Arts & Culture in San Marcos

The Cygnet Theatre Company has turned written scripts into lively dramatic productions since 2003, winning seven San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Awards for its 2010 season. The recently extended run of Little Shop of Horrors draws audiences into a camp- and crescendo-laden rock musical that warns against purchasing suspicious looking chia pets. Curtains rise on Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's classic story of florist assistant Seymour (Brandon Joel Maier) as he attempts to woo his coworker, Audrey (Melissa Fernandes), and outwit the diabolical machinations of the flesh-eating plant that has made him famous. Premium-section seating settles patrons in the theater's center rows, allowing them to sink into renovated seats without losing sight of any stagehands in the wings.

For those who struggle to read CliffsNotes without the guidance of a Sherpa, a night of fast-paced live-action literature at San Diego REP helps keep things clear, entertaining, and to the point. With 37 of Bill’s works performed in 97 minutes, the show traverses a mind-spiking storyline full of laughs, tears, and historical nuggets. One moment you're mourning the tragic death of yet another character, and the next you're realizing why your 8th-grade English paper scored modest marks.

Hello, Dolly! is the much-loved tale of matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi, who is hired to arrange a marriage but unsuspectingly falls in love with the groom, the parsimonious half-millionaire Horace Vandergelder. The story unravels in a musical fashion, with tunes such as "Before the Parade Passes By" and "It Only Takes a Moment" dotting the plotline. Performances are August 19 through September 5, showing Thursday through Sunday at 8 p.m.

Presented with 600 acres of verdant pasture to sculpt into an executive course, golf-course architect David Rainville dreamt up 18 Bermuda grass fairways adorned with colorful flowerbeds, four ponds strewn into play, and sand bunkers of various sizes and difficulties. In the three decades since Rainville’s vision became reality, the course’s trees have flourished on all of the eight par 4s and 10 par 3s. The well-manicured course has been ranked in the top 10 courses in San Diego, inviting golfers of all stripes to experience the verdant playground and perhaps occasional sightings of caddies that graze on the short grass. While swinging through the course, men and women are asked to wear collared shirts, protecting them from neck sunburns, informality, and vampire flagsticks.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 62 course
• Length of 3,968 yards
• Course rating of 58.9
• Slope rating of 102
• Course layout

Since its inception in the early 1970s, Lamb’s Players Theatre has entertained audiences in its two intimate theaters. Whether the nonprofit, artist-run company is producing classic works or original pieces, it focuses on themes such as community, contemporary culture, and spirituality.

Calling on the alchemic knowledge of ancient mystics, Merlin's Magic & Comedy Dinner Theatre blends gut-busting comedy, jaw-dropping barbecue fare, and mind-boggling magic tricks on the Rib Trader stage. Clothed in medieval garb, Merlin unleashes a flurry of illusions, levitating water glasses and assistants and confounding minds with sleight of hand and recitations of tax manuals. While audience members attempt to make sense of their newly stretched reality, a cadre of costumed servers piles tables high with ribs and chicken—or chicken strips and french fries for wee ones—and oversees edible disappearing acts.

Merlin's Magic & Comedy Dinner Theatre Calling on the alchemic knowledge of ancient mystics, Merlin's Magic & Comedy Dinner Theatre blends gut-busting comedy, jaw-dropping barbecue fare, and mind-boggling magic tricks on the Rib Trader stage. Clothed in medieval garb, Merlin unleashes a flurry of illusions, levitating water glasses and assistants and confounding minds with sleight of hand and recitations of tax manuals. While audience members attempt to make sense of their newly stretched reality, a cadre of costumed servers piles tables high with ribs and chicken—or chicken strips and french fries for wee ones—and oversees edible disappearing acts.