Looking for family fun? Two reasons to head south

Looking for a fun family outing this weekend?
For fans of the Great American Melodrama, there are now two reasons to make the trip down to Oceano.
“The Wicklow Wedding” opens tonight at the Melodrama, joining “Davy Crockett” as this summer’s melodramas. It runs through Sept. 23.

Written by Irish playwright Dion Boucicault, “The Wicklow Wedding” takes viewers back to the late 1700s, when Irish patriots battled with their British overlords.
When Arrah, a young Irish peasant girl (Cat Yates), hides a fugitive Irish patriot, Beamish (Andrew Beck) from the British army, the repercussions could lead to an arrest on her wedding day.
The fiendish Feeny (Nicholas Hamel) wants Arrah for his own and leads a British officer to her cabin. Meanwhile, Beamish’s jealous fiancé (Katie Swimm) is considering a marriage proposal from her guardian (Jim Shine.)
The two love stories combine with betrayal, self-sacrifice, comic characters and narrow escapes, Artistic Director Eric Hoit said.
As usual, “The Wicklow Wedding” is followed by a song-and-dance vaudeville revue.
According to Hoit, “The Complete History of California … Abridged” takes theater-goers on a 30-minute journey through time — touching on the Golden State’s international heritage, the beatnik movement and soaring real estate prices.
The revue ends with Melodrama favorite “Oceano,” sung to the tune of Oklahoma.
“We’re here to educate,” Hoit said with a laugh.

Starting Saturday, performances of “The Wicklow Wedding” will alternate with “Davy Crockett.”
That play, based on an actual 19th century melodrama, puts young Davy Crockett in the middle of a frontier love triangle. There’s plenty of peril in the form of snowstorms, vicious wolves and a blackmailer with a secret.
“Davy Crockett” runs through Sept. 22.

For more information on both plays, call (805) 489-2499 or visit www.americanmelodrama.com

-- Sarah L.