Comedy, music and theatre await at Santa Cruz Shakespeare

Enjoy outdoor, live theatre at Santa Cruz Shakespeare this month!

Between a wild romp like Private Lives and a musical like The Last Five Years, audiences have their pick of delightful theatre experiences under the trees and stars at the Audrey Stanley Grove in DeLaveaga Park this fall.

The productions share the stage with the finale of the Monday Night and Community Revels featuring comedy, tribute bands and beloved local acts.

Paige Lindsey White as Amanda, Chris Cherin as Victor, Charlotte Boyce Munson as Sibyl, and Charles Pasternak as Elyot Credit: Kevin Lohman Photography

Private Lives by Noël Coward

Director: Laura Gordon

Running now through Oct. 4

Imagine running into your ex on your honeymoon. Now imagine the hotel balconies are side by side. Noël Coward’s razor-sharp comedy follows Amanda and Elyot — two passionate, egotistical, utterly irresistible divorcés who discover they may not be as finished with each other as they thought. Expect champagne, sparks and laughter that hurts in the best way. (first name) Pasternak stars as Elyot opposite Paige Lindsey White as Amanda.

Lookout’s own theatre critic Jana Marcus describes this play as “sophisticated, stylish, very funny and just a little bit dangerous.”

Music Director Luke Shepherd and Chris Cherin as Jamie. Credit: Davis Banta/Right Hand Creative

The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown

Director: Laura Gordon

Music Direction: Luke Shepherd

Running now through Oct. 3

Brown’s gorgeous musical looks at the beginning and ending of a relationship through the eyes of Cathy and Jamie. Cathy tells the story of a relationship backward. Jamie tells it forward. Their timelines intersect only once. It’s tender, heartbreaking and musically stunning — a modern meditation on how we define each other and what it costs to let love go.

For those who attended summer productions of Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, followed by the emotionally moving Fences by August Wilson, these fall productions are an enchanting way to close the outdoor theatre season. And if you didn’t make it to a summer show, now’s the time to enjoy the Grove!

And there’s more!

Monday Night Revels culminates its final shows in September with a lineup of one-night-only performances at the Grove, including tributes to beloved bands and viral comic sensation Kristin Key.
Community Revels on Tuesday nights, welcomes local Santa Cruz favorites to the stage – Smoke Cabaret featuring the incomparable Lori Rivera on Sept. 15 and Luke Shepherd featuring Santa Cruz Shakespeare cast superstars singing live on Sept. 22. All proceeds from The SCS Cast Sings! A Night of Cabaret with SCS and Luke Shepherd will go to Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s education programs.

Reserve tickets today. Santa Cruz Shakespeare is a community-powered professional company that blends national talent with deep local roots. And it exists because this community shows up. We can’t wait to see you at The Audrey Stanley Grove.