Plenty of books get turned into movies, but you know the story is really something special when it goes one further and also becomes a play.
At first glance, the 1953 Walt Disney animated movie “Peter Pan” and the 1984 cult classic “Repo Man” don’t appear to have much in common. One is a fantasy about an ageless imp flying through the night skies in turn-of-the-last-century London with three young friends in tow, chased by a pira…
“Guys and Dolls Jr.” is set to hit the stage at Stars Theatre Restaurant this weekend only.
As we head into the final stretch of summer, the time to travel is now. That is, if the heat of July hasn't already sent you packing for the beach. But if there's no chance of taking a vacation this month, head to the Bakersfield Art Association's travel-themed exhibit for First Friday.
Bakersfield Community Theatre is ready to showcase the talents of its young performers in this weekend’s “Stuart Little.”
The annual Via Arte Italian Street Painting Festival will return to The Marketplace in October, and the time for artists to reach out to get involved is coming up much sooner.
While the summer might be slowing down with other events (especially anything outdoors), the local theater scene is as active as ever.
Over-the-top, campy and ridiculous are the Gaslight Melodrama's defining characteristics. That's also how Michael Prince, the theater's owner and artistic director, described "Gilligan's Island." A production parodying the classic TV show is, naturally, a perfect match.
With two shows at its sister theaters, Stars is doing more than its part to contribute to this weekend's busy theater schedule. Fortunately for local theater fans, it's possible to see both Stars productions.
The world of fantasy might be full of fairies, monsters, wizards and other creatures, but at its heart, any story in that magical realm is about the characters who inhabit it. Characters who, besides the horns, wings and wands, are more like the people we know than we realize.
This time of year, the heat is on everybody's mind. But while some dwell and complain, others take inspiration and get creative.
When it comes to "Frozen," Disney fans just can't let it go. While they will have to wait until November for the movie's sequel, they can catch a local production of "Frozen Jr." when it runs at Stars Theatre Restaurant this weekend.
A theater can't just observe a milestone anniversary with a party. The most fitting way to celebrate a theater is with a big production in its honor.
The warm weather came to Bakersfield late this year but it's here just in time to heat things up for First Friday.
Fires, earthquakes and destructive tidal waves aren't usually laughing matters, but camp it up in a theater as an homage to the disaster films of the 1970s and the audience is sure to have a good time, even if the characters are not.
While plenty of art events are happening the next day for First Friday, the Arts Council of Kern is holding an event Thursday evening.
What does a theater do when looking at a dark weekend? If you're Ovation Theatre, you improvise — literally — with a night of comedy.
The Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra has brought on Holly Arnold as its new executive director.
Romance, drama, hexes, heartbreak and the afterlife — Bakersfield Community Theatre has a little bit of everything this weekend with the return of its 32nd annual One-Act Festival.
There may have been nothing more '80s than spending the day at the mall. Gaslight Melodrama revisits a simpler time with "Valley Plaza Days" opening Friday.
editor's pick
Some 20,000 people got together last Thursday for a "transformational" festival known as Lightning in a Bottle. Monday morning — four days later — they rolled out of their sleeping bags, rolled up their tents and rolled on down the road.
Diamonds may be a girl's best friend but when it comes to photographers it's platinum. The metal is used to produce prints with a unique look, and examples of that style are part of "Platinum: Photographs by Douglas Isaac Busch & E.F. Kitchen," one of three new exhibitions for the summer…
Extra! Extra! Ridgeview High, the first high school in Kern County to be granted permission to perform the show, is ready to debut its production Thursday.
Like peanut butter and chocolate, peas and carrots, so too does Shakespeare and the golden age of television go together. At least that's the case at the Stars Playhouse, which opens "The Golden Age of Shakespeare?" this weekend.
These days, you can't talk about downtown Bakersfield and not have the topic of the homelessness come up. But while a lot of people are talking, Pat Evans of World Records is doing something.
editor's pick
If you're not interested in celebrating Cinco de Mayo eating Mexican food and pounding margaritas, then perhaps you're ready to rock. Ovation Theatre will host "I Love Rock 'N' Roll," an evening of classic rock featuring a mix of musicians and stage performers.
When some plot late-night fun, they may not think about it being at a theater. But The Empty Space is there to win hearts and minds with "Magic, Drunk, Love."
It’s opera time again at CSUB and the university’s music students are having a great time preparing for Thursday's performance of Gian Carlo Menotti’s “The Old Maid and the Thief."
A devastating fire ravaged the actual Notre Dame but Bakersfield's stage version stands at the ready as "Hunchback of Notre Dame" opens at Stars.
As blossoms spring in colorful bloom outside, the art inside the Bakersfield Museum of Art is ready for its own show Thursday.
Tolstoy wrote "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." And in some cases, their own way makes for a good story. "Fun Home," opening Friday at Bakersfield Community Theatre, is the autobiographical tale of a graphic artist coming to grips with her own se…
Blind dates can be many things — intimidating, boring, maybe even perfect — but in Jonathan Rand’s "Check Please," coming to Liberty High, they are downright hilarious.
For Brazilian artist Arlin Graff, known for his large-scale animal murals, bigger is always better.
Although many entertainment events promise to have something for everyone, not all can deliver. When it comes to theater, it's hard to beat Shakespeare, and "As You Like It," which opens this weekend at The Empty Space, is at the top of the list.
It's that time of year again when a few notable local folks put on their dancing shoes for a good cause. Dancing at the Stars returns to the downtown theater this weekend with a new crop of performers and a brand-new alumni dance in celebration of its fifth year.
Eagle-eyed residents may have spotted artists in our midst this week as they worked around the county for the Kern County Plein Air Painting Festival. If you haven't seen anyone, you'll have a chance Thursday in downtown Bakersfield.
Everyone’s been enjoying the wildflowers so why not the artists? When the painters come to Kern County next week for the annual Kern County Plein Air Painting Festival, you can bet taking in the colorful flora will be on their to-paint list.
Whoever says Bakersfield is an artless town should catch a ride to southwest Bakersfield this Friday. There Beacon Studios is hosting an Artist Showcase, featuring more than 100 creators sharing their work.
Get ready to watch what happens at Thursday's Art After Dark. For this month's gathering at the Bakersfield Museum of Art, Los Angeles-based artist Gustavo Godoy will introduce a series of short films created by his students.
When you hear the phrases tale of forbidden love and high school production, thoughts may run to "Romeo and Juliet." But at Frontier High, the theater department is headed to the Caribbean with the Tony Award-winning musical "Once on This Island," playing this weekend.
Centennial High School is back in the musical business heading down the yellow brick road for “The Wizard of Oz,” which opens this weekend.
Local rivalries are not a new notion in a Gaslight Melodrama show, but for "Shafter vs. Wasco," which opens Friday, differences run deep. But Michael Prince, Gaslight's artistic director, says no matter where your loyalties lie, you're in for a good time.
While many might be quick to chalk "Harvey" up to a tale of a man and his imaginary giant rabbit friend, they'd be overlooking an important character. See what you're missing in the Cal State Bakersfield production that opens this week.
Write what you know, as the saying goes, or, in the case of Ovation Theatre, direct it.
Spring has declared itself in a riot of verdant growth and wildflowers. That itch you're now feeling isn't allergies but rather a desire to beautify your own surroundings. Luckily, the Bakersfield Museum of Art has the solution with its ARTMIX on Thursday.
In these times where divisiveness is commonplace, it is time for a reminder that despite the obstacles, “you can’t stop the beat!” With a message of acceptance, unity, the inevitability of change and, above all, the importance of doing the right thing no matter what, "Hairspray" is a classic…
China is the traditional anniversary gift but when it comes to this fundraiser, it's Black Gold. The leading sponsor of the local Campout Against Cancer, Black Gold Productions is back for its 20th year this weekend with the melodrama “The Dastardly Doctor Devereaux.”
While supervisors consider appeals from marijuana dispensaries, it’s full-on “Reefer Madness” at The Empty Space. The musical based on the 1936 propaganda film on the dangers of the green herb returns to the Oak Street theater.
The course of true love never did run smooth but Bakersfield Community Theatre is more optimistic about its production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which opens Friday.
All the dancing queens in Bakersfield, take note. Knowing me, knowing you, we're all ready to get our tickets to see "Mamma Mia!" opening Friday at Stars Theatre Restaurant.
Commented