Courtney Symes

Broadway Sacramento is starting off the new year with a legend. The Lion King, winner of six Tony Awards, is back in town after seventeen years. The familiar score by Elton John and Tim Rice has been a favorite since the animated version debuted in 1994. Songs like “Hakuna Matata,” “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” and “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” have helped to catapult The Lion King to the status of highest-grossing Broadway production of all time. This was my first time experiencing the magic, and you shouldn’t wait as many years as I have.

“God bless us, every one!” Commit those words to memory, for you might be called upon to perform an impromptu Tiny Tim at Sam Kebede’s fantastic adaptation of A Christmas Carol, which is now playing at the B St. Theatre. Sean Patrick Nill directs this lighthearted look at the classic tale that’s carrying us through the holidays.

At a time when many are feeling a fractured sense of community, Capital Stage has brought Lauren Gunderson’s story about human connection to the stage. Under Imani Mitchell’s direction, I AND YOU becomes an anthem for friendship, trust, and embracing vulnerability.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go…especially Broadway at Music Circus. Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, the Musical is here to warm up the holiday season through December 14th. It’s a piece with a book by David Ives and Paul Blake, and music by the prolific Irving Berlin that’s based on the 1954 movie, “White Christmas,” starring Bing Crosby. Linda Goodrich directs this festive take in the round, replete with recognizable Berlin hits like the titular number, “Sisters,” and “Blue Skies.”

Fans of the Scottish play will be excited to learn that there is a new adaptation at Big Idea Theatre this month. It’s reimagined in the Silicon Valley, with MacBeth as a scheming tech bro who will do anything to rise to the top. Kevin Adamski directs this ambitious take, proving that the Bard is relevant through time, space, and the interwebs.

The B St. Theatre continues to bring joy to thousands of children (and adults) this holiday season with its newest production of ‘Tis the Season. This year, the stories revolve around local traditions that many Sacramentans will recognize. Stephanie Altholz directs ‘Tis the Season: Hometown Holidays, Traditions of Sacramento and Northern California, a series of vignettes written by a talented mix of playwrights. Anthony D’Juan, Jerry Montoya, Sean Patrick Nill, Briandaniel Oglesby, and Tara Sissom-Pittaro have created a unique treat for our community that highlights how special this area is.

Our Class of 2026 Student Spotlight shines on an engaging and exceptionally talented young man. You might remember him as Chip from Music Circus’ most recent production of Beauty and the Beast. Cooper Miller is a senior at Christian Brothers High School and has just finished his theatre career there on a high note as Seymour Krelborn in their fall musical, Little Shop of Horrors. With his commanding performances and effervescent presence, Cooper is due to join the ranks of other Sacramentans who have forged their path to the Great White Way. BroadwayWorld spoke to him about his goals and future as he plants roots beyond Sacramento.

The B St. Theatre’s annual New Comedies Festival routinely produces fresh, creative, clever, and wonderfully hilarious works. The winner of the 2024 Festival is now playing to sold-out audiences and rabid fans after its much-anticipated opening last weekend. Playwright Tate Hanyok’s Dog Mom, in its National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere, is the treat we all need.

Tackling controversial subjects is nothing new to theatre, and Capital Stage does it with grace in this timely and thought-provoking piece by Jonathan Spector. The Tony Award-winning Eureka Day was commissioned for Aurora Theatre Company in Berkeley in 2018, and it has not stopped delighting audiences since.

Never fear, theatregoers! The B St. Theatre’s newest Family Series offering is now on stage. Never Fear, Shakespeare!, written by Sean Patrick Nill and Elyse Sharp, introduces kids and grown-ups to the Bard in a fun and engaging way. There are guaranteed laughs, gasps, and even some learning in this wonderfully entertaining world premiere.

Sacramento’s very own serial killer, Dorothea Puente, is back to tell her story. Almost thirty-seven years after the first body was dug up on her property, the F St. boarding house killer has shown up at Big Idea Theatre with her view of the events that unfolded, and audiences can’t get enough. In Dorothea Puente Tells All!, Mark Loewenstern imagines what Dorothea might have said about the crimes that shocked Sacramento.

Spooky season is the perfect time to delve into the life of the mother of science fiction, Mary Shelley. Her most famous work, Frankenstein, has captivated the public for over two centuries.

Sun Tzu’s fifth-century military treatise, “The Art of War,” is powerful enough in its original form. Add humor, middle-aged couples, and fish, and you’ve got a clear winner. The world premiere stage adaptation of The Art of War by Dave Pierini is chock-full of scheming and surprises, making it one of the best B St. Theatre offerings of the season.

The national tour of &Juliet is celebrating the beginning of its second year on the road at Broadway Sacramento, and it’s a party that’s unmatched. In 2023, it was nominated for nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It continues to be a fan favorite, and rightfully so. A fresh adaptation of one of the Bard’s most famous works set to a soundtrack of Max Martin’s 90’s and 2000’s pop hits? Yes, please.

Men on Boats, a 2017 play by Jaclyn Backhaus, is an exciting and refreshing way to end the summer. Big Idea Theatre has made it from the Amazon River, in their previous production of The River Bride, to the Green and Colorado Rivers. This time, director Jennifer Adler leads a group of men (women) on a quest to chart unknown territory.

Broadway Sacramento’s new season is sizzling with the arrival of the first national tour of Some Like it Hot. Based on the classic 1959 film of the same name, its reimagination on Broadway in 2022 garnered four Tony Award wins out of thirteen nominations. Now, it’s bringing the Golden Age to Sacramento for an unforgettable experience of glitz and glamour.

Capital Stage’s twenty-first season has begun with a mesmerizing work from playwright Stefano Massini. The Lehman Trilogy is the 2022 Tony Award winner for Best Play, capturing the public’s admiration with its unique structure and storytelling style. Director Michael Stevenson tackles this ambitious piece with only three actors performing a myriad of characters.

A revolutionary rock musical directed by the legendary Glenn Casale is just what we needed to cap off the summer at Broadway at Music Circus. Hair, a 1960s celebration written by Gerome Ragni and James Rado and music by Galt MacDermot, returns to the round after ten years in a life-affirming spectacle of free-spirited energy.