I recently attended Why Do Fools Fall in Love at the SLO Little Theatre. Since it was billed as a fundraiser, I expected a fun, lively show. However, it was another in a series of disappointing fundraisers directed by Kevin Harris. Not only were there empty seats at the beginning of the show, one person left during the first act, and others left at intermission.
I have been attending the Little Theatre for many years. A long time ago, some of the productions were not very good, but the quality of the shows had steadily improved. I believe that can be attributed to the Legend Series fundraisers. They were sold out way in advance, and sometimes more performances were added. Not only were the shows top notch, they brought in quality talent. Most of the talented people who were in these shows have left the Little Theatre.
Harris’s fundraisers have not been up to the same standard. Some individual performances have been good, but the shows lack the pizzazz of the Legends Series.
I do not know what happened between the board, Kevin Harris, and Mary Meserve, but the board needs to swallow its pride and beg Mary to bring her Legends Series back to the Little Theatre.
This article appears in Aug 29 – Sep 5, 2013.