, the summer theater season is upon us. In the course of 24 hours, three new productions will open at Santa Cruz County’s two signature theater programs, Cabrillo Stage and Santa Cruz Shakespeare. On Friday, Cabrillo Stage goes live with its latest production of Stephen Sondheim’s luridly delicious “Sweeney Todd” on the very same evening that Santa Cruz Shakespeare opens its latest production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” A day later, on Saturday, SCS jumps into Sondheim itself, with the debut of its musical “Into the Woods.” It’s an embarrassment of riches, particularly for Sondheim fans. It’s possible you can catch “Sweeney” and “Woods” on consecutive nights, but then you’d be missing what SCS does best, which is Shakespeare. Either way, there’s going to have to be strategy involved to see everything you’ll need to see. Luckily, each production will be playing for several weekends ahead. Be sure to check in with our theater critic, Jana Marcus, next week for her takes on these big new productions.
➤ Big to-do over at the Museum of Art & History on Friday when the MAH opens its new “Princes of Surf 2025” exhibition, featuring a broad history of surfing’s early days in Santa Cruz and lots of surfboards, including a replica of the 200-plus-pound redwood plank that the three Hawaiian princes used when they brought surfing to Santa Cruz back in 1885. MAH members get a special preview Friday. It’s followed by a paddle-out at the San Lorenzo Rivermouth on Saturday.
➤ Santa Cruz writer and explorer Bridget A. Lyons is finding life lessons for humans in the non-human realm. Her new book of essays, “Entwined,” goes deep into the biology of the animal kingdom to find parallels about how we human animals can live our lives more fully. She’ll sit down with writer Josie Iselin to talk about her research and her experiences in the wild at Bookshop Santa Cruz next Tuesday.
➤ Just think of the cultural superpower if Texas and California could ever come together despite their differences. As one small example, may I present the great Texas troubadour Jimmie Dale Gilmore combining musical forces with Dave “King of California” Alvin. It’ll be something to behold next Tuesday at Kuumbwa.
➤ Santa Cruz has been a soft landing spot for singer-songwriter Paul Thorn for years, and the Mississippi-born ex-prize fighter is bringing his guitar and songbook back to town with a performance at Felton Music Hall on next Wednesday. He comes to town with a new album, “Live is Just a Vapor,” under his arm. You can bet we’ll hear a lot from it.
➤ Prog rock comes to the campus of UC Santa Cruz this weekend with Stick Men, a supergroup trio formed from ex-members of King Crimson. One note: Due to illness, master guitarist Tony Levin won’t perform with the group; he is to be replaced by Reeves Gabrels of The Cure. It all goes down Saturday.
➤ Christians from all over Santa Cruz County and beyond gathering for a big outdoor festival featuring a lot of worship and a lot of fun. The True Love Christian Music Festival includes plenty of live bands and musical performances, a wide variety of food options and lots of family activities, all tailored with Christian values in mind. It’s set for Saturday afternoon at Aptos Village Park.
➤ The world will never tire of The Beatles. The latest proof comes in the guise of a new show of a band featuring Laurence Juber and John Jorgensen that will perform the Beatles’ landmark 1966 album “Revolver” from start to finish, plus some selections from the Beatles-esque band Badfinger. “Revolver Live” takes place Sunday at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center.
➤ It makes a certain sense that the Audrey Stanley Grove, the home of Santa Cruz Shakespeare, would host a musical show with no instruments. On Monday, SCS features the debut of its Monday Night Revels series with Rockapella, a five-man a cappella group famous for its otherworldly harmonies and simulating a full band with only their astonishing vocal chops. Hope they do “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.”
