Sacramento Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 8

BWW Review: ON THE 20TH CENTURY Rolls Into the Davis Shakespeare Festival
by Courtney Symes - July 09, 2018

Like its locomotive namesake, On the 20th Century reaches out to transport you to a different destination. Although, instead of Chicago or New York, you'll be going to a place of laughter, awe and all-consuming fun. This operetta opened on Broadway in 1978, winning 5 Tony Awards, and was revived in ...

BWW Review: Davis Shakespeare Festival Kicks Off the 2018 Season with MARY STUART
by Courtney Symes - July 01, 2018

The Davis Shakespeare Festival opens up their 2018 season with Peter Oswald's modern adaptation of Friedrich Schiller's Mary Stuart. Set in England in 1586, it explores the relationship between Mary, Queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth I of England. This battle of the Queens sets the stage for an int...

BWW Review: SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS Dazzles at Broadway At Music Circus
by Courtney Symes - June 27, 2018

Sometimes it's risky to bring older musicals back to life-the language, attitudes, and music can be dated and dull to today's audiences; however, the old seems new again with Broadway at Music Circus' take on the classic musical, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. This fresh staging secures Broadway a...

BWW Review: Transcendence Theatre's 'Broadway Under the Stars' Triumphantly Climbs the 'Stairway to Paradise'
by Christina Mancuso - June 21, 2018

'Every Moment Counts' as Director/Choreographer Tony Gonzalez reminds us to embrace the sights and sounds and soak up every second of life as we climb the 'Stairway to Paradise' -- the theme of this year's 'Broadway Under the Stars' by the incomparable Transcendence Theatre Company....

BWW Review: SINGIN' IN THE RAIN Brings that Glorious Feeling to Broadway At Music Circus
by Courtney Symes - June 13, 2018

Oh, I am happy again after absorbing the season debut at the newly renamed Broadway at Music Circus! Singin' in the Rain is based off of the 1952 movie starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds that is often regarded as the best movie musical ever made. The stage version opened on Broadway in 1985 and...

BWW Review: BALTIMORE Explores Racial Tension at Intrepid Theatre Lab
by Courtney Symes - June 11, 2018

In its signature way, Intrepid Theatre Lab has again brought the new and bold to Sacramento. This time they have done it with Baltimore, a work by Boston playwright Kirsten Greenidge. Titled such after the poem, 'Incident', by Countee Cullen, it was commissioned in 2014 by the Big Ten Theatre Consor...

BWW Review: The First National Tour of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS Comes to California Musical Theatre
by Courtney Symes - May 20, 2018

An American in Paris is a gorgeous fusion of dance and classic musical theatre that is based on the 1951 film of the same name. Originally starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron, the film won 6 Academy Awards and introduced Gershwin staples such as "I Got Rhythm" and "'S Wonderful." The Broadway versi...

BWW Review: Don Quixote Rides Into Sacramento Theatre Company with MAN OF LA MANCHA
by Courtney Symes - April 23, 2018

An endearing message of hope and positivity is what makes Man of La Mancha a timeless classic. It has stayed relevant from its opening on Broadway in 1965 (when it won 5 Tony Awards), through four Broadway revivals, and up to the present day. Now Sacramento is fortunate to have the opportunity to ex...

BWW Review: FINDING NEVERLAND Flies into California Musical Theatre
by Courtney Symes - April 11, 2018

Fans of Peter Pan will be thrilled to know that Finding Neverland, the Drama Desk Award-nominated Broadway musical, has arrived in Sacramento! Based upon the play, The Man Who Was Peter Pan, and the Academy Award-winning movie, Finding Neverland, the story follows the perennial young-at-heart J.M. B...

BWW Review: Sacramento says Hello! to THE BOOK OF MORMON at California Musical Theatre
by Courtney Symes - March 09, 2018

Bawdy, blasphemous, brilliant and blithe! The Book of Mormon has returned after a two year absence and Sacramento is ready! The winner of 9 Tony Awards, The Book of Mormon is a hilarious depiction of the Mormon religion by the creators of South Park (Trey Parker and Matt Stone) and Avenue Q (Robert ...

BWW Review: MACBETH Solicits the Supernatural at Sacramento Theatre Company
by Courtney Symes - February 26, 2018

Director Casey McClellan, fresh off of a Broadway World Best Director win for The Diary of Anne Frank, brings the Scottish play to Sacramento Theatre Company with a creative spin on the dark and supernatural elements of the show. For those who are not familiar with MacBeth, it is arguably one of Sha...

BWW Review: Oh, What a Night! JERSEY BOYS Returns to California Musical Theatre
by Courtney Symes - January 31, 2018

Fresh off of the 12th longest run in Broadway history, Jersey Boys returns to Sacramento after a four year absence.  Jersey Boys is the Tony, Grammy, and Olivier Award winning biographical account of the rise and fall of the musical powerhouse, The Four Seasons.  Baby boomers arrived en masse to the...

BWW Review: Sacramento Had it Coming! THE MUSICAL OF MUSICALS-THE MUSICAL Returns to Sacramento Theatre Company
by Courtney Symes - January 08, 2018

Musical theatre lovers, rejoice! The Musical of Musicals-the Musical! has returned to Sacramento and promises an evening of melodrama, satire, and comedy. Composed by the co-creator of last season's The Donner Party, Eric Rockwell, with lyrics by Joanne Bogart, the show parodies some of Broadway's g...

BWW Review: There's Something Rotten in Sacramento!
by Courtney Symes - January 03, 2018

In 1848, a Lutheran scholar named Samuel Mosheim Schmucker first raised the question as to how an uneducated and untraveled man such as William Shakespeare could have penned 37 plays and 154 sonnets that dealt with subjects that he should have no knowledge of. Since then many people have cast their ...

BWW Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL Returns to Sacramento Theatre Company
by Courtney Symes - December 05, 2017

During the holiday season, many people flock to church to find solace, seek forgiveness, practice introspection, and soak up lessons on how to live their lives. Something about this time of year encourages all of us to examine how we have conducted ourselves the previous 11 months. Theatre has been ...

BWW Review: THE BOXED UP BINGE Delivered Laughs at Capital Stage
by Courtney Symes - November 08, 2017

There is a new standard for musical theatre in town, and it has been set by composer David Taylor-Gomes. His original work was showcased in a one-night-only concert entitled, The Boxed Up Binge , featuring songs and snippets from his larger project, Boxed Up the Musical....

BWW Review: KINGS OF AMERICA Premieres at Sacramento Theatre Company
by Courtney Symes - November 06, 2017

Sacramento Theatre Company is a regional treasure, unique in the fact that they support and develop local talent. Each season they produce an original work by an area artist. Their 2017-18 season theme of Fate, Fantasy and Forgiveness currently features a play by Sacramento native Ryan Patrick Nill ...

BWW Review: BEAUTIFUL-THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL is Some Kind of Wonderful at California Musical Theatre
by Courtney Symes - November 03, 2017

Beautiful-The Carole King Musical is more than a jukebox musical. It's a very personal glimpse into the life of a woman who shaped American music. It's a story of sanguinity, heartbreak, and redemption. Carole King's tale is touching and empowering and will resonate with anyone who has ever had thei...

BWW Review: THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK Brings a Lesson of Hope to Sacramento Theatre Company
by Courtney Symes - October 01, 2017

Director Casey McClellan again brings a World War II era piece to the Sacramento Theatre Company and makes it relevant to what we are experiencing today. Like last season's The Glass Menagerie, The Diary of Anne Frank deals with the human emotions brought on by betrayal, loss, and, ultimately, hope....

BWW Review: Hallelujah! SISTER ACT comes to California Music Circus
by Courtney Symes - August 23, 2017

Dancing, singing, bad-guy-catching nuns? You can't go wrong with that combination! Based on the 1992 movie starring Whoopi Goldberg, Sister Act the musical is a feel-good, rousing testament to the power of sisterhood set in 70's funk, soul and disco....

BWW Review: Another Openin' Weekend at Transcendence Theatre, Wine Country Paradise, Sonoma Valley Inn and More!
by Christina Mancuso - June 26, 2017

With more than 900 wineries combined, Napa Valley and Sonoma County are truly a wine lover's paradise.  But more than wine, these regions offer the best of Northern California, including miles of Pacific coastline, towering redwoods, breathtaking views, luxury resorts and spas, world class restauran...

BWW Review: Intrepid Theatre Lab Debuts in Sacramento with COCK
by Courtney Symes - May 01, 2017

Intrepid Theatre Lab, comprised of artistic director Casey McClellan and producer Greg Foro, made its Sacramento debut with Cock, a play by Mike Bartlett. Double entendres aside, this is a play that is not actually about cock (ok, maybe a little), but rather about being labeled and put into a box. I...

BWW Review: THE DONNER PARTY, A NEW AMERICAN MUSICAL, Premieres at Sacramento Theatre Company
by Courtney Symes - April 23, 2017

Growing up in Northern California, it is impossible not to hear about the Donner Party, the group of 87 pioneers who tried to cross the Sierra Nevada mountains in the winter of 1846. Unfortunately, the name has become synonymous with cannibalism. After being trapped in an early winter storm at Truck...

BWW Review: Sacramento Will Always Love THE BODYGUARD
by Courtney Symes - April 19, 2017

How does a musical do justice to the late Whitney Houston? By casting Grammy Award-nominated Deborah Cox in the role originated by Houston. The Bodyguard the Musical is based off of the 1992 film, which starred Houston and Kevin Costner. It ran in London's West End from December 2012-August 201...

BWW Review: THE GLASS MENAGERIE Draws Audiences in at Sacramento Theatre Company
by Courtney Symes - March 27, 2017

Tennessee Williams' memory play, The Glass Menagerie, was a timely choice for Sacramento Theatre Company to revive this season. In today's political climate fraught with worry, the average American can relate to Tom Wingfield, who is living in a country on the precipice of war and trying to provide...