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Theater By Charles Donelan | Thu Sep 20, 2007 | 6:00am

Rubicon Takes On Albee’s A Delicate Balance

Ask a drama scholar what makes the history of theater special, and she will tell you about the incredible way exceptional plays make themselves felt across time. Edward Albee, the most gifted living American playwright, won his first Pulitzer Prize in 1966 for A Delicate Balance, the story of an odd three-person household in an affluent New York City suburb whose lives are disrupted by the arrival of familiar neighbors who have been struck by a sudden, unnamable fear.

Theater By Charles Donelan | Thu Sep 20, 2007 | 6:00am

Bad Dog and Other Plays

Janice (Laurel Lyle), the protagonist of Michael Smith’s Bad Dog, is a mother, a presidential candidate, and a former terrorist. Like the ancient Greek Prometheus, Janice sins against the gods by bringing the gift of fire to the people. In her case, that gift takes the form of homemade bombs and the spirit of violent 1970s radicalism.

Theater By Charles Donelan | Thu Sep 13, 2007 | 6:00am

2007 Fall Arts Preview – Theater
Fall brings out the absolute best in our theater companies, and 2007 looks to be a record year for total output by professional theaters in Santa Barbara. We have new and less well-known works coming from big names like Sam Shepard and Edward Albee, debuts by highly touted young playwrights Sarah Ruhl and Evan Smith, and plenty of politics, just in time for the ramping up of the 2008 presidential campaigns.

Theater By Charles Donelan | Thu Sep 06, 2007 | 6:00am

After More than a Century, the Lobero Theatre Still Reigns Supreme
With all due respect to its bigger neighbors to the north and west, the Lobero Theatre, more than any other performing arts structure in town, is Santa Barbara. Intimate without being exclusive, elevated without being elitist, and recognized around the world as a magical venue, the Lobero gives Santa Barbara’s creative community a picturesque focal point and a vital connection to some of the greatest performing artists in the world.

Theater By Matt Kettmann | Thu Sep 06, 2007 | 6:00am

Urinetown, the Musical presented by PCPA.
Food, water, and shelter might be the top triumvirate of human needs, but it’s the urge to relieve oneself that requires the most immediate attention every morning, noon, and night. So when the right to pee gets privatized and priced-as is the premise of this happily wacky, intelligently humorous, and satirically self-referential musical-people get pissed, and revolution isn’t far away.

Theater By Charles Donelan | Thu Aug 30, 2007 | 6:00am

Three One-Act Comedies
The group of performers that has coalesced around director and actor Ed Giron’s various projects has talent and an aptitude for comedy, and this night of one-act comedies may be the best thing the group has done yet.

Theater By Carlos Morton | Thu Aug 30, 2007 | 6:00am

Zoot Suit, presented by El Teatro Campesino.
An American classic is currently showing in San Juan Bautista, just four hours’ drive north of Santa Barbara. A play with music, Zoot Suit is a construct of fact and fantasy recounting the story of the infamous “zoot suit riots” that took place during World War II when U.S. sailors and Marines attacked any Mexican youth wearing the strange attire.

Theater By Bojana Hill | Thu Aug 23, 2007 | 6:00am

The Real Thing
The clever opening of Tom Stoppard’s acclaimed comedy The Right Thing immediately blurs the boundaries between semblance and reality. An architect who has discovered his wife’s infidelity turns out to be an actor in a play within the play called “The House of Cards.” The audience learns this gradually in the second scene as the actress from that play, Charlotte, discusses her role in it with her real-life husband, Henry-the playwright.

Theater By Elena Gray-Blanc | Thu Aug 23, 2007 | 6:00am

Bad Apples presented by Rubicon Theatre Company.
As with anything, when seeing a play, first impressions are important-and the set of Bad Apples, cleverly designed by Trefoni Rizzi, makes quite an impression. For one thing, there’s an enormous hole in the floor of what otherwise appears to be a typical suburban living room.

Theater By Felicia M. Tomasko | Thu Aug 23, 2007 | 6:00am

A Tribute to the Musical
Tragedy can lead to inspiration, as is the case with Patricia Henley, who won a precedent-setting legal battle with Philip Morris by suing them when she contracted cancer after 35 years of smoking. Now living cancer-free, Henley has created the Patricia Henley Foundation, which sponsors the Theatre of Life for Children, the organization behind A Tribute to the Musical.

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