'Outrageous adventures'

Most of the time the dysfunctional relationship between a mom and her son is no laughing matter—but that’s only if you haven’t seen Lompoc Civic Theatre’s take on the concept.

WRITTEN EXCHANGE:: Audiences can enjoy wine, dinner, and a show as Lompoc Civic Theatre and D’Vine Wine Bar offer this funny take on an exchange between an overbearing mother and her adult son. Credit: PHOTO COURTESY LOMPOC CIVIC THEATRE

Lompoc Civic Theatre takes the issue of the overbearing mom and the son who’s never quite let go and brings out the humor in it. For this latest production, LCT is bringing its act to the intimate stage of D’Vine Wine Bar for a monthly dinner theater performance of The Outrageous Adventures of Sheldon and Mrs. Levine—A Son’s Elusive Search for his Mother’s Happiness by Sam Bobrick and Julie Stein.

Starring Terri Jones and Corbin Vickers, the show involves the exchange of letters between mother and son. Mrs. Levine is the overbearing mother of a 31-year-old son. While the son blames the mother for the breakup of his marriage and ruining his life, the mother doesn’t understand why this bothers him. Even though they are thousands of miles apart, they are still very much present in each other’s lives. The show is produced in arrangement with Samuel French.

Audiences will get a peek inside the relationship and all its angst, aggravation, and madness.

“But it’s a funny show,” producer Marian Stave said.

JUICY SCENE: The Outrageous Adventures of Sheldon and Mrs. Levine—A Son’s Elusive Search for his Mother’s Happiness is at D’Vine Wine Bar, 107 W. Ocean Ave., in Lompoc on Feb. 12, March 4, April 15, and May 6. Dinner is served at 5 p.m., with the show following the main course. Cha Cha Cooking Club will cater the event, which will be a dinner of chicken roulade or butternut squash gratin with goat cheese, sage, and hazelnuts. Tickets cost $50 per person and reservations are required by the Thursday before the show. RSVP by calling 735-2281.

Stave said Lompoc Civic Theatre has presented theater dinner shows, like last year’s Kitchen Witches, for several years. But when they began looking for a suitable locale for Outrageous, they knew they wanted a special location. D’Vine Wine Bar fit the bill; because this production is a two-character show, it’s well suited to D’Vine Wine Bar’s intimate stage setting.

“This is a new collaboration between Lompoc Civic Theatre and D’Vine Wine Bar, and we’re really excited to present the show at this location. We’ve had success at other locations but I think this show is ideal for the setting at D’Vine Wine Bar,” Stave said.

Get ready to sit back, listen in, and laugh at the hilarious relationship between Sheldon and Mrs. Levine at D’Vine Wine Bar, presented only the way Lompoc Civic Theatre can.

Arts Editor Shelly Cone can be contacted at scone@santamariasun.com.

This article appears in Feb 2-9, 2012.