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BWW Review: There's Something Rotten in Sacramento!
In 1848, a Lutheran scholar named Samuel Mosheim Schmucker first raised the question as to how an uneducated and untraveled man such as William Shakespeare could have penned 37 plays and 154 sonnets that dealt with subjects that he should have no knowledge of. Since then many people have cast their ...
BWW Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL Returns to Sacramento Theatre Company
During the holiday season, many people flock to church to find solace, seek forgiveness, practice introspection, and soak up lessons on how to live their lives. Something about this time of year encourages all of us to examine how we have conducted ourselves the previous 11 months. Theatre has been ...
BWW Review: THE BOXED UP BINGE Delivered Laughs at Capital Stage
There is a new standard for musical theatre in town, and it has been set by composer David Taylor-Gomes. His original work was showcased in a one-night-only concert entitled, The Boxed Up Binge , featuring songs and snippets from his larger project, Boxed Up the Musical....
BWW Review: KINGS OF AMERICA Premieres at Sacramento Theatre Company
Sacramento Theatre Company is a regional treasure, unique in the fact that they support and develop local talent. Each season they produce an original work by an area artist. Their 2017-18 season theme of Fate, Fantasy and Forgiveness currently features a play by Sacramento native Ryan Patrick Nill ...
BWW Review: BEAUTIFUL-THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL is Some Kind of Wonderful at California Musical Theatre
Beautiful-The Carole King Musical is more than a jukebox musical. It's a very personal glimpse into the life of a woman who shaped American music. It's a story of sanguinity, heartbreak, and redemption. Carole King's tale is touching and empowering and will resonate with anyone who has ever had thei...
BWW Review: THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK Brings a Lesson of Hope to Sacramento Theatre Company
Director Casey McClellan again brings a World War II era piece to the Sacramento Theatre Company and makes it relevant to what we are experiencing today. Like last season's The Glass Menagerie, The Diary of Anne Frank deals with the human emotions brought on by betrayal, loss, and, ultimately, hope....
BWW Review: Hallelujah! SISTER ACT comes to California Music Circus
Dancing, singing, bad-guy-catching nuns? You can't go wrong with that combination! Based on the 1992 movie starring Whoopi Goldberg, Sister Act the musical is a feel-good, rousing testament to the power of sisterhood set in 70's funk, soul and disco....
BWW Review: Another Openin' Weekend at Transcendence Theatre, Wine Country Paradise, Sonoma Valley Inn and More!
With more than 900 wineries combined, Napa Valley and Sonoma County are truly a wine lover's paradise. But more than wine, these regions offer the best of Northern California, including miles of Pacific coastline, towering redwoods, breathtaking views, luxury resorts and spas, world class restaura...
BWW Review: Intrepid Theatre Lab Debuts in Sacramento with COCK
Intrepid Theatre Lab, comprised of artistic director Casey McClellan and producer Greg Foro, made its Sacramento debut with Cock, a play by Mike Bartlett. Double entendres aside, this is a play that is not actually about cock (ok, maybe a little), but rather about being labeled and put into a box. I...
BWW Review: THE DONNER PARTY, A NEW AMERICAN MUSICAL, Premieres at Sacramento Theatre Company
Growing up in Northern California, it is impossible not to hear about the Donner Party, the group of 87 pioneers who tried to cross the Sierra Nevada mountains in the winter of 1846. Unfortunately, the name has become synonymous with cannibalism. After being trapped in an early winter storm at Truck...
BWW Review: Sacramento Will Always Love THE BODYGUARD
How does a musical do justice to the late Whitney Houston? By casting Grammy Award-nominated Deborah Cox in the role originated by Houston. The Bodyguard the Musical is based off of the 1992 film, which starred Houston and Kevin Costner. It ran in London's West End from December 2012-August 201...
BWW Review: THE GLASS MENAGERIE Draws Audiences in at Sacramento Theatre Company
Tennessee Williams' memory play, The Glass Menagerie, was a timely choice for Sacramento Theatre Company to revive this season. In today's political climate fraught with worry, the average American can relate to Tom Wingfield, who is living in a country on the precipice of war and trying to provide...
BWW Review: PETER AND THE STARCATCHER at Playhouse Merced
Based on a children's book and built with a mostly adult audience in mind, Peter and the Starcatcher isn't the sort of show you can put in a defined box. The J.M. Barrie-inspired play utilizes an unusual narrative style dependent on a versatile cast and imaginative staging. And of course, familiarit...
BWW Review: GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER at Broadway Sacramento
I should probably say that A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder is murderously hilarious. But the Tony Award winner isn't quite an over-the-top farce. The show's music might remind you of anything from Gilbert and Sullivan operettas to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera, or perhaps even a ...
BWW Review: WHITE CHRISTMAS at Broadway Sacramento
Don't pack away your favorite Christmas sweater quite yet. You have one more opportunity to celebrate Christmas in full color: The national tour of White Christmas the musical visits Sacramento through this Sunday only. It's a quick-paced production that never quite finds its heart, but you can't de...
BWW Review: Sacramento is 'On Top of the World' with New HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME
Disney musicals generate a lot of hype. The Lion King transformed the art of puppetry. Beauty and the Beast told a tale as old as time. And the upcoming Frozen… well, it's Frozen. But the company's stage adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame took a slight step to the side, never making...
BWW Review: NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT Has a Fascinating Rhythm
It's wonderful. It's marvelous. And if Tuesday's immediate standing ovation was any indication, you will more than care for the new Gershwin musical, "Nice Work If You Can Get It," playing through Sunday at Sacramento's Music Circus. But watch out for that demon rum. You may just end up swinging b...
BWW Review: Music Circus CABARET Somber and Relevant
Music Circus welcomed a "perfectly marvelous" Cabaret Tuesday evening, with sparkling costumes and a glittered stage. After an excited and pulsing opening, the suggestive Kit Kat Girls took a back seat. Subdued direction and lackluster choreography made the famous Kit Kat club more of an afterthough...
BWW Review: Cat in the Hat Visits Sacramento in Bright and Colorful SEUSSICAL
Oh the things you can think when you think about Seuss! Imagination runs wild in California Musical Theatre's latest Music Circus production, Seussical the musical, which makes excellent use of the company's mechanized stage and brings classic Dr. Seuss drawings to outstanding scenic, lighting and c...
BWW Review: HELLO, DOLLY! Dolly Levi Makes a Match for Sacramento
It only takes a moment to fall in love with the feel-good melodies and delightful characters of "Hello, Dolly!," the musical that gave film and Broadway star Carol Channing her signature role. Matchmaker Dolly Levi can be played a number of ways, which ensures every production remain refreshing and ...
BWW Review: A Magical Weekend of Transcendence Theatre's 'Broadway Under the Stars', Wine and More in Northern California
Northern California is home to miles of gorgeous Pacific coastline, over 50 parks with hiking and cycling trails, world-class restaurants, boutique shopping, and of course, majestic vineyards. Sonoma, in particular, offers the rustic charm of down-to-earth locals, farmers, winemakers, tasting rooms...
BWW Review: LEGALLY BLONDE is a Totally Awesome Season Opener at Music Circus
Snaps for Music Circus! Even with some sound balance and microphone issues opening night, "the "endorphin-happy" score of "Legally Blonde" built a momentum ripe for excitement....
BWW Review: BIG FISH is a Big Catch at Playhouse Merced
Andrew Burkum's enthusiastic Edward leads a glistening Playhouse Merced production with his determined "Alabama stomp" (the glistening much due to a fantastic lighting design). Robert Hypes' direction and casting anchor the show to bottom of the sea, where, perhaps, a rather big fish awaits....
BWW Review: NEWSIES are the Kings of Sacramento
'Newsies' made the headlines as a flop Disney film back in 1992, but the musical garnered a cult following that led to its 2012 revamp on Broadway. The national tour of that production, now on its final leg, carries the banner to Sacramento this week with its own outstanding effects worthy of above-...
BWW Review: Run and Tell That HAIRSPRAY is a Hit
Friday's opening night audience enjoyed the Playhouse Merced production of 'Hairspray' - perhaps a little too much. The promise of community favorite Jim Kocher in drag and of soulful tunes to show off fantastic vocal talents were more than enough to match the audience energy with that of the cast. ...
Videos
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MrBallen: Lights out Live SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center (6/25-6/25) |
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RENT Davis Musical Theatre Company (6/26-7/19) |
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Don't Touch That Dial! The Fallon House Theatre in Columbia State Historic Park (6/19-7/19) |
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WORKING FOR CRUMBS By Kate Danley B Street Theatre (6/17-7/12) |
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Espejos: Clean Capital Stage (5/06-6/07) |
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C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters Harris Center (7/25-7/26) |
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Guns N’ Roses Rose Bowl Stadium (9/05-9/05) |
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SGMC Presents: Rhinestone Cowboy The Sofia, Home of B Street Theatre (6/19-6/21) VIDEOS |
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GRACE & THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT By Jane Kelley, Clifford Lee Johnson, and Greg Alexander B Street Theatre (9/26-10/18) |
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C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo (8/02-8/02) |
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