ON Culture | Zorro, Kitty Power, Free Museums, and More

This edition of ON Culture was originally emailed to subscribers on March 15, 2024. To receive Leslie Dinaberg’s arts newsletter in your inbox on Fridays, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.

ON the (Theatrical) Stage

Whether fictional or factual, theater can be such a powerful way to examine ourselves and our recent history. Case in point, Ensemble Theatre Company’s upcoming production of The Lehman Trilogy. The 2022 Tony Award winner for Best Play is the story of the building of the Lehman Brothers financial empire (now shuttered in a BIG way after catalyzing the 2008 financial crisis) and chronicles the 160-year journey of three immigrant brothers striving to build their own version of the American dream. Previews begin April 4 and the show runs through April 21. Click here for tickets and more information.

I’ve been looking forward to seeing Opera Santa Barbara’s Zorro since last summer, after seeing just a tiny sneak preview during La Fiesta Pequeña. This swashbuckling adventure (April 19 and 21 at the Lobero) is a new interpretation of the classic tale of good versus evil, romantic rivalries, and humorous side-plots — all set to a lush neo-romantic score full of Latin and Hispanic musical inspirations. Tenor Xavier Prado stars in the title role and soprano Oriana Falla plays Ana Maria, his partner in love and revolution. Click here for tickets and here to view a trailer of the opera created by Opera Southwest.

ON the (Music) Stage

I had my first encounter with Cat Power last week at the Lobero, and she more than lived up to the raves. Her interpretive performance of Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert was fascinating. Her rough and rambling female voice brought a brand new flavor to Dylan favorites, starting out as he did, at a slower, folkier pace with songs like “4th Time Around,” “Desolation Row,” and “Just Like a Woman,” before plugging in and rocking out (with additional band members) to a much bigger sound with songs like “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “One Too Many Mornings,” and “Like a Rolling Stone.” For more on this incredible evening, check out Josef Woodard’s review here.

I’m normally not a cat person at ALL, but the next night’s Lobero show, the stellarly unique postmodern cabaret from Meow Meow, was also worth purring about.  You can read my review — “Meow Meow Is Wow Wow Wow at Santa Barbara Lobero” — here.

We had some more excellent show announcements from the Santa Barbara Bowl since my last newsletter, including Queens of the Stone Age (May 24), Pentatonix (Jun. 6), Daryl Hall + Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton (Jun. 14), Cage the Elephant (Jul. 3), Lauren Daigle (Aug. 28), and Wallows (Sept. 9). All tickets will be on sale by the time you read this on March 15. See sbbowl.com for more information about all of the upcoming shows. Our Bowl dance card is, believe it or not, not quite full yet, with more announcements to come.

ON the (Big) Screen

Deepak Chopra kicks off the Illuminate Film Festival — new to Santa Barbara, the festival has previously been held in Sedona, Arizona — on April 5 at the Lobero. With a mission to “elevate humanity’s sense of self, purpose, and possibility and to leverage the power of cinema to inspire lasting social transformation,” this festival is considered the world’s leading showcase for evolutionary cinema in person April 5-7 and then online April 8-14. The opening night film is Love over Money, a documentary about Baskin-Robbins heir John Robbins, who, compelled by the mistreatment of dairy cows and conflict with his father over the Vietnam war, walks away from a life of luxury to forge his own path. Additional screenings (all at the Fiesta 5 theater and most followed by Q&A discussions) include: Eva Haller: A Work in Progress, Fantastic Fungi, What the Bleep Do We Know!?, The Natural Law, UnCharitable, Source, Confessions of a Good Samaritan, Unveiled: Joyce Tenneson and the Heroine’s Journey, Jacob the Baker, and Wilding. Click here for additional information about the programming and tickets.

ON the Walls

Get your culture fix for FREE on Saturday, March 23, when it’s SoCal Museums Annual Free-for-All Day. The Santa Barbara Museum of Art is offering free admission, along with more than 30 other Southern California organizations, as part of SoCal Museums Free-for-All Day. Locally, this includes the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Ventura County. Other notable institutions include The Getty Center, The Getty Villa, and The Broad, among others. For more information and a calendar of free days, see socalmuseums.org/free.

ON the Calendar

Celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day at the Buellton Wine and Chili Festival. On March 17, sample from more than 30 wineries, craft breweries, seltzers, ciders and spirit companies and more than 20 chili and salsa cooks! There will also be a wide variety of merchant and food vendors on site, along with live entertainment by Chickenbone Slim, DJ FIU, and Traditional Irish Dancers from Irish Dance 805! Click here for tickets and information.

For a complete calendar of events this week and beyond, visit independent.com/events.