The show must go on, especially at Christmas. So when a lead actor calls in sick, as one did for the opening weekend of Bakersfield Community Theatre's "A Coney Island Christmas," someone just has to fill in.

The Empty Space is offering audience a holiday gift with the timeless musical "She Loves Me." Haven't heard of it? Perhaps you know "You've Got Mail" and "The Shop Around the Corner"; all three works derive from the same source material: the 1937 play "Parfumerie." 

Before you settle in for the Christmas Parade downtown, swing by the Arts Council of Kern's Access Center Gallery for a new show on display.

Take the chill off the holiday season with Liberty High School's production of the heart-warming play "Snow Angel."

Ghostly visitors seem more appropriate for a show around Halloween but that's not the case when you're visiting Ebenezer Scrooge. The man who could out-grinch the Grinch is due for his seasonal comeuppance in Ovation Theatre's production of "A Christmas Carol."

Conversations about the dining room table can be awkward in real life but they've got nothing on the kind that take the stage this week at Cal State Bakersfield. Actors will take on many roles as they sit down for meals in the varied scenes of "The Dining Room" at the Dore Theatre starting T…

The future is female — even all the way up at the North Pole. But Mrs. Claus has to table her plans for a girls night in with BFFs Mrs. Easter Bunny, Mrs. Cupid and the Tooth Fairy when the evil Jack Frost kidnaps Santa and threatens to ruin Christmas in "Mrs. Claus Saves Christmas" at Gasli…

On the eve of the holiday season, The Empty Space delivers a unique gift to Bakersfield theater-goers Saturday: a one-night-only production of the one-woman show “My Name is Rachel Corrie."

Come Tuesday, the name on everybody's lips is gonna be Roxie as "Chicago" heads to Rabobank Theater. The longest-running American musical hits town as part of Broadway in Bakersfield.

Don't hold your breath waiting for the titular song in "Smokey Joe's Cafe," opening Friday at Stars Theatre Restaurant. Although that number only appears in instrumental form as transition music, this revue of Jerry Leiber's and Mike Stoller's greatest hits has plenty of toe-tapping tunes to…

While some folks are drawn to the sparkle of a new show — "Hamilton," "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 and 2," "Dear Evan Hansen," etc. — there is something to be said for the plays that endure. One such work, "Bus Stop," takes the stage this weekend at The Empty Space.

For a show about four women finding commonality and camaraderie in their life adventures, it's not a stretch to find two women sharing directing duties. From the directors to the four actresses, "Savannah Sipping Society," opening Friday at Stars Playhouse, is a female tour de force.

A heart-warming classic that is sure to keep everyone on the edge of their seats, "Anne of Green Gables" arrives at Bakersfield Christian High School this weekend. The tale, centered on Anne, a young orphan girl who is mistakenly delivered to the farm-owning Cuthbert family, recounts her esc…

Talk about a blast from the past: As the Fox Theater kicks off the Wings N' Wheels event with a pre-show party Friday, the adjacent Bubble Pop Gallery revisits those "Nifty 1950s" with its latest art show.

With the midterm elections less than two weeks away, a number of issues vie to dominate the headlines, not the least of which is immigration. The theater department at Cal State Bakersfield is taking it head-on with its presentation of "Dreamers: Aquí y Allá," a new play about young undocume…

In a way, there is something very zen about Via Arte. Like elaborate sand mandalas that are immediately swept away after completion, there is an impermanence to the chalk art created at The Marketplace each year. But, like the Buddhist tradition, there is also an exquisite fragile beauty in …

In the classic tale of Jekyll and Hyde, two distinct personalities clash, to the ruin of all involved. But when it comes to putting together a theatrical production — like “Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical,” opening Friday at Ovation Theatre — it's all about harmony.

When it comes to local theater, especially Stars, it's go big or go home. That's why the Chester Avenue theater is hosting "Startacular" on Saturday, a benefit for the BMT/Stars organization and its mission to provide quality theatre and arts education in Kern County.

The Wylie and May Louise Jones Gallery at Bakersfield College is gearing up for its latest exhibit, "Collector," which opens Thursday.

For those who have a tough time getting their friends or significant other out for a night or music, visual art or theater, Cal State Bakersfield has the answer. Its annual Taste of the Arts, taking place Sunday.

it's not uncommon to stand in awe of the work on display at the Bakersfield Museum of Art. But it's not often you can move to the next phase of amazement by having a chance to learn from the talented artist herself.

When Charlotte White was depicting the scenes laid out before her on the streets of Paris, the plein air artist gained many admirers. Some even wanted to buy the works on the spot. While flattered, she had her eyes on the prize: an exhibition of her work.

As with all Halloween fun, the Spooktacular Art Show from Bubble Pop Gallery cannot be contained to just one day. After its debut last week at its First Friday pop-up at the Fox Theater, the show has moved to Temblor Brewing Co.

What's the hottest First Friday of the year? It's the one featuring Latination, the popular exhibition celebrating Hispanic culture hosted by Metro Galleries. Thankfully, despite the hot ticket, guests should be able to keep cool downtown thanks to this fall weather.

Fresh off a weekend of comedy, Ovation Theatre steps into a more dramatic story for a special run. "The Migrant Farmworker’s Son," presented as part of Hispanic Heritage Month, runs this week only.

Friends, Bakersfieldians, country folk, lend me your ears. I come not to bury "Caesar," but to promote it — and the Kern Shakespeare Festival, which is running now at Bakersfield College.

Wouldn't it be loverly to sit abso-bloomin'-lutely still and enjoy a brand-new production of "My Fair Lady"? Then you're in luck as it's opening Friday at The Empty Space.

What happens when women stop being polite and start getting real? At the Fox Theater on Oct. 3, it will be "Menopause the Musical," a comedic look at "the change."

You've got a poetic license to thrive Thursday as poets from Cal State Bakersfield stroll the exhibitions at the Bakersfield Museum of Art, sharing works inspired by the art currently on display.

What happens when you combine an irresistible songbook a la "Mamma Mia" with the romance of "Dirty Dancing"? This weekend, you get "Breaking Up is Hard to Do," which opens Friday at Stars Theatre Restaurant.

With real-life natural disasters in the news this week, it's a relief that the tornado headed to Tehachapi is a fictional one. And it will take such a force of nature to bring Tarzan, Jane, a talking gorilla and an evil witch from the African jungle to the Tehachapi Mountains. Leave it to Ga…

The Bakersfield Museum of Art prides itself on bringing in work from around the world but sometimes it's nice to celebrate a little California love. The fall exhibitions, which open Thursday, highlight the work of a local teacher and artist as well as OG group of Oakland plein air painters.

Fall arrives later this month but we've already got a bumper crop of activities for this First Friday. The monthly event features a variety of activities and art shows, including the final exhibit for the Younger Gallery.

Bethany Rowlee is a Jane of all trades in the local theater scene. Along with being a regular on the Stars stage, she has been responsible for putting together the Great Songs Series for the downtown theater. Since 2012, the ongoing showcase has highlighted hits from the American songbook, f…

When a show opens with a song promising "something for everyone/comedy tonight," you know it could go one of two ways: a disappointing flop or the thespians make good. While I can't speak for everybody, I know the cast of "Something Funny Happened on the Way to the Forum" at Ovation Theatre …

While there are a lot of things directors expect audiences to get out of their shows, pain is not usually one of them. But Jennifer Resolme expect people to walk away with a bit from "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum."

Through all life's struggles, the bonds of family can help keep despair at bay. That's the lesson of "Dancing at Lughnasa," opening this weekend at The Empty Space.

What could be more appealing to teens than a musical about teens? How about half off admission (and probably some extra credit for their theater class), which is what Stars Theatre Restaurant is offering for its Thursday productions of "The Marvelous Wonderettes."

Artists can find inspiration in many places — with the possible exception of late summer in Bakersfield. Thankfully local artist and educator Art Sherwyn is ready to lead students out to the coast for his annual plein air retreat.

It's sugar at the matinee, sugar in the lounge, sugar at dinnertime this week when Stars Theatre Restaurant takes a musical look back at the 1950s and '60s with "The Marvelous Wonderettes." All they have to do is dream but you'll need to buy a ticket to see this show following four teen girl…

If you can take the heat, head out to First Friday. There are plenty of activities — many inside air-conditioned locations — to keep you busy as you head into the weekend. Here's a quick roundup.

Save the blockbusters for the movie theater. You don't have to check your mind at the door with the deeper theatrical fare headed to Bakersfield College this weekend.

Don't let the name keep you away: "Vampire Lesbians of Sodom" is more about laughs than leering. 

Many of us have got the crew together for a paint night but if you'd like to try your hand at a new artistic skill, head over to the Bakersfield Museum of Art Thursday night.

Sometimes you connect with the world created by a fictional work, relating to the characters or their story in a way that makes you want to linger there. And while we might not want to perform a number in the rain (especially after gentlemanly relinquishing our umbrella to a passerby), there…

If you checked your patriotic spirit after your last errant firework scared dogs through the neighborhood, it's time for a new proposal. Rather than "piddle, twiddle, and resolve," solve the problem of what to do this weekend by heading to Ovation to catch "1776" before its run ends.

What is art? The answers are myriad, never more so than when the show in question is called "Art." The play, opening Friday for a four-show run at The Empty Space, is going to give it a go.

Reality television is rife with drama but what happens when it delves into true melodrama? That's what the Gaslight aims to find out this weekend when it revisits the "Real Housewives of Oildale."

It's been hot and sunny for days now but there's rain in the forecast for downtown Bakersfield this week. At least by way of Chester Avenue, where Stars Theatre Restaurant debuts its production of "Singin' in the Rain."