Hi friends,
I wrote a new song on Tuesday night. It’s called “God Bless America … Please?”
Now, on with the show.
THIS JUST IN
That famously rage-aholic old guy — no, not the one we just elected president, the other one — Lewis Black is due in Santa Cruz, to perform at the Rio Theatre on Jan. 24. One of the great homegrown voices in Northern California, singer-songwriter Jackie Greene, returns to the area, playing Moe’s Alley on Feb. 8. Speaking of local treasures, the Joint Chiefs play at Woodhouse Brewing on Feb. 21. The rootsy jam band Railroad Earth is at Felton Music Hall on Jan. 17.
Be sure to check out Lookout’s carefully curated and constantly updated planning guide, Down the Line, for the staggering riches and amazing choices awaiting Santa Cruz audiences. It’s our look ahead at the best shows, concerts and events through the rest of the year at clubs, stages and venues all over the county.
Here they are, nine necessary know-abouts for the week ahead. It’s the election-hangover B9:
Dueling “Nutcrackers”
Last summer, the venerable dance academy Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre closed its doors, and with it went SCBT’s wonderful annual tradition of staging “The Nutcracker.” This holiday season, however, fans of the Tchaikovsky classic ballet don’t have to go without.
There are, in fact, two dueling productions of “The Nutcracker” coming to local audiences on the same weekend, Dec. 21 and 22. At the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, one is coming via a new organization known as Santa Cruz Dance Theater, which is hosting a fundraiser later this month to provide a sneak peek of the upcoming production. (SCDT will also present a “Petite Nutcracker” with performers from the ages of 3 to 7 on Dec. 21.)
At the same time, another organization, Santa Cruz City Ballet at the International Academy of Dance, will also stage “The Nutcracker,” this one at the beautiful Crocker Theater on the campus of Cabrillo College. What’s more, both productions have the same schedule: Performances at 1 and 4:30 p.m. both days. That means, counting the “Petite Nutcracker,” there are no fewer than nine performances of everyone’s favorite holiday-themed ballet in one weekend. Plenty of tickets still available for the Crocker performances and the Civic performances.
MAH leader search update
The Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History announced last month that it was presenting public presentations from its three finalists for the position of executive director on consecutive days in November. That number has dropped to two, since one of the finalists has withdrawn from consideration.
The two presentations will take place from 11 a.m. to noon next Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 12 and 13, on Zoom. Recordings of each presentation will be made available the following day, Nov. 14. Drop in and get a sense of where the MAH might be headed in 2025 and beyond.
More holiday productions coming
The big news this year on the holiday production front is Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s new production of the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol,” with the company’s founding artistic director, Mike Ryan, in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge. The production opens Nov. 23 and runs all the way through Christmas Eve at the Veterans Memorial Hall in Santa Cruz, 28 performances in all.
This “Christmas Carol” aspires to be an annual Santa Cruz tradition. SCS has already announced that it will stage the play again next year.
Also, on the subjects of holiday traditions already well underway, the Flynn Creek Circus is returning to Capitola with its new show called “The Heavy Drift,” inspired by classic film-noir detective stories. For the third consecutive year, the Flynn Creek Circus will set up its big-top performance tent in the parking lot of the Capitola Mall on 41st Avenue, presenting its circus show cabaret style. The new show will be presented Dec. 19 through Jan. 5.
The Flynn Creek Circus includes both family-friendly acrobatics shows and adults-only shows, for a bit saltier experience. And despite what the word “circus” might mean to some folks, Flynn Creek features no animal performers, except for humans.
That’s all I got, friends. Come at me with comments, ideas, complaints, or thundering insights. Thanks to all Lookout members for your faith and support, and please, spread the word on what we’re doing.