This edition of ON Culture was originally emailed to subscribers on April 11, 2025. To receive Leslie Dinaberg’s arts newsletter in your inbox on Fridays, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.
ON the Stage
There’s a lot of great theater in town right now, and, for whatever reason, much of it has a Russian bent.
Out of the Box Theatre Company’s musical production of Natasha, Pierre, and The Great Comet of 1812 continues through Sunday. The show, inspired by War and Peace, got a thumbs up from reviewer Richelle Boyd. She writes, “It’s not just the topical commentary and top-notch performances that make this an exciting show — the score and interactive elements bring the audience into the world of the Great Comet.” See centerstagetheater.org.
Ensemble Theatre Company’s Rachmaninoff and the Tsar is another Russian-rooted show, on view at the New Vic through April 20. Our reviewer Maggie Yates was certainly intrigued. She wrote, “Most interestingly, this play is a natural historic representation of the current American experience, reminding us that others before us have loved their country but also harbored deep rage and disgust for it based on its ruinous effects on people’s lives. Rachmaninoff and the Tsar is an exploration of the ache of clinging to ‘old patriotism’ for an unsustainable way of life — and the challenge and discovery of ‘new patriotism’ for the life one needs to adopt to move forward.” See etcsb.org.
SBCC Theatre Group takes a humorous approach in Crime and Punishment, A Comedy, from the same playwrights behind the hilarious Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors, produced earlier this season by Ensemble Theatre Company at the New Vic. Read Maggie’s preview here. See Crime and Punishment, A Comedy April 18-May 3 (previews Apr.16-17) on the SBCC campus for a taste of old Russia through a modern comic lens. bit.ly/3EatwQP.
Waitress, a musical as all-American as apple pie, is also coming to town soon thanks to PCPA. With music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, Waitress is a heartfelt story about love, liberation, and the pursuit of dreams, as our leading lady finds inspiration in her pies and embarks on a journey of self-discovery bolstered by friendship and sweet melodies. The show runs April 24-May 11 at the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria, and then June 19-July 6 at Solvang Festival Theater.
Also on deck soon is The Addams Family, May 6-7, from Broadway in Santa Barbara. This musical comedy features Wednesday Adams, the ultimate princess of darkness, as a grown up woman who has fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family. Get ready to start snapping your fingers — and laughing out loud — as Gomez and Morticia prepare to meet a “normal” family. Click here for tickets.
ON the Page
Musician, writer, book reviewer, poet, and my pal David Starkey has a new book that mashes up the literary and musical worlds in a similar way to what he did in 2014 with Like a Soprano, an episode-by-episode poetic revisioning of The Sopranos television series. Using prose this time around, rather than poetry, he turns his prolific pen to an album by album, song by song exploration of the Talking Heads.
It’s a fun concept, although talking about the Talking Heads is a little bit like dancing about architecture, given that bandleader David Byrne himself has spent his whole career saying that song lyrics are overrated. As Starkey quotes from a Byrne CNN interview in the book: “People ignore them half the time. In a certain way, it’s the sound of the words, the inflection, the way the song is sung, the way it fits the melody and the way the syllables are on the tongue — that has as much of the meaning as the actual, literal words.”
Starkey will be signing the resulting book — Talking Heads – On Track — at a book launch party on Friday, April 18, from 6:30-8 p.m. at Draughtmen Aleworks in Goleta. Click here for details.
Gail Kvistad, who many of you will recognize as the effervescent host of the TV/YouTube series Living Local Santa Barbara, has a new children’s book called Magic Mojo and Gail Good Fairy, which is launching with a reading and book signing on Saturday, April 12 at 11 a.m. at Paseo Nuevo. The story, illustrated by Mandana Mir and available in both English and Spanish, is based on the true adventures of Gail and her dog Mojo, who she first befriended as a stray on the streets of Santa Barbara. Along with the reading and signing, the free event features a photo booth and tasty treats from a local honey producer and café Santa Barbara Hives. Kids get to make Magic Mojo bookmarks and Magic Mojo ear headbands and S.B. Humane will have a table and bring photos of dogs to adopt that kids can draw and color, with a portion of the book proceeds to be donated to S.B. Humane and ASPCA. Click here for more information.
ON the (Symphony) Stage
The highly anticipated debut of the newly formed Santa Barbara Symphony Chorus comes to the Granada April 26-27 when The Symphony performs Brahms’ Requiem, one of the most profound choral-orchestral works ever written. Unlike traditional Latin requiems, Brahms crafted his masterpiece in German, setting biblical texts to music that is both introspective and uplifting. Along with acclaimed vocal soloists soprano Magdalena Kuźma, a Music Academy of the West alumna, and baritone Daniel Scofield, the Symphony will be joined by a veritable “all-star” lineup of community choral singers from area churches: Adelfos Ensemble, Santa Barbara Choral Society, Santa Barbara Gay Men’s Chorus, Santa Barbara Master Chorale, Quire of Voyces, University of California Santa Barbara Choir, and Westmont College Choir. More than 200 performers, including the new chorus, will join on stage to bring this passionate work to life. Click here for tickets.
ON the (SOhO) Stage
PROM NIGHT brings together three bands — Trestles, Sluttony, and Santa Barbara’s own The Framers — for a fun evening of musical discovery and prom night chaos. Businesses and entrepreneurs like Revolver Pizza, Kaleidoscope Flowers, and local interior designers will be on hand as well. As the organizers said, “Expect a fully immersive prom experience paralleled with ridiculously good music and pure, unfiltered fun. There is no set theme, just one non-negotiable: dress up. Whether you’re channeling classic prom glam, goth prom, ’80s prom, or something completely unhinged, go all out. Use this night to relive your prom era or rewrite it, just know we’re going to dress up, dance hard, and make it a night worth remembering. See you under the disco ball.” Click here for tickets and more info.
ON the Podium
Mark your calendars for Wednesday, May 21, when the Association of Women in Communications honors artists in our community at the 17th annual Women of Achievement Awards Luncheon. Five distinguished creatives will be recognized for building community through the arts: Adriana Arriaga, visual artist, entrepreneur, and activist; Teresa Kuskey, Founder/Artistic Director of La Boheme Dance; Frances Moore, Co-founder/Artistic Director, Santa Barbara Ringshout Project; Melinda Palacio, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate (and the Independent’s Poetry Columnist); and Joanne Wasserman, Artistic Director and Conductor, Santa Barbara Choral Society. The luncheon will take place at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 21 at Cabrillo Pavilion and will feature performances, an art exhibition, and poetry reading showcasing the honorees’ community-building artistic work. Tickets are available at AWC-SB Women of Achievement.
ON the Web
Stagecoach, the kickin’ country music festival taking place April 25-27 in Indio, is sold-out, but Amazon Music will be livestreaming it all weekend long. Fans from around the world will be able to kick back and enjoy sets from country music’s biggest artists like Zach Bryan, Jelly Roll, Luke Combs, Lana Del Rey, Carly Pearce, Brothers Osborne, Nelly, Creed, Dasha, Sturgill Simpson, Backstreet Boys, Midland, T-Pain, Tigirlily Gold, Scotty McCreery, and many more. Warm up with this curated playlist.
ON the Calendar
Help keep arts and music alive in our public schools. Come out to support the San Marcos High School Band at their annual FUNdraiser and celebration at Draughtsmen Aleworks’ downtown Mosaic Locale (1131 State Street) on Friday, April 25 from 5-9 p.m. This free, family friendly event features live music from the funky jazz quintet CHANNEL FIVE, a special performance by SMHS’s award-winning Jazz Ensemble, and La Cumbre JHS’s Drumline — plus other surprise guests. There’s also delicious food from Bombazo Burritos, who will donate $2 from every item sold to the Royals, and a bake sale of yummy homemade goodies, and beer from Draughtsmen Aleworks, who will donate $1 per tap purchase to the SMHS Band. Click here for more details.
For a complete calendar of events this week and beyond, visit independent.com/events/.
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