Courtney Symes

The Sacramento Contemporary Dance Theatre (SCDT) is again taking their talent to the international stage under the artistic direction of Jacob Gutierrez-Montoya. Their adaptation of the Arthur Miller classic The Crucible, titled Crucible, premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland last summer. SCDT will be reprising that experience later this year after a successful showing in February at The Sofia.

Kick off your Sunday shoes and don’t miss the upbeat, energetic, 80s pop phenomenon that is Footloose at Broadway at Music Circus. The musical is based on the 1984 movie of the same name that got a generation of teens on their feet and dancing. After some changes were made to make it more suitable for the stage, it opened on Broadway in 1998 and garnered four Tony Award nominations, including Best Original Score and Best Choreography. This is the first show in the 2025 Music Circus season, marking a huge change as it goes from its traditional summer run to year-round offerings.

Titus Andronicus, which is believed to be Shakespeare’s first tragedy, is arguably his most disturbing. It’s a laundry list of trigger warnings: rape, murder, dismemberment, hostage negotiations, and cannibalism, to name a few. It’s also deliciously deranged and a horror fan’s delight in Big Idea Theatre’s newest production.

Mix some classic British humor with physical comedy and unflappable actors, and you’ve got a recipe for a night of laughs. The B St. Theatre’s version of Robert and David Goodale’s Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense is just that: perfectly nonsensical fun. This 2014 Olivier Award-winner is based on the novel by P.G. Wodehouse, The Code of the Woosters.

Explosively energetic, just like the woman herself, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical is a celebration of life, determination, and indomitable human spirit. Its 2019 Broadway premiere garnered twelve Tony Award nominations, including a win for Best Leading Actress. Now on its second National Tour, it’s come to Broadway Sacramento for a limited time.

Davis Musical Theatre Company (DMTC), a beloved institution in the city, continues their season with a hilarious favorite, Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein. After the success of The Producers, Brooks decided to adapt another of his films to the stage. Young Frankenstein, which premiered on Broadway in 2007, continues the monstrous saga of Mary Shelley’s famous tale after Victor Frankenstein dies and leaves his estate to his grandson, Frederick. Frederick must leave his home and fiancée to go to Transylvania, where he meets a loyal hunchback, Igor, and buxom lab assistant, Inga. Igor convinces Frederick to pick up where his grandfather left off, and what ensues is madcap hilarity as the Monster is unleashed.

It’s so fetch! The national tour of Mean Girls has stopped at Broadway Sacramento, bringing with it a whirlwind of artsy teen angst and bright pink attitude. It is based on the 2004 hit film by the same name and premiered on Broadway in 2018. It was nominated for twelve Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Its book by Tina Fey, music by Jeff Richmond, and lyrics by Nell Benjamin instantly captured the hearts of teen girls across the country, solidifying its status in pop culture.

After decades in the business of children’s entertainment, the B St. Theatre continues to be at the forefront of thought-provoking, educational, and inspiring theatre for young minds. The first show of the year in their Family Series has already been seen by hundreds of students, and is being offered to the public for one more weekend. Marie Curie and the Sisterhood of Science, written by B St. Company Member Tara Sissom-Pittaro, is a fascinating look into one of the most important historical figures in science.

A new year means fresh new shows, and Capital Stage is starting off strong with Pulitzer Prize-winning play English by Sanaz Toossi. Toossi, a first generation Iranian-American, focuses on stories of immigrants and the complexities of women’s experiences within that framework.

A hidden gem in the heart of agricultural land, Winters Theatre Company is easy to miss. It is housed in the historic Winters Opera House, sandwiched between the highly recommended Putah Creek Café and a lovely tasting room. It retains a charming aura of the past while highlighting shows with very contemporary issues, such as its current offering, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley.

Sometimes you’re lucky enough to see something and know that it’s special. I had that experience last summer when I saw, Oh, Mary! on Broadway. I had it again last weekend when I attended the second week of Diamond Stage Company’s inaugural production of I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers. In this arresting piece, Janis Stevens directs Natasha Hause in John Logan’s one-woman show about Hollywood superagent, Sue Mengers.

Fans of the Queen of Crime are in for a treat. Murder on the Nile, Agatha Christie’s play based on her novel Death on the Nile, is playing at the Ooley Theatre. Director Tana Colburn is heading this community theatre adaptation of the suspenseful classic that features accomplished local actors.

The B St. Theatre’s reputation for producing excellent theatre continues in the new year with The White Chip. Sean Daniels’s autobiographical piece about art and alcoholism is sharp, funny, and some of the best writing I’ve seen. It’s an unflinchingly raw look at the horrifying devastation wrought by addiction to those struggling with it and the effect on people in their radius.

Broadway Sacramento is kicking off the new year with a bang with the much-anticipated, multi-Tony Award-winning phenomenon, Kimberly Akimbo. David Lindsay-Abaire’s book and lyrics, based on his 2001 play, are accompanied by Jeanine Tesori’s beautiful score in this hilariously dazzling take on love and loss.

Jane Austen and Christmas go hand-in-hand, like ornaments and trees or Santa and Rudolph. Luckily for us, Capital Stage has brought back one of my favorite Austen-inspired works, Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley. It is the third in a trilogy of plays by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon that focus on the Bennet sisters in the years following Pride and Prejudice.

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie…and for good reason. The Valkyrie Theatre Company is putting on this inspirational show based on real-life British drag queen, Jamie Campbell. Its feel-good, energetic score by Dan Gillespie Sells and book by Tom MacRae tell the coming-of-age story of Jamie New, whose message to be true to oneself is one we all need to hear.   

It’s a winter wonderland this weekend at Palisades Tahoe! Tahoe Live is back for the third year and boasts an impressive lineup of artists. Founder Dustin Esson brings his unique brand of festival to Lake Tahoe after acting as managing director of Park City Live and starting a similar festival in Salt Lake City.

It’s a miracle on H Street! Finally, the magic of Broadway at Music Circus can be experienced outside of the summer months. In its first show since expanding its season to go almost year-round, the Music Circus team is offering a dazzling display of holiday splendor with a family favorite, Elf.

Another week, another version of A Christmas Carol! Is this one ever tons of fun, though. A Christmas Carol: the Rock & Roll Panto, written by Christine Nicholson and Luther Hanson, plays at City Theatre at Sacramento City College in the Art Court Theatre. It features silly antics, a ghost in drag, and rocking music that brings you back to the greatest musical era – the 80s.

The B St. Theatre is solidifying its reputation of excellent holiday entertainment with its newest Family Series offering, ‘Tis the Season: Folktales & Fables. Like previous years, this show consists of vignettes, written by multiple playwrights, that feature different traditions throughout the world along with cute stories imparting various moral lessons. While the style of the show remains the same, these scenes are fresh and just as fun.