Courtney Symes - Page 3

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?

A grown-up’s fairy tale infused with magical realism is the Big Idea Theatre’s newest staging. The River Bride by Marisela Treviño Orta is like Disney meets the Brothers Grimm with a dark twist. Director Julian Rey Ortega tackles this story about love, sacrifice, and consequences.

A recent Broadway revival has given a fresh new look to a story that’s worth telling. Parade first opened on Broadway in 1998 to positive reviews, but ran for only a few months despite winning Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. Its 2023 revival lasted a bit longer, playing for a limited run and earning two more Tony Awards and preceding a successful national tour. Parade has now made its stop at Broadway Sacramento and is charming audiences with its powerful score by Jason Robert Brown and heartfelt book by Alfred Uhry.

The B Street Theatre and Jerry Montoya have done it again. Another masterful blend of emotion and humor hits the stage with Montoya’s original story based on true events. Nosotros La Gente (We the People) is just as enthralling as Montoya’s previous works, which is no small feat. My first introduction to his writing was Love and Baseball, which was made into a film in 2021. This secured my admiration of Montoya’s talents and now invites eager anticipation for his new projects.

Women’s Theatre Collective is dedicated to bringing the voices of women to the community through partnerships and sincere storytelling. Its latest offering is focused on women’s fight for equality, this time through the lens of some of the first female veterans. In The Hello Girls, written by Peter Mills and Cara Reichel, WTC brings to life the story of the brave women telephone operators who served the United States on the front lines during World War I.

Perfection, thy name is Joseph. And Narrator. And Pharoah. And Jacob. And Potiphar. And director Glenn Casale’s explosive production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Broadway at Music Circus. This musical marvel is an early collaboration of super-duo Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, who would go on to create such hits as Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita. The original Broadway show opened in 1982 and was nominated for seven Tony Awards, including Best Original Score. It was last seen at Broadway at Music Circus in 2010, so Sacramento is more than ready for this spectacular sung-through musical once again.

One of America’s most interesting characters, Amelia Earhart, still captivates the world eighty-eight years after her disappearance. As a pioneer in aviation, she was not only the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic, she was also a successful author and proponent of commercial air travel. In FreeFall Stage’s staging of Amelia Earhart, written by Kathryn Schultz Miller, we see Earhart as more than just a public figure – we see her as a human.

Capital Stage, now in its 20th season, is synonymous with quality, thought-provoking theatre that highlights contemporary themes. Its world premiere of Ted Malawer’s Everything Beautiful Happens at Night surpasses even those expectations. Malawer, who is an award-winning author, playwright, and screenwriter, decided to write about a pivotal time in history, exploring themes of acceptance, self-awareness, and bravery.

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.