Good morning, and welcome to the U-T Arts & Culture Newsletter.
I’m David L. Coddon, and here’s your guide to all things essential in San Diego’s arts and culture this week.
What’s the best way to describe a film titled “Paradise: A Town of Sinners and Saints?
Ask two of its stars.
“It’s an insane bluegrass satirical musical comedy. It’s nuts,” says Edward Singletary, who plays Gaylord Pettibone Johnson, mayor of a onetime coal-mining town that becomes the subject of a reality TV show.
Cast mate Eric Casalini, who portrays TV producer Peter Martinez, likens the movie adapted from a stage musical by Tom Sage, Bill Robertson and Cliff Wagner to “the new ‘Rocky Horror’ meets ‘Hee Haw.’”
Shot in six days in three-camera sitcom style, “Paradise” is intentionally sinister and silly. “A preacher has left the town,” explains Singletary, “and this new preacher decides the only way for the town to survive is for them to do a reality TV show about themselves. Everybody gets swooned by this preacher.” That preacher turns out to be something quite unholy, of course.
Casalini, who has performed on San Diego stages and whose film “To Fall In Love” was featured at last year’s San Diego International Film Festival, finds himself in a very different kind of love story in “Paradise.” His character has a romance with the town matriarch Louanne Knight played by country-western singer Mary Sarah.
Where’s all this “drama” headed? “The whole thing goes off the rails,” Singletary says with a laugh.
Song titles in the show include “Size Matters” and a couple others the titles of which I can’t print here.
Find out for yourself. “Paradise: A Town of Sinners and Saints” can be streamed on demand via the Tubi and Xumo platforms and on Amazon Prime Video.
More film
I’ve been known to yell at the TV set while watching the Oscars telecast. Maybe you heard me back in March: “Lily Gladstone got robbed!” That was after the Native American co-star of “Killers of the Flower Moon” lost to Emma Stone for Best Actress of the Year.
I’ve moved on, and so has Gladstone, who was raised on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. She’s now starring in “Fancy Dance,” the story of a woman on the Seneca-Cayuga Nation Reservation, her missing sister and the niece she’s caring for.
The film directed by Erica Tremblay opened last week and is now screening Friday through July 4 at Media Arts Center San Diego’s Digital Gym Cinema. Tickets are $9-$12 which for a movie in a theater these days is a bargain. It also hits the Apple TV+ streaming network on Friday.
Show music
I didn’t yell back at the set while watching the Tony Awards recently, but I did revel in seeing and hearing Audra McDonald during a tribute to the late Chita Rivera. McDonald knows a little about the Tonys — she’s won six of them, more than any other single performer.
Television can’t do justice to McDonald’s talent and star power, however. Better to see her in person. You can on Sunday night when she performs accompanied by the San Diego Symphony at the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park.
In case you haven’t heard, McDonald is going to star as Mama Rose in a new production of the great musical “Gypsy” this fall which will mark the first time ever a Black woman has played that part on Broadway.
Pop music
For fans of the La Jolla Playhouse-born Broadway musical “Jersey Boys,” and they are legion, the next best thing to the show itself is the touring musical act The Midtown Men, composed of four cast members from the original Broadway cast. They’ll be performing those Four Seasons favorites Saturday night at the Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista.
A note of greater importance: One of the quartet’s four founding singers, La Jolla native and “Jersey Boys” Tony-winner Christian Hoff, is battling cancer and is away from the show as he receives treatment. Fellow Midtown Man Daniel Reichard has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Hoff’s family during this difficult period.
Rock music
From Poway to Petco Park. Kind of sums up the ascension of blink-182, the pop-punk band that formed more than 30 years ago, paid its dues on the club circuit and before too long caught the attention of major labels. Widespread popularity and fandom soon followed.
Now blink-182 (Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker) are undertaking a North American tour, one that arrives in its “hometown” San Diego environs on Sunday with a concert at Petco Park. The “One More Time” tour is in support of the album of the same name released last fall.
Further testament to blink-182’s loyal following: The band’s 2005 “Greatest Hits” album of singles is back on the Billboard charts nearly 20 years after its release.
U-T arts stories you may have missed this week
San Diego’s An’s Gelato named the No. 1 ice cream shop in America
Old Globe’s ‘Henry 6’ to be theater’s biggest production in its 89-year history
Where to go for Fourth of July fireworks, parades and festivities: a guide for San Diego County
REVIEW: Loud Fridge’s zombie Shakespeare comedy is clever, funny and free
World Ballet Festival brings Tiler Peck and much more to San Diego
Pale ale going the way of the dinosaurs in beer world
Backyard’s ‘Beauty Queen’ will re-team actors in mother-daughter roles
UCTV
University of California Television (http://www.uctv.tv) invites you to enjoy this special selection of programs from throughout the University of California. Descriptions courtesy of and text written by UCTV staff:
“Nurturing Beginnings: Human Donor Milk”
In a world where the smallest lives often face the biggest challenges, the University of California Health Milk Bank shines as a beacon of hope. Dr. Julia Cormano and Dr. Lisa Stellwagen highlight the life-transforming impact of donor breast milk for premature and medically fragile infants in NICUs. Donor milk, more easily tolerated than formula, significantly reduces complications like vomiting and discomfort. Hospitals using donor milk witness remarkable health improvements in newborns, especially in the critical first days of life. This program fosters a supportive community where recipient mothers often become donors, perpetuating a cycle of giving. Despite insurance coverage challenges, advocacy efforts strive to ensure all infants receive this vital resource.
“Medical Breakthroughs in Space”
Join experts in stem cell science research as they take you on a fascinating journey into the realm of stem cells in space. Discover why scientists are venturing beyond Earth to unravel the mysteries of cellular behavior in microgravity. Learn about Alexandria Allen, a young researcher whose personal quest to understand space-induced health changes fuels her groundbreaking work. This program highlights the growing frequency of space missions, the unique research environment of space, and its potential to revolutionize our understanding of biology. Uncover the compelling reasons behind this cutting-edge research and its implications for future human space exploration.
“Discussion of the Film ‘Polite Society”
Kashif Shaikh, co-founder and president of Pillars Fund, joins Mona Damluji (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) to discuss the film “Polite Society.” Directed by Nida Manzoor, the film is a vibrant action-comedy that tells the story of a British Pakistani teenager who dreams of becoming a stuntwoman and sets out to save her sister from an impending marriage. Shaikh explores the film’s themes of sisterhood, class hierarchy, and patriarchal power. Together, they delve into subverting clichés and stereotypes in South Asian and Muslim representation on screen, emphasizing authenticity and the emergence of a new generation of filmmakers.
And finally, top weekend events
The best things to do this weekend in San Diego: June 28-30
David Coddon, For the Union-Tribune