Sacramento Interviews

Between Sacramento and San Francisco are many small towns dotting the Interstate 80 corridor. Farmland eventually turns to the bay, which has inspired many songs such as “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” and “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay.” Maybe not as well known is one such town, Vallejo, whose biggest draw now is its Six Flags amusement park. For one talented musician, though, Vallejo is everything. Shawn Raiford is a philanthropic saxophone genius whose music has been climbing the smooth...

For over 25 years, the B Street Theatre has been a visionary leader in the community, championing new artists and works while bringing quality professional theatre to Sacramento. Amid theatres across the country shutting down, B Street continues going strong. They recently announced their 2024 seaso...

The Sacramento Theatre Company (STC) is one of the oldest theatre groups in the region, bringing professional productions to the city since its switch from community theatre in the 1980s. Last season’s finale of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time garnered rave reviews and showcased th...

Tired of the same old shows? Well, we’ve got you covered. Puppeteers for Fears, an Oregon-based puppet troupe, is embarking on their 2023 tour and have a stop at Harlow’s on July 16th. They will be performing their adaptation of Cthulhu: the Musical!, which combines horror and rock music with puppet...

Hidden treasures abound in the foothills of California, which is what first drew settlers to the area hundreds of years ago. They’re still plentiful, albeit in different forms. One such modern treasure is Sierra Rep, a professional company whose goal to bring quality theatre to the region is current...

A cozy parlor, a warm hearth, an inviting inn…what could possibly go wrong when seven strangers gather to seek refuge from a storm?  Come find out in Freefall Stage’s production of Dame Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap. Known as the world’s longest-running play, it has run in London’s West End contin...

Just over the Sierra Nevada Mountain range from the Sacramento Valley lies the town of Reno, Nevada. Its proximity to Sacramento makes it a popular destination for entertainment and its casinos attract well-known talent. It was during one of these concerts that serendipity intervened, and I met th...

This year's graduating seniors have had anything but a normal high school experience and the past two years have taught them resilience, flexibility, and grace. Undoubtedly, they deserve a bit of celebration for their tenacity and courage. Luckily for students at Sonora High School, Todd Schroeder i...

In the Sierra foothills are a cluster of quaint towns full of Gold Rush history.  Two of these, East Sonora and Columbia, house the venues that make up Sierra Repertory Theatre (Sierra Rep).  Main stage shows, cabarets, and youth workshops can be seen in the original East Sonora Theatre and in the H...

Back in Sacramento and ready to enter the California music scene is Troy Jagan, better known as The Jungle. His sound is an appealing mix of jazz, funk, r&b, and pop music complemented by a falsetto that brings to mind a young Michael Jackson. BroadwayWorld Sacramento spoke to The Jungle about his r...

America's obsession with the Mafia began long ago, after the Great Depression plunged many into poverty and the world saw how the a?oefamilya?? took care of its own. Popular movies like a?oeThe Godfathera?? and a?oeScarfacea?? further solidified our collective fascination with all things mob-related...

You might recall that, in early 2019, a little news story broke about a certain college admissions scandal. It was something that people suspected must happen in back rooms, but confirmation was finally being brought out into the light. What you might not know was that, a year before that, a local c...

Over the second weekend of February, thousands of students and educators from around the globe gathered at the 4th annual Junior Theatre Festival (JTF) West here in Sacramento. For many, the highlight was hearing the incredible voices that come to the Festival each year to share their experiences an...

Forget that other show. I was in the REAL room where it happened last weekend at the 4th Annual Junior Theater Festival West (JTF), which celebrates youth theatre and encourages students and teachers to keep theatre alive in their community. Each year it follows the Junior Theater Festival in Atlant...

Shakespeare once wrote, a?oeIf music be the food of love, play on!a?? Although he was talking about satiating an appetite for love, why not listen to music to celebrate love? You can extend the Valentine's Day festivities this year by going to see Dennis Johnson and the Mississippi Ramblers perform ...

In this digital age, we all want to be seen and heard-and not just online. As sentient beings, we crave and thrive on human interaction and affection. Perhaps this pertains to no group as much as teenagers, whose self-worth relies heavily (and sometimes solely) upon the image reflected back to them ...

Christmas is a time that evokes many different feelings. For some, like me, the stress of finding the perfect gifts is balanced with the coziness of having everyone at home enjoying our family traditions. Warm fires, hot cocoa, maybe seeing a production of The Nutcracker or A Christmas Carol, and en...

Who would guess that what has been described as a sleepy little cowtown is actually a hotbed of young musical talent? The latest to join Sacramento's rank of up-and-coming people-to-watch is Sam C. Jones, a transplant from Virginia who landed on the west coast in 2016 and has quickly made a name for...

Dynamic is the word that comes to mind when speaking with John Tesh. His passion for his life, family, and career come across clearly in his instantly recognizable made-for-performing voice. Tesh was a staple in the 1980s on the popular television show, a?oeEntertainment Tonight.a?? Sports fans know...

In the Heights-it's the show that brought Lin-Manuel Miranda fame, before Hamilton catapulted him into the stratosphere of Broadway legends. In 2008, In the Heights was nominated for thirteen Tony Awards and won four, including Best Musical. Broadway at Music Circus has gathered a cast that combines...

When it opened on Broadway in 2006, The Drowsy Chaperone boasted an all-star cast and garnered five Tony Awards, including Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. You can expect that same quality in Broadway at Music Circus' third production of the summer, with Lynne Wintersteller returning ...

The much-anticipated run of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! at Broadway at Music Circus is finally here and brings with it some serious star power. Ryan Vasquez is taking a short break from starring in Hamilton on Broadway to join us in Sacramento as Curly. He is the only person to have played f...

Summer can officially begin in Sacramento! Broadway at Music Circus kicks off its new season on June 11 with Shrek the Musical. Shrek brings something for the entire family to enjoy and is the perfect accompaniment to PRIDE month with its message of inclusion. As one of the Fairytale Creatures says,...

When David Taylor Gomes and Kyle Holmes set out to write an original musical for their students at Granite Bay High School, they never could have foreseen the impact their work would have on high schools across the nation. Students are reacting to having their voices heard, and the effect is monumen...

The anxiously-anticipated arrival of Aladdin is finally here! The national tour stops in Sacramento through June 2 and brings with it the songs that you know and love from the 1992 animated movie, along with new numbers written specifically for the stage musical. After its debut on Broadway in 2014,...

Two spectacular performers will be in Sacramento for one night only on March 19. Thomas Lauderdale, founder and bandleader of the Portland, Oregon-based Pink Martini and the vivacious cabaret songstress, Meow Meow, have combined their talents on one much-anticipated album. Sacramento will get to wit...

Global music sensation and contemporary flamenco guitarist Ottmar Liebert is returning to Sacramento for one night only with his band, Luna Negra. Liebert has been nominated for five Grammy Awards and boasts multiple gold and platinum records. His debut album, Nouveau Flamenco, is the best-selling i...

Martyna Majok wrote IRONBOUND to share the story of the everyday challenges and hurdles of a Polish immigrant surviving in America, basing this theatrical piece on her own mother's experiences. Already in previews, IRONBOUND officially opens February 7, 2018. Martyna took some time out to answer my ...

The first stage production of THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, based on the Dreamworks animated feature, will premiere next month at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley....

The very unique, very outrageous, very out-spoken, and always very funny Margaret Cho has begun her new tour FRESH OFF THE BLOAT, with European dates following the U.S. stops. Named this year by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the '50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Times,' Margaret will be tackling cu...

When an icon is as approachable, affable and humble as Ben Vereen is, it is easy to see why he has been so successful. The winner of a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for his role in Pippin, Vereen is, at the age of 70, showing no signs of slowing down. Luckily for us, he is bringing his energy and ...

BroadwayWorld spoke with Marc Ciemiewicz about color, character and special effects in the national tour of 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.' Marc plays both Jacob and Potiphar in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, which uses everything from Elvis-style to calypso and western in its tell...

Idina Menzel will perform in Toronto this Wednesday at the Sony Centre as part of her 2015 world tour. Menzel is of course best known for her work in WICKED and FROZEN, and also recently concluded a Broadway run in her star vehicle IF/THEN, which she will take on tour this fall....

Northern California will get a double dose of the celebration this year, as the Gallo Center for the Arts hosts the touring production of a musical based on the classic film "Miracle on 34th Street," which follows a family as its cinical Christmas beliefs are challenged by the appearance of the real...

Charles Osborne, star of Modesto Performing Art's 'Anything Goes,' talks to BroadwayWorld about his role as Billy Crocker and what audiences can expect from the Cole Porter Musical....

The Riverdance tour will be in California through December 4 and includes a stop at the Pantages theatre in Los Angeles, where Riverdance opened exactly 15 years to the day before its November 15 engagement. Other tour cities include Fresno, Modesto and Sacramento. Broadway World speaks with Cra...

Before arriving for a two-week run at the Orange County Performing Arts Center from November 17 through 29, SPRING AWAKENING's Matt Shingledecker sits down with BroadwayWorld correspondent Michael Lawrence Quintos to talk about his life on the road, his roots, and what it means for him to be a part ...