Theatre Reviews • Articles
By Jana MArcus
Since early 2025, I have been a correspondent for Lookout Santa Cruz, a Pulitzer prize winning online news source for Santa Cruz County. I write theatre reviews and arts & enterntainment articles.
If you don't have a subscription to Lookout, you can read my writings here.
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The Stage Is Set for a Big Santa Cruz Summer Theatre Season
May 26, 2026 – Shakespeare in the redwoods. Rocky Horror downtown. Opera at a brewery. Santa Cruz theatre companies are throwing everything they’ve got at audiences this season – and the result is one of the most ambitious local lineups in years.
Photo by Kevin Painchaud
THEATRE REVIEW
Cocktails and cruelty fuel Mountain Community Theater’s fierce 'Virginia Woolf'
May 19, 2026 – Powered by standout performances and emotional precision, Mountain Community Theater’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” pulls audiences straight into the middle of one very dangerous late-night cocktail party. Capturing both the venom and heartbreak inside Edward Albee’s iconic play, audiences are in for a marathon, but the effort is rewarded.
Photo by Davis Banta
THEATRE REVIEW
Two brothers, one actor: Charles Pasternak shines in SC Shakespeare's 'Vincent'
April 28, 2026 – Santa Cruz Shakespeare turns to the letters between Vincent van Gogh and his brother Theo in “Vincent,” exploring the legendary artist’s life marked by passion, struggle and vision. It is an intimate, solo-actor production anchored by a commanding performance from Charles Pasternak asking us to reconsider not just the artist, but how we choose to see artists at all.
Photo by Davis Banta
THEATRE REVIEW
'Reefer Madness' is a blast– if you can hear it
April 7, 2026 – A spirited and entertaining “Reefer Madness” from Renegade Theater Company at the Veterans Memorial Building in downtown Santa Cruz features a talented cast and sharp visual design, but overpowering sound mutes the lyrics and blurs the show’s comic bite.
Photo by Zed Warner
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A world premiere 'Amadeus': Daniel Stewart unites Santa Cruz arts in bold new concert adaptation
March 20, 2026 – The Santa Cruz Symphony presents the world premiere of conductor Daniel Stewart’s original concert adaptation of “Amadeus” on March 28 and 29, bringing together actors from Santa Cruz Shakespeare and more than 90 singers from the Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus.
Photo by Jana Marcus
THEATRE REVIEW
Good Egg scores a hit with the comedy ‘Matt & Ben’
March 16, 2026 – Good Egg Productions makes a strong debut with "Matt & Ben," the comedy by Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers imagining how Matt Damon and Ben Affleck came to write "Good Will Hunting." Packed with fast-paced humor and terrific performances from Sarah K. Michael and Sarah Mitchler, the show delivers a night of genuine laugh-out-loud comedy. It runs at Santa Cruz County Actors’ Theatre through Sunday.
Photo by Davis Banta
THEATRE REVIEW
Mountain Community Theater’s 'The Spitfire Grill' struggles to ignite
April 28, 2026 – Mountain Community Theater’s production of “The Spitfire Grill” features a committed cast and a striking woodland set, but the gentle musical struggles to generate dramatic momentum. Standout performances from Kathryn Adkins and Mindy Pedlar provide bright moments in a production that never quite ignites.
Photo by Ben Canant
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Good Egg Productions hatches a new theater model with ‘Matt & Ben’
March 2, 2026 – Good Egg Productions, a new Santa Cruz theater company, opens with “Matt & Ben,” the satirical two-person comedy by Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers that imagines how Matt Damon and Ben Affleck wrote “Good Will Hunting.” Performances run March 13-22 at Actors’ Theatre.
Photo by Jana Marcus
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When legends collaborate with locals
February 23, 2026 – A new concert series pairs Santa Cruz County musicians with iconic artists such as Lol Tolhurst of The Cure and David J of Bauhaus and Love and Rockets for collaboration, mentorship and a shared stage.
Image courtesy of Event Santa Cruz
THEATRE REVIEW
‘8 Tens’ festival, Night ‘B’: Tight, terrific and firing on all cylinders
January 21, 2026 – Actors’ Theatre delivers a particularly tight and engaging Night “B” in its 30th anniversary “8 Tens @ 8” Short Play Festival. Eight short plays move briskly across styles and settings, unified by strong performances and assured direction. A confident, crowd-pleasing evening that showcases the festival at its best.
Photo by Davis Banta
THEATRE REVIEW
‘8 Tens @ 8’ Short Play Festival turns 30 and still moves fast
January 20, 2026 – Santa Cruz County Actors’ Theatre launches its 30th edition of the “8 Tens @ 8” festival with a lively Night “A” that offers a brisk, entertaining sampler of short plays that range from laugh-out-loud funny to quietly touching. It’s a crowd-pleasing reminder of why this beloved festival has thrived for three decades.
Photo by Davis Banta
THEATRE REVIEW
Minimalism undermines the heart of SC Shakespeare’s ‘A Christmas Carol’
December 3, 2025 – Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s holiday “A Christmas Carol” arrives with a talented cast and good intentions, but its minimalist staging and narration-heavy adaptation never find the emotional spark that makes Scrooge’s journey so enduring, leaving this production feeling surprisingly hollow.
Photo by Kevin Lohman
THEATRE REVIEW
Making a splash: Cabrillo’s ‘Metamorphoses’ flows with theatrical magic
November 3, 2025 – The Cabrillo College Theatre Arts Department’s production of “Metamorphoses” is a stunning fusion of myth, movement and water — a sensory feast that transforms the Black Box Theater into a pool of divine storytelling.
Photo by Jana Marcus
THEATRE REVIEW
Fandom gone fatal in Actors’ Theatre’s ‘Misery’
October 21, 2025 – Who needs ghosts or gore when human obsession can be even more terrifying? Santa Cruz County Actors’ Theatre delivers a slow-burn psychological thriller with “Misery” – a dark dive into the twisted side of fandom and the monsters we create ourselves.
Photo by Davis Banta
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The Maestro: How conductor Daniel Stewart left New York’s Metropolitan Opera to reshape the Santa Cruz Symphony
October 1, 2025 – The Santa Cruz Symphony opens its 68th season this weekend, one shaped by the vision of former Metropolitan Opera conductor Daniel Stewart, who has leveraged his international connections and artistic vision to turn the regional symphony into a world-class orchestra.
Photo by Jana Marcus
THEATRE REVIEW
MCT’s ‘The Addams Family’ delivers delightful campy charm
September 23, 2025 – With a cast brimming with energy and just the right dose of spooky camp and darkly funny charm, “The Addams Family” delivers a delightfully offbeat night at the theater. From Gomez’s irresistible appeal to Wednesday’s drop-dead performance, Mountain Community Theater brings the mix of gothic gloom and laugh-out-loud comedy to Ben Lomond.
Photo by Jana Marcus
THEATRE REVIEW
In Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s brilliant ‘Master Harold,’ superb performances deliver devastating truths
September 12, 2025 – Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s “‘Master Harold’ … and the Boys” is both intimate and explosive. What begins with dancing and banter unravels into a devastating portrait of racism, betrayal and moral choice. With five-star performances, this is a must-see.
Photo by Shmuel Thayler
THEATRE REVIEW
All About Theatre delivers energetic take on provocative teen musical ‘Spring Awakening’
September 2, 2025 – If you think community theater can’t rock, “Spring Awakening” at All About Theatre will prove you wrong. With a driving rock score powered by an impressive orchestra and a cast that builds to explosive energy, “Spring Awakening” is messy, moving and alive — a reminder of why supporting local theater matters.
Photo By Marco Lucadano
THEATRE REVIEW
Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s ‘Pericles’ navigates love, loss and redemption
August 5, 2025 – Pirates, princesses, brothels and shipwrecks — “Pericles” has all the drama of a soap opera with the poetry of Shakespeare, and Santa Cruz Shakespeare gives this wild ride heart and humor. Think “Shakespearean road trip” with emotional payoff and a superb cast.
Photo by Kevin Lohman
THEATRE REVIEW
Moonlight and mischief in Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s delightful ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’
July 29, 2025 – Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a hilarious, crowd-pleasing comedy full of playful magic. This moonlit romp through love and mischief is a midsummer treat.
Photo by rr jones
THEATRE REVIEW
Revenge served cold: Cabrillo Stage’s ‘Sweeney Todd’ cuts to the bone with powerful performances
July 22, 2025 – Cabrillo Stage’s “Sweeney Todd” is sharp and strikingly relevant, delivering powerhouse performances and Stephen Sondheim’s brilliance, even if the gore stays on the back burner.
Photo By Grace Khieu
THEATRE REVIEW
Strong lead performance grounds MCT’s ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’
May 20, 2025 – In Mountain Community Theater’s “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” Wyatt Troxell delivers a masterful portrayal of a neurodivergent teen detective, though the production’s minimal staging fails to match his nuanced performance.
Photo By Ben Canant