The Great American Melodrama is known for its silly, audience-engaging, and lighthearted theater. If you haven’t had the opportunity to experience this SLO County staple yet, book yourself a ticket to see Werewolf of Arroyo Grande.
Written by Cameron Parker and directed by Michael Brusasco, the show takes place a long time ago, in a land not so far away—namely in an imagined ’80s Arroyo Grande. A man named Harry Palmes relocates to the Central Coast town to start up a nut-based fast-food restaurant, and he discovers that the town is being terrorized by a werewolf. This discovery leads the town’s residents to come together and put an end to the horror.
I knew this show would be campy, and I wasn’t disappointed. I also knew that the Oceano-based theater gets a little chilly—even with a full house—so I was prepared. After getting cozy in my jacket, I went to the snack bar and grabbed some nachos, the theater’s chocolate cake I hear so much about, and a Diet Coke to wash it all down.
This play was hands down my favorite show I’ve seen at the Melodrama. It had romance, comedy, and action. And newcomer to the stage Tommy Krob didn’t disappoint in his lead role as Palmes, the man with the nut-based fast-food restaurant who moved to town from a faraway place called Santa Maria.
Growing up in Wisconsin, Krob moved to New York after getting his bachelor’s in fine arts in music theatre from Viterbo University. Krob told New Times that he learned about an opportunity with the Melodrama after attending an audition conference in Memphis, Tennessee.
“You prepare a general 90 seconds, and you go onstage where there’s around 90 representatives watching you, and yeah, The Great American Melodrama just happened to like my stuff, so they reached out and communicated, asked for more material,” he said.
Krob said he will be staying at the Melodrama until the new year and is loving the Central Coast so far.
“I really like it here. It’s small, but it’s big,” he said. “It has everything you could really need.”
Another star of the show was Anna Magri-Moore as Officer Mag Num. She played the sheriff who’s based in Arroyo Grande, aka a small town where nothing bad ever happens. Magri-Moore plays her character, who’s a bit dumb and probably shouldn’t have the power she does, with aplomb. I was cracking up every time she came onstage.
Originally from Porterville, Magri-Moore studied music and theater in Santa Barbara before moving up the coast to attend the Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA).
The set and costumes were fabulous with masks, puppets, and, of course, a psychic rooster with an otherworldly deep voice who at one point became an all-knowing being. It was a hoot.
But wait, the Melodrama likes to give their guests two shows for the price of one, and once Werewolf of Arroyo Grande ended, we enjoyed the British Invasion vaudeville revue directed by Ben Abbott.
This is where Natalie Mara, who played Lil’ Sue in Werewolf of Arroyo Grande, thrived. She had on the cutest outfit, her hair was perfect, and her singing was on point.
Paying tribute to British comedy and ’60s rock culture that made its way from England to the rest of the world, the actors donned their best British accents, cracked jokes, and sang popular songs from the Rolling Stones, The Hollies, The Dave Clark Five, and The Beatles—obviously.
“I worked here as an actor for years and we’re always trying to think of vaudeville ideas but sort of always kind of pressed for ideas,” Abbott told the Sun after the show. “I was going to use this one years ago and then COVID happened, so it got put on the back burner, but I really just love The Beatles and British humor.”
Reach Staff Writer Samantha Herrera at [email protected].
