What do “The Lone Ranger,” “All Star Western Theatre” and “The Virginian” have in common?
They were all radio Westerns on the air in the year 1947. If you can’t imagine what those sounded lik,e the folks at Mockingbird Improv in Arts District Liberty Station can, and they’ve got a live show to prove it: “Radio ‘47.”
While pointing out that the nine-person show, happening at 7 p.m. Friday in Mockingbird’s space in the Dorothea Laub Music & Arts Center, is “a comedy, because you never know what you’re going to get,” co-director Peter Jacques says “We do it straight, as if it’s going on air for a couple of million people. The surprise is the whole thing goes nutty.”
As with most improv shows, audience suggestions drive the storytelling, or as Jacques calls them “the gas that makes the machine work. The audience is 50 percent of it. We play off of their energy.”
“Radio 47” grew out of a Bay Area improv show created by Adam Raichel, who is now co-director of the Mockingbird experience. That forerunner, called “Radio ’38,” followed a so-called “bat” format where the show was performed in the dark.
“Radio ’47,” says Jacques, “is absolutely not a bat.” But like those old-time radio Westerns of yore, there is some theater of the mind going on. Improvisation, he adds, thrives on its unpredictability. “It happens in the moment, and that moment will never happen again.”
“Radio ‘47” will be performed again on Nov. 28, then after a December hiatus, it returns for the second and fourth Friday nights in January at 2590 Truxtun Road, Suite 200, San Diego. Tickets start at $15 at mockingbirdimprov.org.
Actor/comedian Billy Gardell will perform a pre-tour comedy show on Nov. 19 at TERI Campus of Life in San Marcos. (Billy Gardell)
Comedy
Actor/comedian Billy Gardell, best known for playing Mike opposite Melissa McCarthy in the long-running TV series “Mike & Molly,” is gearing up for a national comedy tour.
But before he hits the road, he’ll perform a fundraising comedy show on Wednesday at TERI Campus of Life in San Marcos. TERI provides therapeutic, educational and career training for young adults with special needs. Gardell is the stepfather of one of the clients served by TERI.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. for craft beer and wine sales along with sweets and snacks. Pre-show dining is also available in the TERI Common Grounds Café, beginning at 4 p.m. The concert is at 7 p.m. Nov. 19 in the 200-seat Bornemann Theatre at 555 Deer Springs Road, San Marcos. Tickets are $35-$75. All proceeds benefit TERI programs.
The cast of the national touring production of “Dungeons and Dragons Twenty Sided Tavern,” playing Nov. 18-23 at the Balboa Theatre in San Diego. (André Chung)
Games
On Nov. 26, Netflix’s hugely popular sci-fi series “Stranger Things” returns for its fifth and final season.
For those who aren’t familiar with series, it’s about four teen boys in 1980s Indiana who bond over the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. Eventually the monsters and demons in their fantasy game emerge into the real world and a dark underworld and wreak havoc on their lives and town.
D&D fans who can’t wait for the series 5 premiere may want to check out “Dungeons & Dragons Twenty-Sided Tavern,” arriving at San Diego’s Balboa Theatre next Tuesday in its West Coast premiere. This national touring production, playing Tuesday through Nov. 23, features a group of theatrical improv actors/D&D experts playing the game live onstage with audience interaction, special effects and more. Tickets start at $51.25.
English novelist Jane Austen. (Hulton Archives)
Austenland
In celebration of the 250th anniversary of 18th-century English novelist Jane Austen’s birth, the Jane Austen Society of North America’s San Diego chapter (bet you didn’t know we had one) is hosting a free celebration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at downtown’s Central Library.
The festivities, for which attendees are encouraged to dress in Regency attire, begins with a screening of the comedy “Clueless,” based (loosely) on Austen’s “Emma.” The Write Out Loud people will present readings from Austen’s works at 2 p.m., followed by Regency era music (from flutist Ann Erwin and pianist Cho-Hyun Park) at 2:30 p.m. in the library’s Garden Courtyard at 330 Park Blvd., San Diego. Details at sandiego.librarymarket.com/event/hold-concert-series-452291.
Judy Collins will perform with Tom Rush in Escondido on Saturday. (Sam Hough)
Pop music
Two legends who emerged during the folk music surge of the 1960s, Judy Collins and Tom Rush, will perform Saturday night at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. Collins is a personal favorite of mine as well as an inspiration for many singers and songwriters who emerged later.
Rush, too, paved the way for other singer-songwriters, and in various genres, from not only folk music but country and blues. We’ve learned over the years that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame isn’t just about including rockers. Folkie Pete Seeger is an inductee. Collins and Rush should be, too. Tickets at: artcenter.org/event/aneveningwithjudycollins.
Melanie Lora, left, and Katie MacNichol co-host the podcast “Act Like a Mother.” (Katie MacNichol)
Podcasts
Actor Katie MacNichol is part of the cast of Backyard Renaissance Theatre Company’s “The Waverly Gallery,” currently in previews at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center downtown. She’s also the co-host, with fellow actor Melanie Lora, of a podcast called “Act Like A Mother.”
In these 50-something-minute-long episodes MacNichol and Lora, not only both actors but both mothers, talk with guests about the challenges of balancing an artistic career and parenting. The most recent episode features guest Rosina Reynolds, not only a respected local actor but also the mother of another respected actor, Kate Rose Reynolds. “Act Like a Mother” can be found on the Apple and Spotify apps.
Al Pacino and Diane Keaton in the movie “The Godfather Part II,” which will be screened Tuesday, Nov. 18 at Digital Gym Cinema in San Diego. (Paramount Pictures)
Film
When I think of Diane Keaton, two of her most famous roles come to mind: “Annie Hall” and as Michael Corleone’s wife in “The Godfather Part II.”
On the day of her recent passing, Oct. 11, I streamed “Annie Hall” for the who knows how many times, and watched her become a star. As for “The Godfather Part II” I’ve discovered I can see it again on the big screen, at 7 p.m. Tuesday night at Media Arts Center San Diego’s Digital Gym Cinema.
Though her role is not “Annie Hall”-sized in that 1974 sequel to “The Godfather,” Keaton is a powerful and poignant presence as Kate Adams-Corleone, who in the film watches with horror as her husband breaks bad (and then some) as the new don of the notorious mob family.
“The Godfather Part II” is the only movie sequel to follow its honored predecessor as an Oscar Best Picture winner. Tickets at digitalgym.org.
UCTV
University of California Television invites you to enjoy this special selection of programs from throughout the University of California. Descriptions courtesy of and text written by UCTV staff:
“’From Sleepy Lagoon to ‘Zoot Suit’”
The 1942 Sleepy Lagoon case stands as one of the most racially charged trials in U.S. history. Twenty-two Mexican American youths were tried together for the death of José Díaz, despite no witnesses linking them to the scene and no clear cause of death. The trial was plagued by bias, with a hostile judge, an all-white jury and defendants denied the chance to speak with counsel. Twelve were sentenced to San Quentin. This documentary by UC Santa Cruz’s Bob Giges spotlights activist Alice McGrath, who became a central figure in the defense effort — visiting prisoners, rallying public support and leading fundraising. The convictions were overturned in 1944, marking a powerful early civil rights victory later dramatized in Luis Valdez’s “Zoot Suit.”
“Cognitive Health and Resilience”
Cognitive resilience isn’t built overnight — it grows from consistent, everyday habits that help the brain stay adaptable with age. Fadel Zeidan, Ph.D., presents mindfulness as a form of mental training that sharpens attention and shapes how we respond to pain. Erin E. Sundermann, Ph.D., highlights lifestyle strategies like movement, social engagement, hearing support and lifelong learning as key drivers of brain health. Raenne C. Moore, Ph.D., focuses on practical ways to support attention and memory, from creating routines to managing anxiety. Older adult Carolyn Dunmore brings these ideas to life through her own story of resilience rooted in purpose, faith and self-care. Together, they show how small actions can add up to stronger cognitive health over time.
Film producer Liz Yale Marsh and mustang wrangler West Taylor join moderator and co-producer Wendy Eley Jackson to discuss “Facing the Falls,” a powerful documentary following disability rights advocate Cara Elizabeth Yar Khan on a grueling 12-day expedition through the Grand Canyon. Born with hereditary inclusion body myopathy, a rare muscle-wasting disease, Yar Khan defies both physical and societal expectations in her effort to complete the journey on horseback and foot. The panel explores the logistical and emotional challenges of the expedition, Taylor’s work guiding Yar Khan through treacherous terrain and how Marsh and Jackson helped bring the film to completion during post-production. The result is a story of resilience, collaboration and rethinking what it means to be capable.
And finally, top weekend events
People walk along the Embarcadero to take a closer look at the Star of India. (Brittany Cruz-Fejeran / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The best things to do this weekend in San Diego: Nov. 14-16.