Briefly in Datebook

Fashion Island sizzles with summer concerts

The summer music scene will heat up with Fashion Island’s seasonal

concerts kicking off at 6 p.m. July 12. The free weekly series will

spotlight six acts, representing more than 30 years of modern rock music.

Opening the series will be Berlin, a California new wave band that hit it

big in the 1980s with such hits as “Metro” and “No More Words.”

Ambrosia, which will perform July 19, was responsible for the 1970s and

‘80s ballads “You’re the Only Woman” and “How Much I Feel.” The quartet’s

style ranges from progressive to experimental.

On July 26, jazz saxophonist Paul Taylor will perform songs from his

debut album, including the hit “Till We Meet Again.”

Grammy Award-winning jazz singer Diane Schuur has worked with Dizzy

Gillespie, B.B. King and other legendary musicians. She will give

audiences a taste of her most memorable work--as well as bits and pieces

from her tributes to Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Foster--on Aug. 2.

Don McLean, who performs Aug. 9, is best known for the 1972 folk anthem “American Pie,” inspired by the tragic airplane crash in which Buddy

Holly died.

On Aug. 16, the series will feature the L.A.-based Young Dubliners, a

sextet that had its start in the early ‘90s by packing pubs with an

unusual brand of rock music with a Celtic edge.

All concerts begin at 6 p.m. near Bloomingdale’s at Fashion Island, 401

Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach. Concert admission is free, but

preferred seating is $15 per person. Information: (949) 721-2000.

‘The Little Prince’ will reign at OCC

Orange Coast College’s Children’s Theatre Department will present “The

Little Prince,” a classic tale by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, from July 12

through 22.

The story takes place in the Sahara Desert, where a well-traveled aviator

is stranded with a broken-down airplane. Just before he gives up hope, a

young boy appears and changes his life forever.

Showtimes are 10 a.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Fridays, and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturdays.

Tickets are $5 in advance, $7 at the door in the college’s Robert B.

Moore Theatre, at 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. Information: (714)

432-5880.

The Center welcoming ‘Cabaret’ in August

Tickets for the limited engagement of the hit musical”Cabaret” are on

sale at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. The show opens Aug. 8

for a six-day run.

The John Kander and Fred Ebb adaptation of the Joe Masteroff book

revolves around the life of a vivacious English woman and her romance

with an American writer. Love blooms (with help from some pretty

entertaining cabaret acts) against the backdrop of Germany shortly before

the rise of the Third Reich.

In the title role of Sally Bowles is Kate Shindle, Miss America 1998, who

will perform the duet “Money” (among others) with actor Jon Peterson, who

plays the Emcee-- a part that earned Joel Gray an Academy Award for his

performance in the 1972 film starring Liza Minnelli.

Showtimes will be at 8 p.m. Aug. 8 through Aug. 11, 2 and 8 p.m. Aug. 12,

and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Aug. 13. The 2 p.m. Aug. 12 performance will be

sign-language interpreted.

The Center is at 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Tickets are $28.50 to

$62.50 and are available through TicketMaster at (714) 740-7878.

Information: (714) 556-2787.