First, to the purveyors—the 30 craft brewers, the 10 cider makers, the exponential VW enthusiasts displaying their rides, the bands banging it out on stage and the food slangers among them—for giving Hop ’N Barley (11am–5pm Saturday, July 12) mad depth of flavor.
Then to the attendees, who not only tote along the entire fam and good energy, but also bring dogs in backpacks, dogs with beer T-shirts and dogs with beer goggles.
And to the organizers, for free music in a huge park that requires no ticket and, for simplicity’s sake, calling it Hop ’N Barley and not its (more accurate) name of Hop ’n’ Barley ’n’ Cider ’n’ Car Show ’n’ Merch ’n’ People Watch ’n’ Food Truck ’n’ Craft Arts ’n’ Merch Party.
It’s not easy to cultivate this sort of annual celebration, let alone keep it evolving every go round.
For 2025, some fresh elements include new producers like Alvarado Street Brewing (pouring its gold medal Mai Tai PA and an unreleased new creation), standout Oakland outfit Hop Sun Fat (and its 10-piece Ethiopian-jazz-funk), and a closing DJ-driven hour (by Monk Earl of Afrobeats Nite).
Oh, and new by-the-glass optionality for those who want to have a serving of wine or beer and bounce rather than wade in for the full tasting experience.
And a new place called Cider City, in a specially designated space, which co-organizer Patrick Grube flags as further evidence the idea is to year-over-year tack on value-added elements.
“Like an event within an event,” he says.
The cumulative intrigue creates the vibe, which ultimately defines the event, as operations chief Katie Sabolek notes—even as she downplays her work recruiting vendors and brewers from the Pacific Northwest to Westside Santa Cruz.
“It feels uncurated in a really fun way, an organic experience that is incredibly family- and dog-friendly—it doesn’t feel like a bro fest,” she says. “It’s very Santa Cruz to me, honestly…the most Santa Cruz thing I’ve been a part of.” hopnbar.webflow.io
The Santa Cruz Warriors, the four-time NBA G League Franchise of the Year, is about ball. But more. They’re about branding, and apparently fans are too: The SeaDubs are 2024-25 NBA G League Retailer of the Year, the league announced last week, noting the Warriors’ annual Chase Center game on March 9 against the Mexico City Capitanes, which saw the Sea Dubs set a franchise high in single-day merchandise sales…Speaking of S.F., KQED’s Check, Please! sends its 20th season south to the Monterey Bay Area with a July 17 episode visiting Hanloh Thai Food(1011 Cedar St., Santa Cruz)…“Wine, Charcuterie, and Crushpad Concert” flows at Roberts Ranch in Ben Lomond with Samba Cruz on July 19, for under $15 (!), robertsranchvineyards.com…Dave Barry, take it from here: “Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in beer.”
Still in its pup phase, Salty Otter Sports Grill was born two months ago to owner and general manager Rachael Smith. In addition to work in the legal and marketing fields, her restaurant industry career spans 33 years as a bartender, manager and owner, and her ZIP code résumé is just as varied with time spent in London, Las Vegas, New York City and Orlando. But her favorite place of all was always Santa Cruz, which she fell for at age 14 during a coastal trip with mom. Smith moved here in 2020 and began looking to open her own restaurant, eventually finding the beloved former 99 Bottles space where she used to frequent as a customer.
Smith describes Salty Otter’s décor as modern, coastal and industrial, punctuated by a 22-foot photographic mural of Santa Cruz. The American sports bar fare menu features classic breakfasts served all day, headlined by a pinch-me-I’m-dreaming breakfast burger with beef patty, smoked Gouda and American cheeses, over-easy egg, crispy bacon and honey barbeque sauce between a funnel cake waffle bun.Lunch/dinner succulent starters include a tomato-based Bermuda fish chowder, a hanging large soft pretzel with zesty cheese dip and housemade tortilla chips with pineapple pico de gallo. Main dish favorites are build-your-own burgers, fish & chips and seasonal glazed salmon selections. The highlighted dessert is white chocolate raspberry cheesecake along with rotating specials.
What makes you swoon for Santa Cruz?
RACHAEL SMITH: I loved California, but especially here because there is so much to do with the ocean, swimming and surfing, skateboarding, hiking and a lot of live music. I really just love that I could be on the beach and then 15 minutes later be hiking amongst redwoods in the forest. And I also love that it’s dog friendly and close to major cities, but isn’t one.
What’s next for the Salty Otter?
We just got a pool table and opened the upstairs lounge for activities like karaoke, comedy, darts, sports game watching and special events like birthday parties. A passion of mine too, we also plan to showcase live music on our main floor and have the vibe and sound spill out onto the street like in Nashville. And we plan on expanding the menu and letting customer feedback shape our evolution.
Summer is vacation season—full of sunshine, spontaneity, and that long-awaited time to sit back and relax. But even with all the fun and freedom, I still find myself craving my wellness routines. So when I found myself in San Diego recently, I decided to drop into a yoga class. That is, until I saw the drop-in fee: $28 for a basic 60-minute session. Not at a luxury spa or celebrity gym—just your everyday yoga studio.
I nearly walked out.
That’s when my daughter introduced me to ClassPass, a fitness and wellness membership platform that lets you access thousands of studios, gyms and wellness services across the globe. Instead of paying per class, you buy credits each month and use them however you’d like—on yoga, barre, strength training, Pilates, even massage or infrared sauna.
While not every town has a good set of offerings, Santa Cruz definitely delivers. The day I got home, I opened the app and counted more than 45 different local classes offered that same day.
As a yoga teacher, I already receive discounted rates at the studios where I teach. But I’d been intrigued by the option to try something new, like outdoor fitness at G.O.A.T., barre at Pleasure Point, reformer Pilates, and some of the newer downtown spots. So with ClassPass offering a 14-day free trial, I dove in headfirst.
First stop: Barre Fusion at Pleasure Point Studio, led by the teacher Lisa Baretta. Her energy was infectious, the mirrored studio inviting, and the transitions from mat to ballet bar seamless. We used resistance bands and light weights to sculpt and tone—exactly the kind of strength training I tend to skip (and need more of).
Next, I ventured into Reformer Pilates at Toadal Fitness. Surrounded by clearly dedicated regulars, I joined in a core-focused session with teacher Natalia that was both challenging and fun. The small group setting made it approachable, and the vibe was refreshingly friendly. If you’re looking for alignment-based strength work with a bit more feedback, this is a great pick.
Then came G.O.A.T. Santa Cruz—Group Open Air Training—launched in the thick of the Covid shutdowns and built on community, resilience, and fresh air. On a sunny Sunday morning, I joined a BODYCOMBAT class, a non-contact, martial arts-inspired cardio session with influences from karate, kickboxing, Muay Thai and more.
The energy was sky high. The music was loud and motivating. And the students ranged from 20-somethings to silver-haired fighters, all whooping and kicking in sync. I may have arrived two minutes late, but I left feeling like I fit right in. I even picked up a few self-defense moves along the way.
A few days later—after teaching and some much-needed rest—I reopened the app to explore what was next. The list was both exciting and overwhelming.
There was Santa Cruz Parkour, which looked like an adult jungle gym playground and promised “freestyle movement” for building agility and confidence. Ballroom dancing at the Palomar piqued my interest, as did the Tropical Fusion dance class at Pleasure Point.
I briefly flirted with the idea of trying CrossFit and WODs (Workout of the Day), but decided those were better suited for more intense training days. I ended up choosing Sculpt at Fit Together Studio, a cozy women-focused studio located inside the Center Street Arts Building. Instructor Chelsea led a supportive, challenging class that hit the sweet spot between energizing and accessible. (Pro tip: give yourself extra time for parking!)
By the end of the week, I was still flying high on my ClassPass adventure. But suddenly, the class options on the app began to shrink. No more sculpt, no more reformer, no more dance. I messaged customer support and learned that the free trial has limits—either time- or usage-based—and I had officially maxed out most of my options.
Fair enough. I’d taken full advantage of the trial and loved every minute. Still, with so many classes left to explore, I decided to go ahead and subscribe at the lowest tier. It’s affordable, flexible, and perfect for supplementing my regular studio routine with something new each week.
At the end of the day, I’m a loyal studio-goer. I love the relationships, the consistency, and the familiarity of my yoga community. But ClassPass gave me something I didn’t know I needed: variety, inspiration, and that energizing thrill of trying something new.
So whether you’re away on vacation, hoping to shake up your summer fitness routine, or simply looking to sample what our vibrant local movement scene has to offer—ClassPass might just be the nudge you didn’t know you needed.
And who knows? You might even find your new favorite class in the process.
Prices range from 8 credits for $19 a month to 125 credits for $249 a month.
Elizabeth Borelli is an author and Mediterranean lifestyle expert. Visit her website for free resources, news and events.
The stage is set for a full day of pickin’ and grinnin’ as the Northern California Bluegrass Society hosts an all-day jam and potluck supper Saturday at the Live Oak Grange.
Headlining the Santa Cruz gathering is Brianna Colliard and the Desert Marigolds, “the hottest new band in the South Bay/Monterey Bay Area,” says Michael Hall, president of the Northern California Bluegrass Society. “They are from the Carmel Valley mountains, the non-ocean side of Big Sur.”
Colliard and her band recently played on the main stage of the Strawberry Music Festival, a multi-day camping and folk music gathering at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley.
Warming up the crowd will be the Keith Holland Bluegrass Band, “a group of jammers who get together once a week in Los Gatos,” Hall says, followed by the Post Folk Revivalists, and Eric Burman and the Brookdale Bluegrass Band, host band of the evening, playing a mix of original and bluegrass music.
For the closing jam at 7pm, Hall says, “There will be people with instruments both inside and outside so anybody who comes with an instrument can participate.”
A Tennessee native, Redwood City local and retired lawyer, Hall has served with the society for more than 35 years. “Many, many years on and off,” he says.
“This is the fourth time that we have done this event,” Hall explains. “The first time was in Hollister, and the past two times were in Loch Lomond. This year we’ve decided to move it into town and hold it in Santa Cruz.”
Musicians, listeners or those interested in becoming a volunteer or member of the nonprofit Northern California Bluegrass Society are welcome to attend this free event.
On Aug. 7–10, the society also hoststhe Good Ol’ Fashioned Bluegrass Festival, a four-day fiesta with music, workshops and camping at San Benito County Historical Park.
The Northern California Bluegrass Festival jam takes place 3–8pm on July 12 at the Live Oak Grange, 1900 17th Ave., Santa Cruz. Free. scbs.org
Some things feel so serendipitous it’s hard not to believe there’s some purpose in everything coming together at the right place, in the right time, with the right people.
That’s certainly the case with Lighthouse, the debut album by local rock band Career Woman. Released on June 6, Lighthouse has been a long time coming, but it took those three ingredients above for it to be fully cooked.
To celebrate, Career Woman—a once solo act, now full band led by frontwoman and recent UC Santa Cruz graduate Melody Caudill—is throwing an album release party on July 17 at the Crepe Place with Dolly Creamer and Hearsing.
“My first year in college was pretty rough,” Caudill explains. “So it was hard to get to the place where I am now. It’s rare to have band members you connect with—on a personal and musical level—let alone to have a community of bands, photographers and artists. It’s so special.”
The community she’s talking about is the new wave of Santa Cruz bands bubbling to the surface of attention. Dubbed by Santa Cruz Recording Studio wizard and platinum record producer Jim Wirt as “Santa Cruz Surf Punk,” the scene includes bands like Trestles, Plumskin, Hearsing (which Caudill is also in) and others.
But it’s those three bands in particular—along with Oakland indie pop act Small Crush—that Caudill has formed a bond with since moving to Santa Cruz.
“It was a ‘meant to be’ situation because I had been introduced to my bandmembers, who are also in Small Crush, before I even chose to go to UC Santa Cruz,” she says, adding she met her band—Jackson Felton, Allen Moreno and Joey Chavez—through her record label, Lauren Records.
Label owner Aaron Kovacs introduced her to Small Crush, who is on legendary Bay Area label Asian Man Records.
“They were only a few years older—and there aren’t many people my age on either label—so [Kovacs] connected us to make some songs,” she remembers. “That went so well that when I moved to Santa Cruz they joined my band.”
Caudill is no stranger to the music world. She grew up in a musical family and has been writing songs since she was a child. Throughout her teenage years she wrote and recorded singles with her father, who is also in indie rock bands. In 2023—at the age of 19—Caudill released Career Woman’s debut EP, Grapevine.
But Lighthouse marks Caudill’s first, proper, full-length album. It’s also the first time she’s released anything on physical media, previously only going through streaming services. However, this time fans—new, old and soon-to-be—can purchase the album on CD or light blue vinyl.
The album “came at a great, pivotal time in my life,” she says. “I’m 21, just graduated college and now have my first album. A lot of things I’ve worked on my whole life have culminated right now.”
For fans of dreamy indie pop with pop-punk undertones, it’s easy to see what she’s talking about. Career Woman’s songs are fully fleshed-out songs with a clear path and written with obvious intention from start to finish. Pulling the themes from her life, Caudill is still able to tell stories that everyone can relate to without making them too personal or murky, while still conveying the ups and downs of being young in America.
Take the opening track, “Piano Song,” in which Caudill writes about being a twentysomething in college, “flirting with boys” and “forgetting my keys.” Then there’s these lines—“I am living in the present /and I am in good company”—followed by a list of affirmations that conclude, “But If you ask me if I’m ready/ I’d say ‘I don’t know’/I wouldn’t trust my own instincts/if they were stuffed down my throat.”
That juxtaposition of confidence while acknowledging her distrust in herself is such a universal feeling, even if most won’t admit it. After all, being a child is thinking adults know what they’re doing. Being an adult is realizing nobody knows what the hell is going on.
Then there are the singles, “Boyfriends” and “Mel’s Drive In,” both of which have videos conceptualized and directed by Caudill.
In “Boyfriends” she sings, “Me and my friends/we don’t like men/but we got boyfriends,” a perfect representation of how many young women feel in a country where men try to legislate what they can—and can’t—do with their bodies and women-hating incels have emerged from their parents’ basements and entered the mainstream as somehow acceptable ideologues.
The other single, “Mel’s Drive In,” was almost a throwaway: unfinished and about a painful subject in Caudill’s life. But that’s when the right person—drummer Jackson Felton—stepped in at the right time.
“He was like, ‘No, this is the best one, just trust me,’” she says. “And then it became my favorite song that we’ve ever written.”
Career Woman plays at 8pm on July 17 at the Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 429-6994.
For the past two decades, local artists have participated in Santa Cruz’s First Friday every month. Now, creative types in the Pajaro Valley are gearing up to start their own tradition: a Second Saturday Art Tour.
The free, monthly event is built on this theme: “Bring your family, bring your neighbors—let’s make downtown Watsonville the heart of community connection, creativity and culture.”
A soft launch is set for 1–4pm July 12, on Main Street and surrounding blocks.
“We’re aiming to help make downtown Watsonville an arts district,” said Kathleen Crocetti, who has been working with Miriam Anton, executive director of Pajaro Valley Arts, and Jessica Beebe, recreation supervisor of Watsonville Parks and Community Services, in creating the event that is modeled after Santa Cruz’s popular event.
The lead artist on scores of outdoor mosaic projects around the county, Crocetti says, “It is time for all of us to choose a date and bring our arts together so we can co-market and grow and share our audience. This is not only to celebrate Watsonville but all of Santa Cruz County where we can create a bigger buzz around our growing culture.”
What to expect:
Live performances by local musicians, dancers and theater groups.
Kid-friendly activities, including arts and crafts, face painting and story time.
Local shopping with pop-ups from downtown retailers and artisan vendors.
Interactive art installations and tours of community murals.
Connection to local nonprofits and community resources.
Crocetti said organizers want to choose a day that people of all ages and families can take part in a free monthly arts and culture celebration.
Organizers also want to incorporate local brick-and-mortar restaurants that will offer Second Saturday-specific discounts.
“The City of Watsonville is one of our biggest partners,” Crocetti said. “Jessica Beebe has been a tremendous boost. We’re super excited about how many activities we are able to offer for this first event, which we hope will continue every second Saturday for years to come,” Crocetti said.
Among the many participants are the following: a performance by Watsonville Taiko, 1-2:30pm at Watsonville Plaza, 358 Main St.; a tour of the Annieglass factory, 1:30pm, 310 Harvest Dr.; Estrellas de Esperanza folklórico performance, 3-3:30pm, at Watsonville Center for the Arts, 375 Main St.; and the Pajaro Valley Arts Paint Jam, 1-4pm, at the Porter Building, 280 Main St.
Sometimes I wonder if a town can have too much culture. For a city of 60,000 people and a county of less than 300,000, we have more things to do on any given week than the city over the hill of a million or so people.
We’ve got more plays, live music, poetry, comedy and lectures than almost any place I’ve been.
Sometimes I wonder how our local artists survive with so much competition. On any day or night you can find stellar entertainment around the county, either national or local artists. If there’s one shortcoming, it’s that we don’t have as many top-tier national artists as we used to.
The Civic used to have a full lineup with the likes of Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Shakti and more, but its offerings are much smaller now.
Except, that is, for the Santa Cruz Symphony and the upcoming Cabrillo Festival of New Music, which has two weeks of internationally known avant-garde classical music at the end of July into August. (Look for our cover story on it coming soon.)
And we keep adding events. Downtown Santa Cruz has a new Thursday night music offering at the site of the new farmers market; it also has a Tuesday night series on the Wharf and last Saturday it added a concert series at the Lighthouse that was blissfully packed. There’s also the Friday Midtown Festival, which draws a full house for local artists.
I think the city is moving in the right direction by bringing more entertainment and I think they are planning for the future. People in all those new housing developments downtown are going to need something to do.
In our cover story, Santa Cruz Shakespeare artistic director Charles Pasternak is buoyant with optimism for our arts scene.
“I really do believe in a town like this a rising tide lifts all boats,” he tells Christina Waters. “If our musical does well, it will only excite more of our audience to go check out Cabrillo Stage, and perhaps for their audience that loves what they do and hasn’t been much interested in Shakespeare, offering them something musical will perhaps bring them into our theater. So I do not see any competition or negativity.”
All that entertainment has helped keep this publication running for 50 years and we want to share it with you. Friday from 4-7pm we have some great up-and-coming local bands performing outside our building at 107 Dakota Ave. It’s free. Here’s a link to an invite, which will help us know how many goodie bags to make and will show you our lineup. caltix.com/e/goodtimes-50year-anniversary-party
Thanks for reading.
Brad Kava | Editor
PHOTO CONTEST
THE LIFEGUARD Taken at the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf. Photograph by Tatiana Lyulkin
GOOD IDEA
In connection to the MAH exhibition HOWL: The Art & History of Pets, the Santa Cruz SPCA is sponsoring a canine fashion show 3–5pm Sunday at the Museum of Art & History that will showcase adorable adoptable pups prancing down the runway in head-turning canine couture. Admission is included with the $8 museum entry fee or you can purchase a VIP pass for $45 that includes adult beverages and front-row seats. There’s a great silent auction with too many local businesses to mention to benefit the shelter. Advanced tickets are available at Eventbrite.
GOOD WORK
Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired announces the grand opening of its new office in Santa Cruz, marking a major milestone in its ongoing commitment to serve individuals with vision loss across the Central Coast. To commemorate this expansion, Vista Center will host a Ribbon Cutting & Networking July 31, 5:30–7:30pm, with the official ceremony beginning at 6:15pm.
The event welcomes funders, donors, elected officials and community members to tour the new facility, enjoy light refreshments, and connect with local professionals and community leaders.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
‘Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.’ –Winston Churchill
We’re talking to Charles Pasternak, entering his third season as Santa Cruz Shakespeare artistic director. Pasternak talks about the festival’s first musical offering, his choice of Pericles, which he is directing. He opens up about adding a fourth play in September, and his plans for expanding the season as far as it will go.
You’re adding a musical this season. Isn’t that Cabrillo Stage territory?
Charles Pasternak: I really do believe in a town like this a rising tide lifts all boats. If our musical does well, it will only excite more of our audience to go check out Cabrillo Stage, and perhaps for their audience that loves what they do and hasn’t been much interested in Shakespeare, offering them something musical will perhaps bring them into our theater. So I do not see any competition or negativity.
Talk about Into the Woods.
CP: It’s probably the musical I’ve known well the longest. My sister did it, I think, in eighth grade, and she played Little Red and I loved it. I love the original Broadway production.
I really do believe a season itself should be a piece of art, that all the plays I choose should be in conversation with each other, so that our audience that sees all the plays can be a part of that conversation. The conversation between Into the Woods and Midsummer seems so clear to me. I’ve had one or two people say to me, you know, for your first musical, you picked up, you picked a tough one, and it is tough, but we have a brilliant music director, Luke Shepherd, who is truly incredible.
And there’s more expansion with Master Harold as the fourth offering.
I think it’s a masterpiece. Fugard died this year. I was getting excited to produce a living playwright, but now I’m excited to honor his legacy so quickly. I have my eyes on continued expansion. Further down the line, I have my eyes on the possibility of adding another show maybe summer, maybe fall, I don’t know. We’re doing well, but we’re not sitting on our laurels. Two Shakespeares are always going to be our backbone. I’m not touching that—but as we add, I can offer more and more.
Maybe more Tennessee Williams?
The response to Menagerie was overwhelming. If there’s any Williams I have my eye on next, it might be Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. But I love Chekhov. We’ve done it once in our history. I love Shaw. We haven’t done it in ages. I love Noel Coward. And Thornton Wilder.
How might expansion work, especially given the outdoor setting of the Grove?
Yes! Ideally a year-round program and we’re working toward that. We already have a winter holiday show, A Christmas Carol. Expanding into the fall is one thing since we still have the space available, right? Finding out how we expand into the spring is more troublesome. For some months the weather won’t allow it. And we’re caretakers of the land. We winterize that whole space. It’s a huge amount of work.
What about the Colligan?
Because of the history of the Jewel, our audience loves it. I thought Julie did wonderful things. I have so much admiration for how she managed it. But it’s just not workable for us. The Colligan seats under 200, and for Christmas Carol we had an audience of 280 plus. So that’s a lot of seats lost. We’d have to up the price. We have to keep the doors open. We have to keep access available. We’re so lucky in the scope of this country to live in a community that loves and values its theater and its art. And that’s not true a lot of places. We’re going into our third straight year of record ticket sales. Our percentages right now are above last year’s.
You’re committed to repertory theater.
I think more theaters in this country would be doing better if they were to return to a real repertory model. I need to bring artists from outside Santa Cruz, because I want to present a world-class company, and I need to find them outside of it. But I want to find great artists in Santa Cruz as much as I can. I want to invest locally. And so finding Jordan [Best] and Lori [Schulman], realizing I had these two incredible artists in my backyard, and for our first musical, they were both excited and available.
I should make a distinction when I say every year we have a company of 20 plus actors, and what I’m talking about is formalizing a company in the range of, let’s say, 10 artists that I want back every year. So I don’t want the community to think they’re going to see the exact same 20 plus people every year. They’re not. But a core group that will return, those who like to work with each other, that bring positivity to this theater, that get to invest in this community, that love this community. And know how to work on this stage.
This year we do four shows on one company. Artistically that company gets to stretch themselves. You get to see Mike Ryan in one kind of role, and then in another role.
I think one reason this theater has done so well is because it’s had actor/artistic directors leading it. The community has gotten invested in Paul Whitworth, and has gotten invested in Mike Ryan, partly because they lead the company, and I hope to be in that same vein. And I think that that model can extend to the other artists in the company.
You’re taking a chance on Pericles, aren’t you?
Well, I hope the production will convince you, but I will say that I like Pericles, Winter’s Tale and Cymbeline, this trio of late plays that go beyond comedy and tragedy, that go beyond black and white, that go into the gray. Part of Shakespeare’s greatness is always his ambiguity to me, and these three plays magnify that ambiguity. And they’re about forgiveness, and they’re about rebirth and they’re about miracles. Pericles punishes all extremities. There are extremities in play, from its opening ugliness. And in the end, it takes sacrifice. It takes two people seeing each other across the divided years, recognizing each other, a family coming back together, a literal rebirth. I think there is a true miracle in the play, and it’s a fabulous sort of fantasy adventure. Six countries, two shipwrecks, two storms at sea. I think it’s magnificent.
I’m often interested in the lesser-knowns. But I have a financial responsibility to this company to cover my risk, right? So Pericles, I accept, probably won’t sell as well, but it’s playing behind Midsummer and Into the Woods. Now I hope it’s a surprise hit, but if it’s not, even if it just does okay, we’ve gotten Into the Woods.
Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s 2025 season runs July 18–Sept. 20 in repertory with Into the Woods, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Pericles and Athol Fugard’s Master Harold…and the Boys. santacruzshakespeare.org
Two of the biggest Broadway hits of all time are playing right here in Santa Cruz this summer. And they’ve got something in common: both were penned by Stephen Sondheim, the American composer and lyricist who changed the way Broadway musicals were done, before he exited the stage four years ago.
A giant among giants, Sondheim rewrote the way song and story were presented on stage. He won a Pulitzer Prize, eight Tony Awards, an Oscar, eight Grammys, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and had two theaters named for him. One in London, the other on Broadway.
But don’t take the critics’ word for it. Starting next week, go see Cabrillo Stage’s production of Sweeney Todd (Cabrillo Stage) and Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s Into the Woods. And fasten your seat belts.
Neither of these provocative works are musicals in the My Fair Lady mold. They are not sugar-coated pieces of entertainment. They ask disturbing questions, and offer disturbing answers plucked from the depths of the unconscious. They are more than a little dark, and very funny.
CUTTHROAT ACTION Michael Navarro (from left), Adam J. Saucedo and Brittney Mignano prepare for the Cabrillo College production of ‘Sweeney Todd.’ PHOTO: Tarmo Hannula
Once Upon a Time
“And ah, the woods,” Sondheim wrote. “The all-purpose symbol of the unconscious, the womb, the past, the dark place where we face our trials and emerge wiser or destroyed.”
Sondheim and Into the Woods (1987) collaborator James Lapine took familiar fairytales, found in almost every culture on the planet, and brought them together in one theatrical space. Along with a modern-day baker and his wife desperate to have a child, we will meet Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Bean Stalk and Rapunzel.
These familiar Grimm Brothers characters will literally bump into the baker and his wife, who have been warned by a witch that they have only three nights to find a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold. And only then will they be able to have a child. In the first act, their dreams come true. In the second act, they pay the consequences.
Barber Chops
Ten years earlier, in 1979, Sondheim created Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, a macabre masterpiece set in Victorian London. From Christopher Bond’s play about a murderous barber, Sondheim crafted the melodrama with writer Hugh Wheeler.
Upon his return from unjust exile in Australia, Sweeney seeks violent vengeance on the corrupt judge who convicted him. Just how Sweeney gets his revenge involves some gruesome barbershop escapades, and the help of his equally wicked neighbor Mrs. Lovett. Mrs. Lovett bakes pies filled with, well, you really don’t want to think about it.
On stage the deliciously gruesome tale is transformed into theatrical magic by the genius of Sondheim’s music, plotting, and irresistible rhyming and wordplay.
Jerry Lee comes from Sierra Repertory Theatre to direct Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s first musical offering. And Andrea L. Hart enters her third season as the artistic director of Cabrillo Stage. I asked the two directors about their concept and preparation.
VISITING TALENT Sierra Repertory Theatre’s Jerry Lee came on board to direct Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s first musical offering.
Jerry Lee on ‘Woods’
Good Times: Quite an assignment. This is the first musical for Santa Cruz Shakespeare, and you’re at the helm. How did Charles Pasternak find you?
Jerry Lee: I’m the artistic director at Sierra Repertory Theatre in Sonora, and right after the pandemic Charlie joined us for Murder on the Orient Express, which I directed, and we stayed in contact all this time. I was trained as an actor, but directing is where I’m finding myself more comfortable. I love creating the worlds of these plays and musicals. Instead of calling myself either an actor or a director, I prefer to think of myself as a storyteller.
You’ve directed this show before and acted in it as well. Talk about its challenges.
JL:Into the Woods is emotionally and technically huge. And it’s kind of a giant, just so full of everything, comedy and drama. I think that’s what will surprise people. It’s very much like Shakespeare. It’s funny until it isn’t, and then it’s devastating. Woods and Midsummer Night’s Dream complement each other very well. Every time the characters journey into the woods, it’s about transformation.
STUDYING SONDHEIM Ciarra Stroud (left) and other ‘Into the Woods’ cast members refine their movements during rehearsal. PHOTO: Tarmo Hannula
Yes, it’s very much about how we really don’t know who we are.
JL: Absolutely—that’s really the whole point. I’ve been thinking about this idea, about finality, our preoccupation with it. We imagine that if I do this, and if I do that, I’ll get what I want and then I’ll live happily ever after. It’s just so arrogant and so human. This musical explores the whole concept of happily ever after. Act One is about getting your wish. And Act Two is where you realize that happily ever after does not truly exist. There’s always going to be something unknown.
What are the unique pleasures? What is it that you always take away from Into the Woods?
JL: Well, the music is so beautiful! I make a joke that people don’t necessarily understand. I always say if I could rent an apartment just in the string section of this orchestration, I’d be happy. I just love living in this music.
But what about the complex wordplay?
JL: Sondheim was very open about how he loved puzzles. He would create puzzles in his work, and use wordplay, and there are hidden jokes and hidden meanings in there for actors and the creative teams to work on. They’re fun clues for us, and they speak to our storytelling and our connection between the material and the writer as well.
What’s been most difficult about directing a play like this, about mounting it successfully? Where are the big challenges?
JL: Working inside of the parameters that are set by a repertory season. They’re exciting parameters to have in place, because you’re forced to be creative. This is a show that’s built for about 17 actors, and we have 11 actors, so we had to figure out some creative doubling, which we’ve done. Our production is literally about transformation.
Give us an example.
JL: For instance, our two actors who are playing the princes, Rapunzel’s prince and Cinderella’s prince, play the two step-sisters—and also play two other characters. It was a fun exercise in finding parallels inside of stories, and so these two actors are tracked through the play as siblings, just as we’re looking at all different kinds of relationships, parents, grandparents. Yeah, it’s very exciting.
What do you think about the fit of these three shows—Into the Woods, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Pericles—in this SCS season?
JL: We really did take the time to find the right ensemble to make this kind of alchemy work with a reduced cast and all the doubles and the necessity of finding people who really understand musical theater and acting. It certainly seems like the three stories are adventure stories or journey stories. They complement each other very, very nicely. My very first primary focus was getting in there and seeing what these woods are like. It was so beautiful and welcoming and just the sheer beauty of that space. The fabulous design of this production, especially these amazing costumes by Austin Blake Conlee. It’s going to feel sumptuous and dramatic and very, very funny.
SEASONED PLAYER Andrea L. Hart, now in her third season as Cabrillo Stage’s artistic director, will helm ‘Sweeney Todd.’
Andrea Hart on Sweeney Todd
Give us an idea of how you came to work with Cabrillo Stage.
Andrea Hart: I came from Kansas and worked in theater in the Bay Area for 18 years. Started a couple of theater companies, writing plays, and self producing. I worked in a ton of schools and then I met my partner. We moved to San Diego for a year for his job, then I got a masters at UT, Austin, and he got a job at Elkhorn Slough Foundation. And then the job opened up at Cabrillo Stage. That master degree came in handy when I applied for the job!
Have you found ways to make this program your own?
AH: It’s year three for me and it’s been gradual. I’ve done a ton of musical theater because I was an educator and that’s what schools do. But my heart is in new theater and plays so I approach musicals in that way. What is the core of it? What is the deep story here? I analyze the lyrics like I would Chekhov. I question every line of a song—what are you saying there? Who are you saying it to? Why are you saying it?
Why did you choose Sweeney Todd?
AH: Now that I’ve gotten to know the community better, I’ve been exploring more ideas, such as expanding into a two-show season. But I wanted it to be sustainable, and given Cabrillo»s schedule two shows was going to be a tight turnaround. So I began to rethink, and thought OK, let’s do one big show. And Sweeney, to me, is perfect for a one-show season, because it’s so huge. It can hold the season all by itself.
Sweeney Todd was a courageous choice.
AH: I worried that it’s not right for very young kids, and it might be too dark. People might not want to see a dark show during the summer. But Cabrillo Stage doesn’t have to be everything for everyone. On the other hand we can do things with Cabrillo Stage that we can’t do in other places, which is, have a 21-person orchestra, which this show requires, and we can do it in a really big, fully fleshed-out way scenically and cast-wise.
I just started getting into the female characters—they are amazing. Mrs. Lovett. Sondheim has called her the true villain of the show. She makes everything happen. And even Joanna. What a beautiful representation of someone in dire straits who does not give up looking for the way out. And the hope and the optimism. She says, teach me how to sing. Even if I can’t fly, how can I sing? So I found these exceptional characters, even the beggar woman who sees everything that’s going on but people assume is crazy. Once I was hooked, I really wanted to do this show. We chose it last October, and since then I’ve seen how this show is so appropriate for this moment in time.
How does Cabrillo Stage’s funding and casting work? Do you have a core you must work with? Do you have enough budget to hire equity actors?
AH: That’s funny because it’s not well understood. So Cabrillo Stage is a part of Cabrillo College only in certain ways. We don’t pay for facilities, so we have rent-free rehearsal space and performances. My artistic director salary is paid. Certain things like that that are funded. Everything else we fundraise for. Cabrillo Stage is not part of the college’s curriculum. I work with the foundation. We’re constantly trying to build our core of donors back up. We’ve gotten an Arts Council Santa Cruz grant the last two years and we’ll get it next year too, which is great, and we have a new person helping me with grants. When I looked at our budget I knew we needed to diversify this funding. We cannot keep relying on ticket sales being the only way that we fund what we’re trying to do.
Our audition are broadly advertised. We had over 150 people audition for this show. We have different tiers. Hourly people who work in the shop and build sets. Then we have designers on a stipend. And students on scholarships. To me the ideal is an apprenticeship arrangement where people begin with minimal responsibilities and then move up. Like our stage manager this year, who went from Cabrillo to UCSC to New York, and now she’s back stage managing for us and training two assistant stage managers, while working on a show back east.
Any equity actors?
AH: This year, we were able to hire an equity actor, Adam Saucedo, to play Sweeney. He’s also a great story, because he has acted for Cabrillo Stage two or three times in the past. He was Gomez in the Addams Family before he was equity, and now he plays Sweeney. There are people who repeat, who have been in shows past, and then there are brand-new people. And it’s like an educational program, you know. When it’s working well there are students working alongside professionals at every phase or in every part of the production. And that is the true apprenticeship.
BEHIND THE SCENES Getting into the mood for Sondheim’s macabre ‘Sweeney Todd.’ PHOTO: Tarmo Hannula
What’s special about this Sondheim play, and about the character of Sweeney Todd?
AH: It’s such a social commentary, you could paste it onto our current time period. The show is set during the Industrial Revolution. People are afraid. Machines are replacing them. And here we have our own revolution, AI replacing humans. So in Sweeney people have to scramble to hang on to what they have. People against each other. Sweeney sings, “there’s two types of men in the world, the one staying put in his proper place, and the other one with his foot on the other man’s face.” It’s all about class warfare, and it’s about a society where people feel like they have so few choices that violence becomes inevitable. And it becomes almost celebrated, like the United Healthcare CEO who was shot, and his killer becomes almost a full hero. It’s not like sadness over the shooting. It’s like celebration, because people felt like they didn’t have any other voice. Theater should be asking these types of questions; what happens to a society when they’re at that point?
Is live theater important in an iPhone era?
AH: Stepping into a theater is like you’re making a choice. You are throwing your hat in the ring of interpersonal connection, and breathing the same air as somebody else looking at a live creation. Theater is so powerful and so necessary for that reason. You’re sitting next to people you don’t know, and you maybe have completely differing views from, and yet you’re laughing and sighing and crying at the same things.
Two Sondheims in one summer. Is this workable scheduling?
AH: Charles and I meet once a year and chat, and at one breakfast he told me they wanted to do Into the Woods. I had already picked Sweeney because it was right for us. This community is going to get two of Sondheim’s masterpieces but done in two completely different ways, in two completely different settings. What you will see and experience at the Grove is going to be so different from what we have in mind at Cabrillo Stage.
Which Santa Cruz artifact, past or present should go in a time capsule?
YOLTZIN
One of the best artifacts for Santa Cruz is The Lost Boys movie, so I’d choose the leather jackets that the Lost Boys were wearing.
Yoltzin Delgado, 18, Music Director / Student
JEFF
I’m a big Jim Phillips appreciater, so I would put a Screaming Hand T-shirt. It’s very Santa Cruz and it’s an iconic image. I guarantee it’ll still be around in 50 years.
Jeff Hefti, 57, Retired
ALEX
I would put a Margarita from Copal, the Oaxacan restaurant on Mission Street.
Alex Jones, 25, Nursing Student
DANIEL
I have a negative take on everything, so I’d say a sharps container would be a good one.
Daniel H, 55, “Pessimist”
Tré
I have a positive take on things, so I would say a program from the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music would be a good one, or a Playbill from the symphony, and a Santa Cruz Resource Guide.
Tré H.J., 43, “Optimist”
BREANNA
The first thing that comes to mind is the surfer statue on West Cliff. When I think of Santa Cruz monuments that’s what I think of
Breanna Donnelly, 21, Sock Associate at Sockshop & Shoe Company on Pacific Ave.
Happy half century Good Times in the shape of a hang outside GT’s office at 107 Dakota Ave., Santa Cruz 4–7pm Friday, July 11, with live music and food trucks.
The stage is set for a full day of pickin’ and grinnin’ as the Northern California Bluegrass Society hosts an all-day jam and potluck supper Saturday at the Live Oak Grange.
Sometimes I wonder if a town can have too much culture... we have more things to do on any given week than the city over the hill of a million or so people.
Two of the biggest Broadway hits of all time are playing right here in Santa Cruz this summer. And they’ve got something in common: both were penned by Stephen Sondheim
