Courtney Symes

Great Scott! Our 1985 memories have zoomed into town on the back of the much-anticipated tour of Back to the Future: The Musical. Based on the hit motion picture, the bones are the same: small-town dreamer Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time by his eccentric scientist friend Doc Brown, where one wrong move could erase his future forever. The National Tour brings the nostalgia, packed with energy and jaw-dropping spectacle, to Broadway Sacramento for a limited time.

Edgar Allan Poe continues to captivate readers, close to two centuries after his death. His imagination spawned Gothic horror and helped shape the modern psychological thriller through his exploration of madness, guilt, and the dark recesses of the human mind.

Old Hollywood continues to captivate us, and few shows evoke the magic like Sunset Blvd. It transports audiences back to a forgotten time filled with silent films, sweeping glamour, and gilded opulence. In Women’s Theatre Collective’s (WTC) latest production, co-directors Alison Gilbreath and Jenny Connors capture the desperation of faded stardom, creating the desired atmosphere of melancholy and obsessive ambition.

Forty years celebrating the iconic B St. Theatre continues with Franklinland, an engaging exploration of power, legacy, and the bonds between father and son. Lloyd Suh’s play about the complexities of Benjamin Franklin has an emotional core that centers on the volatile relationship between the founding father and his son, William. Director Sean Patrick Nill approaches the show with a balance of comedy and sincerity, wasting no time establishing the imbalance between icon and son.

Lincoln Theatre Company continues its successful season with a staple: Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs. This production is an impressive reminder of how powerful local theatre can be when every piece comes together, and this company always delivers. Director Yolla Ryder has ensured that this show feels polished, thoughtful, and emotionally grounded.

A Midsummer Night's Dream, one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies, is gracing the Falcon’s Eye Theatre stage at Wakamatsu Farm for one weekend only. This year, Folsom Lake College’s Shakespeare offering explores the staying power of true love and the measures that we will take to get it. Director Jamie Van Camp brings his expertise to Athens (Georgia?), where he balances comedy, romance, and a bit of magic with some Southern flair.

Big Idea Theatre continues its exciting 2026 season with a classic -- Henrik Ibsen’s 1891 work, Hedda Gabler. The show remains an unsettling study of human psychology, and director Sasha Kostyrko offers a look into what happens when naivete meets cunning, and societal expectations don’t go as anticipated.

Audiences can never get enough of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, as evidenced by its continuing popularity since its 1957 premiere. It’s always a feel-good choice, and Dixon Community Theater leans fully into the show’s warmth, humor, and heartfelt message of kindness. From the opening moments, Lydia Smith directs Cinderella with magic that respects the classic while imbuing new life onto the stage with whimsy, laughter, and refreshing sincerity.

The Gospel of Matthew is alive and well on stage at Folsom Lake College, as Falcon’s Eye Theatre presents Godspell. In 1971, composer Stephen Schwartz (Wicked) and writer John-Michael Tebelak introduced their show that reimagines the Gospel through a series of parables, songs, and storytelling. This production places the story in a world framed by looming office buildings—a choice that asks what faith, kindness, and community look like in the contemporary world.

It’s time to “Jam” at Broadway Sacramento, with the four-time Tony Award winning MJ the Musical. With a book by Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage and choreography by Christopher Wheeldon, this National tour is a high-energy visual spectacle that checks all the boxes for pure, unadulterated entertainment.

In its latest celebration of women, Women’s Theatre Collective (WTC) is staging Brian Friel’s hauntingly beautiful memory play, Dancing at Lughnasa. Set in Ballybeg, Ireland, in 1936, it follows a summer in the lives of the five Mundy sisters as told by the narrator, Michael.

True to its dedication to introducing quality, thought-provoking theatre, Capital Stage is now boasting the Pulitzer-Prize winning James Ijames play, Fat Ham. Under Anthony D’Juan’s direction, the characters seem like a family: messy, familiar, and with all the complications shared history brings. Beautiful chemistry abounds, even when the content is difficult.

When Jack Gallagher introduced us to Letters to Declan over thirty years ago, Sacramento fell in love with his honest storytelling and flawless delivery. Now, he gives his adopted city the gift of a farewell, although not in the form one might expect. It’s An Irish Goodbye, a quiet exit without fanfare or prolonged gestures, and a fitting collaboration with his son, Declan, to end his time here. Director Jerry Montoya helps craft this goodbye into a balance of conversational, reflective, and comedic pacing that keeps the audience riveted.

One of the most infamous figures in history, Judas Iscariot, leads a cast of icons in Broadway at Music Circus’ staging of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Jesus Christ Superstar. Kyle Taylor Parker returns to the round as Judas and, under Glenn Casale’s direction, looks forward to entertaining Sacramento beginning March 13th. Parker was last seen at Music Circus in 2024’s Jersey Boys as Hal Miller, and we are so glad he’s back. BroadwayWorld spoke to him about his prolific career, getting into character to play a villain, and what makes this re-imagining of the classic so special.

My first experience at Lincoln Theatre Company last weekend left me with one question: why did it take me so long? Under new Executive Director Cary Litchford, the arts in Lincoln are continuing to thrive. From first-class hospitality to top-tier performances, this community treasure is something worth making a trip for. Their current offering, Don’t Dress for Dinner, is an adaptation from the French play Pyjama Pour Six by Marc Camoletti. The script feeds on energy, timing, and some serious comic chops, which this cast delivers.

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! You’ve done it, Sacramento! You’ve summoned the ghost with the most, and you’re going to love every minute of his antics. We first fell in love with him in Tim Burton’s 1988 film, Beetlejuice, starring Michael Keaton as the titular character. Continuing the legend, Eddie Perfect’s music and lyrics set to the 2019 stage production make Beetlejuice The Musical. The Musical. The Musical. one of the few movie to musical adaptations to die for.

When depression, art deco, and satirical mischief align, the delight that is The Drowsy Chaperone is born. Rise Up Theatre Company is staging its own vision of this 2006 hit, replete with inspiration drawn from famous dolls and puppets (think Malibu Barbie). Director Peter DeMarzio puts a creative spin on this production, calling it a reminder that “the things we love can support us during difficult times.”

Have you ever felt alone in a crowded room? You’re surrounded by people, yet you’re truly by yourself. That’s how Bella Baird, a creative writing teacher at Yale, lives her life. She has hundreds of students, but no friends, no family, no one she can count on. Michael Stevenson directs a compelling take on Adam Rapp’s The Sound Inside, a haunting look at connection, intimacy, and restraint that stretches the audience’s imagination and trusts us to embrace unsettling ambiguity.

As Harold Zidler says, “Welcome, you gorgeous collection of bohemians and aristocrats, boulevardiers and mademoiselles, welcome to the Moulin Rouge!” What a welcome it is. The ten-time Tony Award winner makes its Sacramento debut at Broadway Sacramento in an explosive and sexy celebration of “truth, beauty, freedom, and love.”

The B St. Theatre is kicking off its 40th anniversary season with an ambitious piece, and if you’ve never seen a show there, you should make this current production your first. You’ll become their number one fan, just like Annie Wilkes in this adaptation of Stephen King’s 1987 novel, Misery. William Goldman, who adapted both the film and stage versions, appreciated the story’s psychological battle, which is brought to life with suspense and unexpected humor under John Lamb’s direction.