A Beach Home Companion Now Showing at The REP

Opening night at The REP was a romp! The meeting hall, nestled in the heart of Seaside, evoked a charming ambiance where actors, musicians, members and guests all converged for A Beach Home Companion. The live variety show runs Thursdays and Fridays, Oct. 2-24 at 7:30 p.m. and features a homegrown music lineup not to be missed.

In coming weeks, patrol the streets of Decibel Dunes with Teance Blackburn as Rosemary Grayton: Code Enforcer as she throws out hilarious one liners and answers her phone with the greeting, “Code Enforcement-It’s a beautiful day in paradise. Don’t screw it up!”
 

Empathize with servers in Tales from the Wait Staff as they deal with busloads of coupon carrying Canadians. One Eastern European waiter, played by Executive Director Brook Stetler, declares his willingness to bridge the language gap by saying, “I will act as transvestite!”

“The sketches will stay the same each week along with most of the music that the house band plays,” said Administrative Assistant Rebecca Huber.

Longtime friends Django Porter and Dougie Huber will act as the house band during A Beach Home Companion’s October run. Django has played with country music legends Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Freddy Powers and his style is an energetic mix of musical influences.
 

"Django brings the energy and whimsy of 30A to life with the gypsy-jazz inspired tunes of A Beach Home Companion. With this show, you're either tapping your toes or laughing to the point of tears," said Rebecca. 

Two-thirds of opening night band The Blue Ribbon Healers laid on a thick dose of what they call “thrashed out old-timey jazz and fresh acoustic swanky tonk” while Cindy’s left arm sleeve showcased a tattoo of a brunette pin-up girl dressed in a red bralette and matching salsa skirt that danced as she played her mandolin.
 

Rob Pate (vocals/guitar), Cindy McDermott (vocals/mandolin) and Marcus Haines (drums) borrow influence from old New Orleans jazz and add a homegrown element that makes their music fun and relatable-and best of all, dance worthy. Guitarist Rob Pate’s voice is reminiscent of Louis Armstrong’s signature raspy sound and sets a festive mood.

Over the summer, Cindy and the boys played four major festivals and about 70 shows. Great songs tell great stories, and The Blue Ribbon Healers’ latest single, St. Louis, is about a down-on-her-luck-hitchhiker the band picked up around Birmingham, AL while traveling to a show.

This winter, they will return to Spain from Nov. – Jan. for a tour. Last year, their Spanish jaunt included a stop in Zaragoza, where they played in an underground dungeon left over from the rule of Caesar Augustus. “We played in the belly of the dungeon. It was great,” said Rob.

A Beach Home Companion by Bruce Collier, Trent Loggins and Brook Stetler will run Thursdays and Fridays, Oct. 2 – Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m. The show’s home-grown music lineup features:

Oct. 9   | Chris Alvarado, JM Turner, & Duke Bardwell
Oct. 10 | Forrest Williams
Oct. 16 | Chris Alvarado & Billy Garrett
Oct. 17 | Dread Clampitt
Oct. 23 | Chris Alvarado & Duke Bardwell
Oct. 24 | Duke Bardwell & Kent Duchaine
 
For more info and to purchase tickets, please visit www.lovetherep.com or call (850) 231-0733.
 

Photos by Manny Chavez