Rita Moran News for Ventura, CA from Ventura County Star

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Moorpark cast captures the spirit of Dr. Seuss Published 10/17/2012 at 4:06 p.m.
If you're looking for a show with a built-in audience, "Seussical" would be high on the list of candidates. The musical based on assorted children's books by Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Seuss Geisel, hit the stage running in 2000 and ...
Camarillo Skyway Playhouse takes aim at Sondheim's 'Assassins' Published 10/3/2012 at 3:31 p.m.
Presidential assassins are probably not what the average American wants to be thinking about a month before the contentious 2012 national election. But for those curious about the motivation and pathologies of some of the more noted shooters in U.S. ...
Love hot dogs? Speed over to Garage Dogs in Thousand Oaks Published 9/5/2012 at 4:23 p.m.
Ron Leavitt must have been in super-drive when he named the items on his Garage Dogs menu. The Thousand Oaks eatery has a few recognizable items, like Polish sausage and Wisconsin beer brat, but his list of Gourmet Garage Dogs ...
Fresco II is off to a fresh start Published 8/29/2012 at 4:47 p.m.
The new, handsome restaurant focuses on Mediterranean specialties with lots of Greek accents, and menu options that segue from lunch through a cocktail hour and dinner. The pizzas are especially good.
Love in need of Restoration Published 8/15/2012 at 6:11 p.m.
You don't see "The Provoked Wife" much these days, at least not on stage. But John Vanbrugh's comedy, which arrived in 1697 during the Restoration era that followed the Puritan's ban on public performances in England, is certainly a curiosity ...
Barrelhouse 101 will barrel you over Published 8/14/2012 at 8:06 p.m.
Barrelhouse 101 doesn't have "99 bottles of beer on the wall" but does boast of 101 kegs in the house. The five-score offerings are listed on a separate on-tap menu for the uninitiated, experts or just plain adventurous. There's food, ...
'Red' turns to black Published 8/14/2012 at 8:01 p.m.
Artist Mark Rothko was by any measure intense and outspoken. John Logan's "Red," about a crucial period in his life, vividly captures the passion, and the neediness, of the painter.
Smashburger chain opens first local store in Thousand Oaks Published 8/8/2012 at 3:52 p.m.
The name may get your attention, but the experience is what counts. Smashburger, newly opened in Thousand Oaks and the first of the 160-restaurant chain to land in Ventura County, combines quick and competent service and burgers that are very ...
Three women form an unlikely bond in Teatro comedy Published 8/8/2012 at 3:50 p.m.
Venezuelan playwright Gustavo Ott sets a trio of women within a whirling blur of words in his 1989 comedy "Divorciadas, Evangélicas y Vegetarianas," now being staged by Américas in Oxnard College's Black Box theater.
'West Wing' creator explores the birth of TV in Camarillo play Published 8/1/2012 at 2:47 p.m.
A world without television would be a world few today could imagine. But there was such a world, just as there was one without radio, and without motion pictures. Thanks to Philo T. Farnsworth, a Utah farm boy with a ...
A Big Easy feast awaits at N'Awlinz Bistro in Newbury Park Published 8/1/2012 at 2:35 p.m.
Marcus Webster is upfront about not being from New Orleans, but he confidently spells the name of his N'Awlinz Bistro in Newbury Park in a way that natives will recognize as a familiar local pronunciation. Chef-owner Webster opened the spot ...
Gooey cheese sandwiches at Custom Melt Published 7/25/2012 at 2:41 p.m.
They're not like Mom used to make, they're better. Custom Melt in Moorpark is turning out grilled cheese sandwiches that zoom past the norm with surprisingly compatible ingredients.
Rousing 'Music Man' awaits in Simi Valley Published 7/25/2012 at 2:33 p.m.
Who better to wipe the frowns from the faces of serious citizens of River City, Iowa, circa 1912, than Professor Harold Hill, a con man "band leader" who can put a lilt in many a heart? And who better to ...
Kingsmen shakes up timeless Shakespeare tale Published 7/25/2012 at 2:30 p.m.
It's still the same old story of star-crossed lovers, but Kingsmen Shakespeare Company takes a subtly different view of the dueling families in its new production, which runs through Aug. 5 in Kingsmen Park at California Lutheran University in Thousand ...
Book a trip to Cabrillo's 'Meet Me in St. Louis' Published 7/24/2012 at 8:45 p.m.
A musical like "Meet Me in St. Louis," based in part on the classic 1944 film of the same name, has a simple mission: It must deliver the film's stellar songs with zest and style while checking off the movie's ...