Courtney Symes - Page 2

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.

The beginning of August means the start of spooky season, and what better way to celebrate than with the most famous undead of all? Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen’s campy delight, Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, is playing now at the B St. Theatre. You need to hurry to get tickets to this Monty Python-esque nod to Bram Stoker’s classic Dracula, because the word is getting out -- this cast is bitingly good.

The Tony Award-winning Best Musical of 2008 is back at Broadway at Music Circus in an explosive celebration of family and community. In the Heights, which cemented creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s place on Broadway long before Hamilton, shows the magic that happens when cultures collide. Director Marcos Santana brings passion and energy back to the round in this electrifying production that you’ll want to see again and again.

Capital Stage is ending their 20th Anniversary season with nothing but net! Rajiv Joseph’s stellar take on friendship and fandom, King James, continues its run through this weekend. Michael Stevenson directs this Sacramento premiere, deftly guiding the dynamic duo of Ian C. Hopps and Tarig Elsiddig through the delicate hoops of brotherly love.

Summer theatre in Sacramento is something I look forward to with unbridled anticipated every year. Outdoor dining at a locally owned restaurant followed by a fabulous show downtown is one of my favorite ways to spend a summer evening. Luckily, we have no shortage of shows to choose from, and I’m going to share some of my favorite picks of the coming months.

Life can be bright in America! Well, according to Stephen Sondheim, who wrote the lyrics to accompany Leonard Bernstein’s soaring score in the classic favorite, West Side Story. He’s right, because Broadway at Music Circus has been putting out dazzling showstoppers this summer, and director Linda Goodrich’s take on Arthur Laurent’s timeless piece is luminous.

Neely Hebert, the talented young lady featured in last year’s Student Spotlight, has returned to Sacramento for the summer to produce and direct another passion project. She’s at the helm of a driven group of students: all exceptional, all energetic, and all brimming with joy to be a part of this campy show.  The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, written by Nick and Matt Lang with music and lyrics by Jeff Blim, isn’t thought-provoking or deep. It is, however, a great way to lose yourself for a couple of hours to pure zaniness.

The B St. Theatre has kicked off summer with a bang with electrifying performances of the co-winning play of their 2024 New Comedies Festival. Advice by Brent Askari is part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere, with other productions being staged at theatres in Florida. B St. legend Jerry Montoya is back to direct this comedic delight after the successful staging of his original work, Nosotros La Gente, in the spring.

Goodness gracious, great balls of fire! Broadway at Music Circus is starting off the summer hot! Director and choreographer Greg Santos is gifting Sacramento with a swinging, sizzling, and sensational production of Floyd Mutrux’s Million Dollar Quartet.

The B St. Theatre is doling out double the fun this month with two of Jerry Montoya’s phenomenal works. Now on the Family Series stage is The First Adventures of the Hardy Boys, an adaptation directed by Elisabeth Nunziato.  

Capital Stage continues its 20th Anniversary season with a stark look at the price paid by those who are on the frontlines of the atrocities happening in the world. Unseen, by Mona Mansour, explores what happens to the human psyche when we don’t have the luxury of turning a blind eye to violence and suffering. What happens when we turn into the ones who are unseen?