Courtney Symes - Page 8

Going into this election season is a perfect time to reflect upon what our country means to us. What are our values and how have we changed over the past four years? Our democracy has been, in the past, a utopian ideal that was modeled by others. More recently, it seems that we are the ones catching up as countries adopt new constitutions or reform old ones. Can we agree on the changes needed to update a centuries-old document? That’s the idea at the crux of Heidi Schreck’s Tony-nominated play, What the Constitution Means to Me, which is playing now at the B St. Theatre.

I’ve just found the new definition of fun, and it’s Mrs. Doubtfire. Broadway Sacramento continues its season of excellence with director Jerry Zaks’s comedy based on the 1993 film that starred Robin Williams. It had a limited run on Broadway immediately before and following the pandemic, but enjoyed renewed success in London in 2023. Its score by Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick (Something Rotten) was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award in 2022. This show is just what we didn’t know we needed – lighthearted hilarity with a touch of nostalgia and feeling. It’s a recipe even Mrs. Doubtfire can’t mess up.

The B St. Theatre is celebrating twenty years of bringing its Family Series magic to the community. Local children have been enjoying B St. programming for even longer, as it was started in 1986 as a touring theatre to bring live performances to area schools. The next show in the Series begins this weekend and showcases the stories of some very special youngsters. Tiny Trailblazers: Kids Who Changed the World shows how some of the smallest humans can make the biggest impact. BroadwayWorld spoke to Lyndsay Burch, B St. Theatre’s Executive Director and CEO, about this very special anniversary and their impressive lineup of upcoming shows.

Broadway Sacramento’s 2024 season is here and is opening up with Stephen Sondheim’s 1970 hit, Company. Following several Tony Award wins for its 2021 Broadway revival, Company is stopping in Sacramento this week as it closes its national tour. The book by George Furth has undergone some changes, while Sondheim’s signature sound continues to thrill audiences nationwide with recognizable songs such as “Being Alive.”

What can I say? Big Idea Theatre has some of the best picks in town. Constantly evolving and pushing through what feels comfortable and even sane, they’ve upped the ante with their latest offering. The Beauty Queen of Leenane is a deliciously dark and suspenseful tale by Martin McDonagh.

Capital Stage is embarking on an exciting 20th anniversary season. Kicking it off is Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Fairview. It’s a timely discussion about race, society, and expectations that leaves one asking questions long after the last bo

Pickleball is the fastest growing game in the country, and you can experience it now, out of the heat and inside the B St. Theatre, with the aptly titled Pickleball. Jeff Daniels’s play is an amusing farce about the dangers of middle-aged competition and a reminder to not take life too seriously – just pickleball.

Oh, what a night at Broadway at Music Circus! Their final show of the season is the Tony Award-winning Jersey Boys, The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, which tells the rags to riches story of the original New Jersey boy band, The Four Seasons. Director Glenn Casale has helmed another must-see show this summer, and it’s fitting to close this exciting season with such an iconic title.

The countdown is on, Sacramento! Less than a week remains until Grammy Award-winning duo Twenty One Pilots electrifies the Golden 1 Center with their unique sound and unparalleled energy. On August 25th, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun arrive on The Clancy World Tour to perform songs from their seventh full-length album, Clancy.

Waitress, the Tony-nominated musical with an all-female creative team, is heating up the round at Broadway at Music Circus. It boasts an incredible score by Grammy winner Sara Bareilles and a book by screenwriter Jessie Nelson. It was adapted from the independent film of the same name by screenwriter Adrienne Shelly who, tragically, was killed only a few days before the film was accepted by the Sundance Film Festival. Its themes of redemption, love, perseverance, and courage are universally appealing. Like its unique pies, Waitress is a blend of sugar, spice, hilarity, and feel-good feminine power.

Help Me is inspired by real-life scenarios shared on Tumblr and the #MeToo movement. Director Emma Eldridge of Freefall Stage has crafted this latest production as a labor of love sparked by righteous anger at the inequalities and danger women face every day.

There are few issues as polarizing as that of women’s reproductive rights in the United States. In the wake of the June 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, several states have enacted laws making abortion illegal, while many others have bans in place or are currently considering them. This is the crux at the heart of Arlene Hutton’s mesmerizing new play, Blood of the Lamb. It’s been performed to rave reviews in Scotland, Australia, and Alaska, and will be at the B St. Theatre for a limited engagement before opening Off-Broadway this fall.

Patsy Cline made it past the cursed musicians’ age of twenty-seven, but not by much. She was killed in a plane crash at the age of thirty, leaving thousands of fans to mourn her memory and music. She is known for inspiring the next generation of women in country music and was the first solo female artist to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.  It was only a matter of time before her extraordinary journey to fame made it into the book of a jukebox musical, and we are so lucky it did. Always…Patsy Cline is part of the 52nd season of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, playing simultaneously with the delightful Shakespearean comedy, The Merry Wives of Windsor.

Tucked into the beauty of Sand Harbor at Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park is a stage set against what is, arguably, one of the most exquisite views in the country. The Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival calls this stage home, and I was fortunate to experience the wonder of their offerings last weekend.

The best part of summer is Broadway at Music Circus and, as we pass the halfway mark in the season, we are treated to the Tony Award-winning noir piece from Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sunset Blvd. It transports us back in time to a forgotten world of silent films, glamour, and a certain elegance that has been slowly eroded by progress. The allure of old Hollywood is mesmerizing in director Glenn Casale’s triumph of the 2024 season, where he weaves a spellbinding orb of madness, desperation, and ambition.

Tradition. How do we know when to let go and embrace the future? That’s the question at the heart of the latest triumph at Broadway at Music Circus. Beloved classic Fiddler on the Roof has itself become a tradition for theatre lovers worldwide. It was a favorite of mine as a child, and continues to be many years later. Fiddler on the Roof was an instant hit when it opened on Broadway sixty years ago, winning nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It has inspired parodies, television shows, movies, and music. It opened in Sacramento on Tuesday night to an enthusiastic audience eager for its themes of love, family, and resilience.

Too hot outside? Come cool off with some of your favorite characters in Bikini Bottom. Broadway at Music Circus has transformed into the whimsical town under the sea for a limited time. The Spongebob Musical opened on Broadway in 2017 and its lovable characters have captured the hearts of the young and young at heart ever since. From zany Spongebob to studious Sandy, all of the residents of Bikini Bottom rock out to a score written by a wide array of artists. Songs by talents such as Cyndi Lauper, Panic! at the Disco, and John Legend keep the energy up in this hilarious, exhilarating, and thoughtful show about the world’s most popular sponge.

Summer means Shakespeare and, luckily, there are a variety of offerings to choose from in our area. Arguably, though, none are in a more beautiful location than that of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. What began in 1972 on the lawn of the Ehrman Mansion at Sugar Pine Point State Park has now evolved to a permanent, state-of-the-art stage housed in the picturesque Sand Harbor at Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park. This season the Festival is featuring two exciting shows: The Merry Wives of Windsor and Always…Patsy Cline. BroadwayWorld spoke with Director/Producing Artistic Director Charles Fee about this summer’s offerings, the evolution of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, and what it takes to produce theatre in one of the most enchanting places in the world.

Capital Stage is closing out its nineteenth season with a charming story of healing and self-discovery. Now Circa Then by Carly Mensch is a clever blend of worlds: past and present, immigrant and citizen, passion and apathy. In this show, life imitates art and the lines between those worlds blur, encouraging us to delve inward and examine our own motivations.

A veterinarian, a figure skater, and the Phantom of the Opera all walk into a room…but it’s not a joke. They are all gathering in the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium on June 29th for the 75th Anniversary Gala celebrating the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. This event will raise money supporting scholarships for our future veterinarians and scientists.