Tag archives: Arlington Theatre

Back-to-back Beale and Lamott’s Elixirs
By Steven Libowitz   |   November 12, 2024

Santa Barbara chef and author Pascale Beale is booked for two public events this week to celebrate the launch of her new cookbook, FLAVOUR – Savouring The Seasons: Recipes From The Market Table. This is the fourth in the Market Table series from the proprietor of Pascale’s Kitchen, the online culinary boutique. The new book […]

Legends Slay on Stage
By Richard Mineards   |   April 30, 2024

UCSB Arts & Lectures packed the Arlington Theatre on two consecutive nights with jazz legend Herbie Hancock and a very different performance with drag queen RuPaul, who was promoting his new memoir The House of Hidden Meanings. Before 14 Grammy-Award-winner Hancock’s energized show with his extraordinarily talented quintet, a dinner was thrown at Villa & […]

A ‘Seraglio’ Show
By Richard Mineards   |   March 12, 2024

To the Arlington Theatre for the one-night only revival of the folkloric ballet Seraglio, an Eastern version of Romeo and Juliet, written, choreographed and produced by Santa Barbara’s Alexandra King. The colorful three-act, two-hour production was first presented in 1989 in our Eden by the Beach, Ojai, Culver City, and Salt Lake City, featuring Greek […]

‘Seraglio’ Delivers Dance, Cobras, and Star-Crossed Lovers
By Steven Libowitz   |   March 5, 2024

When Alexandra King created and produced Seraglio, her original three-act Middle Eastern folkloric ballet about star-crossed lovers in early 20th century Istanbul, she thought it had run its course after performances in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Ojai, and Salt Lake City in 1989-1990.  “I never planned to do anything with it again,” King said. And […]

Have a Hart: Comedian Cancels Cell Phones
By Steven Libowitz   |   January 30, 2024

The current local comedy cavalcade continues this week at the Arlington, leaving behind the Lobero in favor of the much larger venue, where Kevin Hart, one of the most popular stand-up comedians on the touring circuit, will perform on January 27. Hart has appeared in dozens of films and TV shows, receiving two Primetime Emmys […]

Merry Mariachi 
By Steven Libowitz   |   December 6, 2022

The Arlington Theatre, our town’s largest indoor venue, hosts Santa Barbara’s first-ever Mariachi holiday concert produced by a local organization, in this case UCSB Arts & Lectures. The incomparable José Hernández will lead Mariachi Sol de México in a festive musical tribute to Mexico’s Christmas traditions, offering holiday favorites in a December 7 performance that […]

Oscar Goes to Santa Barbara
By Steven Libowitz   |   March 3, 2022

Academy Award aficionados and other Oscarologists will have a field day at SBIFF ‘22 all within the fest’s first few days. All five nominated directors (including Steven Spielberg!) appear at the Arlington on March 3, followed by Kristen Stewart on March 4, the now nine-strong Virtuosos Award in the wake of the Writers’ (with eight […]

Bash & Bluegrass
By Richard Mineards   |   December 28, 2021

UCSB’s popular Arts & Lectures program welcomed 90 guests to the courtyard at the Arlington Theatre for its holiday bash before the performance of My Bluegrass Heart with Béla Fleck, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Bryan Sutton. The fun fete also a featured a toy drive from United Way of Santa […]

Béla Fleck: His Heart Belongs to Bluegrass
By Steven Libowitz   |   December 14, 2021

Credit Béla Fleck’s son for sparking the banjo master’s desire to return once again to his bluegrass roots. Fleck, who was first inspired to take up the five-string instrument as a child when he heard Earl Scruggs play the theme song for Beverly Hillbillies, has long since become an ambassador of the instrument who has […]

the Fortnight
By Steven Libowitz   |   November 22, 2021

November 21-December 30 Santa Barbara Sounds at SOhO   The popular restaurant nightclub took a little longer than almost all other establishments to reopen after the forced COVID closures expired at the end of spring, but the entertainment-every-night emporium is now fully back in action. Peruse the calendar carefully for the hangout owned for more […]

Bruce Corwin, an icon in the Santa Barbara arts community, passes away at 81
By Nick Masuda   |   November 5, 2021

The world lost one of its brightest lights on Thursday. Bruce Corwin, a prominent member of the Santa Barbara community through his philanthropy, ownership of the Arlington and Metropolitan Theatres and a founding investor in the Montecito Journal Media Group, has passed away at 81. A friend and mentor to so many, Corwin was heavily […]

Creating Hope with Pico Iyer and the Dalai Lama
By Steven Libowitz   |   May 20, 2021

It’s no surprise that UCSB Arts & Lectures has turned to the XIV Dalai Lama for the keynote event in its year-long 2021-2022 Creating Hope programming initiative. After all, not only has His Holiness, who is believed to be a manifestation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, spent much of his life encouraging people to be […]

Blues Legends in Concert
By Joanne A Calitri   |   April 2, 2020

Tipping the charts at a double sold out concert, UCSB Arts & Lectures knocked it out of the ballpark in early March with a triple-header of blues legends at the Arlington Theatre, presented with additional support from Sharon and Bill Rich. The blues is America’s heartland music, one that is respected worldwide as our country’s contribution […]

Goal Oriented
By Richard Mineards   |   October 24, 2019

It must have been one of the quickest ticket sales in UCSB Arts & Lectures history when 2,000 tickets were snapped up in just 90 minutes when the two co-captains of the U.S. Women’s World Cup winning team, Megan Rapinoe, 34, and Alex Morgan, 30, spoke at the Arlington. The Evening of Achievement, moderated by […]

Annie Leibovitz Live
By Lynda Millner   |   March 14, 2019

The Arlington Theatre was packed with folks eager to hear from the iconic photographer Annie Leibovitz. After seeing her work many years ago in Vanity Fair and Vogue, I was too. UCSB Arts & Lectures was presenting the program. Annie began her career with the Rolling Stones in 1970 while she was still a student […]

Brought to Light
By Lynda Millner   |   February 8, 2018

A special preview reception was held at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA) for exhibition sponsors, sustaining trustees, legacy society, benefactors circle, director’s patron, PhotoFutures, and special guests. This was followed by a reception for all of the members.  The new exhibition titled “Brought to Light” is drawn from the 28,000 works of art […]

Think Pink
By Richard Mineards   |   December 14, 2017

The Arlington Theatre was packed for the much-awaited return concert by Pink Martini, the Portland, Oregon, musicians making their eighth appearance here, all eight of which I have been lucky enough to see. The sold-out show, part of the popular UCSB Arts & Lectures series, featured Harvard graduate China Forbes on vocals singing a wide […]

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
By Lynda Millner   |   November 16, 2017

This was a long-awaited occasion when the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) appeared on the Arlington Theatre stage. The orchestra was so large, there was barely room to get the conductor Zubin Mehta on stage and onto his platform. The theatre was filled as well. UCSB Miller McCune executive director Celesta M. Billeci had many sponsors […]