I have worked in the theater for 55 years and have never experienced a more moving performance than the one given by Bethany Thomas in PCPA’s current production of Songs for Nobodies. In this show, Miss Thomas plays Judy Garland, Edith Piaf, Patsy Cline, Billie Holiday, and Maria Callas. She also brings to life five women who interrelate with them in lovely scenes: a nanny, a spotlight operator, a librarian, a reporter, and a bathroom attendant.
Bethany’s voice is amazing in its range. It’s a kind of miracle that she can capture the essence of each of these five wonderful singers known around the world.
This unforgettable show closed at the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria Aug. 23 but reopened in Solvang Aug. 28 and runs through Sept. 7.
If you love the singers she inhabits in this show, you won’t want to miss the way she brings their songs and spirits to life in Songs for Nobodies at PCPA.
Gale McNeeley
Santa Maria
This article appears in Sep 4 – Sep 14, 2025.