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SACRAMENTO THEATER REVIEWS

The latest reviews and critic recommendations from Sacramento

Our Sacramento Critics

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Review: LES MISERABLES is Revolutionary at Broadway Sacramento

Review: LES MISERABLES is Revolutionary at Broadway Sacramento

by Courtney Symes — October 26, 2023
As Les Misérables turns thirty-eight this year, it shows no signs of aging. Performances in Sacramento have almost sold out, and it makes one wonder how a show whose content is serious and dark can have such staying power. When it opened in London in 1985, critical reviews were mixed. What it had o...
Review: THE GRADUATE is an Affair to Celebrate at Sierra Rep

Review: THE GRADUATE is an Affair to Celebrate at Sierra Rep

by Courtney Symes — October 24, 2023
A delicious confection of nostalgia and excess awaits you at the historic Fallon House Theatre in Columbia. Sierra Repertory Theatre (SRT) has staged a titillating throwback to a time when societal norms were being questioned and the country was on the precipice of change. The Graduate is perhaps kn...
Review: ARCHDUKE Reigns at Capital Stage

Review: ARCHDUKE Reigns at Capital Stage

by Courtney Symes — October 21, 2023
Tuberculosis and assassination may seem like an odd combination, but they pair surprisingly well in Rajiv Joseph’s Archduke, a historical re-imagining of the pivotal event that helped to ignite World War I....
Review: JUMP to See this Relevant New Work at B Street Theatre

Review: JUMP to See this Relevant New Work at B Street Theatre

by Courtney Symes — October 6, 2023
Following in the wake of a play like The Play That Goes Wrong is no easy feat. It would be easy to fall into the shadows and be overlooked, and B Street Theatre’s Executive Director, Lyndsay Burch, took a calculated risk in choosing a drama filled with some loaded content. After seeing the new wor...
Review: A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY UNIT AT MEMORIA

Review: A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY UNIT AT MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CENTER OF NEW YORK CITY Plays at Big Idea Theatre

by Courtney Symes — September 22, 2023
One thing that stands out about Sacramento is its prolific and varied arts community. There is truly something for everyone and, if you’re eclectically inclined, Big Idea Theatre is the place for you. Their performance selections vary, but each is unique, quirky, and thought-provoking. The current...
Review: Get on Down to HADESTOWN at Broadway Sacramento

Review: Get on Down to HADESTOWN at Broadway Sacramento

by Courtney Symes — September 21, 2023
The ancient Greek tale of Orpheus and Eurydice has been retold in many ways. In literature, music, art, and film, their doomed love story is among the most well-known Greek myths. Really, who can resist a Greek tragedy? Its most recent reimagination, in the form of Hadestown, began as a concept albu...
Review: FreeFall Stage Captures the Essence of Austen With PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Review: FreeFall Stage Captures the Essence of Austen With PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

by Courtney Symes — September 15, 2023
Austenites can rejoice -- FreeFall Stage, a local community theatre known for its period pieces, has staged a new adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The 1813 work is a commentary on the trappings of the Regency era social caste wrapped in a beautiful romance novel. It has been adapte...
Review: CLYDE'S Nourishes Our Souls at Capital Stage

Review: CLYDE'S Nourishes Our Souls at Capital Stage

by Courtney Symes — August 30, 2023
Capital Stage begins its 2023/2024 season theme of True Identity with socially relevant and thought-provoking theatre in the form of Lynn Nottage’s Tony Award-nominated play, Clyde’s. This 2022 hit is fresh, funny, and full of questions. Do your past choices define who you are, or can you reinve...
Review: RENT Soars at Broadway At Music Circus

Review: RENT Soars at Broadway At Music Circus

by Courtney Symes — August 23, 2023
A lot can happen in 525,600 minutes. Love is found, dreams are lost, and lives are irrevocably altered. Such is the premise of Jonathan Larson’s rock musical, Rent, which is loosely based on Giacomo Puccini’s 1896 opera, La Bohème. Larson wanted to tell the stories of his friends who were affli...
Review: THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG Does Everything Right at B Street Theatre

Review: THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG Does Everything Right at B Street Theatre

by Courtney Symes — August 16, 2023
You may have heard that back in the 20th century a guy by the name of Edward Murphy famously said, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” Pessimistic? Maybe. Accurate? Definitely, as proven in B Street Theatre’s side-splitting rendition of The Play That Goes Wrong. This award-winning come...
Review: RAGTIME Sets the Standard at Broadway At Music Circus

Review: RAGTIME Sets the Standard at Broadway At Music Circus

by Courtney Symes — August 9, 2023
A question that’s often posed is, “What constitutes good art?” For me, it’s a piece that stretches my knowledge while dispelling assumptions. It’s something that might make me uncomfortable, even if I’m not sure why. It’s a work that evokes such strong emotions that I am left thinking ...
Review: ASSASSINS Hits the Mark at Rise Up Theatre Company

Review: ASSASSINS Hits the Mark at Rise Up Theatre Company

by Courtney Symes — August 9, 2023
Rise Up Theatre Company is moving on to a bigger and better theatre space in Rancho Cordova but, before they do, they are gracing the MACC with a nail-biting production of Assassins. This Sondheim work lives in the shadow of his more popular pieces like Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods, but it stands...
Review: THE ADDAMS FAMILY Keeps it Spooky And Ooky At Broadway At Music Circus

Review: THE ADDAMS FAMILY Keeps it Spooky And Ooky At Broadway At Music Circus

by Courtney Symes — July 26, 2023
They’re creepy and they’re kooky, and they need no introduction. Morticia, Gomez, and the gang are here in Sacramento to spice things up in The Addams Family musical. Since opening on Broadway in 2010, it’s become a favorite of audiences nationwide. Based on the cartoons of Charles Addams, The...
Review: THE MUSIC MAN Dazzles the River City at Broadway At Music Circus

Review: THE MUSIC MAN Dazzles the River City at Broadway At Music Circus

by Courtney Symes — July 12, 2023
What did our critic think of THE MUSIC MAN at Broadway At Music Circus?...
Review: INSERTION Has Staying Power at the B Street Theatre

Review: INSERTION Has Staying Power at the B Street Theatre

by Courtney Symes — July 12, 2023
The B Street Theatre has set the gold standard in new comedy development with its world premiere of Insertion by Sarah Groustra. This hilariously bawdy, witty, and satirical homage to the questionable merits of the romance genre was the winner of B Street Theatre’s 2022 New Comedies Festival, and ...
Review: We Can't Take Our Eyes Off of JERSEY BOYS at Sierra Rep

Review: We Can't Take Our Eyes Off of JERSEY BOYS at Sierra Rep

by Courtney Symes — July 5, 2023
Oh, what a night! Jersey Boys, the Tony Award-winning jukebox musical about the rise and fall of The Four Seasons, is rocking the town of Columbia through the summer. It’s a story of the American dream, a rags-to-riches tale that brings four young boys out of Jersey and into the national spotlight...
Review: Have a Ball At CINDERELLA At Broadway At Music Circus

Review: Have a Ball At CINDERELLA At Broadway At Music Circus

by Courtney Symes — June 28, 2023
Cinderella - it’s a tale as old as time. Oh wait, wrong show. It’s pretty close, though. The story has roots as far back as 200 B.C. in Egypt, but the most well-known version dates to the 17th century, which is the one made famous by Disney in 1950. Broadway at Music Circus is showcasing a new a...
Review: PREDICTOR Foretells a Hit at Capital Stage

Review: PREDICTOR Foretells a Hit at Capital Stage

by Courtney Symes — June 27, 2023
“Who made that?” is the question we didn’t know we needed the answer to. In Jennifer Blackmer’s new play, Predictor, we learn that it’s one of the most important questions in the struggle for female equality. Throughout history, men have taken credit for women’s accomplishments. Things s...
Review: 3: BLACK GIRL BLUES Enjoys a Limited Run at B Street Theatre

Review: 3: BLACK GIRL BLUES Enjoys a Limited Run at B Street Theatre

by Courtney Symes — June 24, 2023
What did our critic think of 3: BLACK GIRL BLUES at B Street Theatre?...
BWW Review: Transcendence Theatre Rocks Three Decades of Music with 'The Beat Goes On

BWW Review: Transcendence Theatre Rocks Three Decades of Music with 'The Beat Goes On'

by Christina Mancuso — June 21, 2023
The resilient Transcendence Theatre was not deterred when litigation between the California Park Rangers Association and the California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks) threatened use of their usual performance space at Jack London State Historic Park.  After performing for over a ...
Review: COLLECTIVE RAGE: A PLAY IN 5 BETTIES Collectively Entertains at Big Idea Thea

Review: COLLECTIVE RAGE: A PLAY IN 5 BETTIES Collectively Entertains at Big Idea Theatre

by Courtney Symes — June 15, 2023
Pearl clutchers, be warned. There’s a new show in town, and you might want to cover your ears. This isn’t for the easily offended, but it is bawdy, hilarious, and altogether relatable. Jen Silverman’s Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties is a bold look at what it means to be female. Collective...
Review: It's One Fine Day to See BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL at Broadway At Mu

Review: It's One Fine Day to See BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL at Broadway At Music Circus

by Courtney Symes — June 14, 2023
It’s officially summer stock season! Kicking off my favorite time of the year is Broadway at Music Circus’ production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Its Broadway premiere in 2014 garnered seven Tony Award nominations, with two wins for Best Leading Actress and Best Sound Design. While I ...
Review: PRIDE AT THE SOFIA Celebrates Love

Review: PRIDE AT THE SOFIA Celebrates Love

by Courtney Symes — June 13, 2023
Over fifty years after the first Pride march in 1970, we can be proud of the strides made in the fight for equity and inclusion. Education and outreach play a large part in shedding antiquated and harmful attitudes, which is what Jacob Gutierrez Montoya spearheaded with his latest creation. His Sacr...
Review: SAVOR AFTER HOURS at JaM Cellars Ballroom is a Sensory Sensation

Review: SAVOR AFTER HOURS at JaM Cellars Ballroom is a Sensory Sensation

by Courtney Symes — June 11, 2023
For thousands of years, wine has inspired creativity and evoked emotions. There have been gods dedicated to it and cults born from it. Few have poeticized it better than Lord Byron when he said, “Wine cheers the sad, revives the old, inspires the young, and makes weariness forget his toil.” Now,...
Review: THE HOMBRES Explores Masculinity at Capital Stage

Review: THE HOMBRES Explores Masculinity at Capital Stage

by Courtney Symes — May 23, 2023
Theatre has long been a vessel to carry voices wanting to be heard, and a springboard for important conversations that need to be had. Capital Stage is taking this responsibility seriously, with its California premiere of The Hombres. Tony Meneses’ contemporary play examines the toxic masculinity ...
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Videos


C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters in Sacramento C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters
Harris Center (7/25-7/26)
GRACE & THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT By Jane Kelley, Clifford Lee Johnson, and Greg Alexander in Sacramento GRACE & THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT By Jane Kelley, Clifford Lee Johnson, and Greg Alexander
B Street Theatre (9/26-10/18)
WORKING FOR CRUMBS By Kate Danley in Sacramento WORKING FOR CRUMBS By Kate Danley
B Street Theatre (6/17-7/12)
Three Days Grace, I Prevail & The Funeral Portrait at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento Three Days Grace, I Prevail & The Funeral Portrait at Golden 1 Center
Golden 1 Center (11/17-11/17)
Back to the 80's: A Tribute Concert in Sacramento Back to the 80's: A Tribute Concert
The East Sonora Theatre (5/15-5/31)
SGMC Presents: Rhinestone Cowboy in Sacramento SGMC Presents: Rhinestone Cowboy
The Sofia, Home of B Street Theatre (6/19-6/21) VIDEOS
The Thanksgiving Play in Sacramento The Thanksgiving Play
The East Sonora Theatre (10/09-11/01)
Don't Touch My Hair in Sacramento Don't Touch My Hair
Celebration Arts (6/12-6/28)
2026 Night Nation Run - Los Angeles, CA in Sacramento 2026 Night Nation Run - Los Angeles, CA
Fairplex (11/07-11/07)
'TIS THE SEASON: BEST OF! By B Street Theatre in Sacramento 'TIS THE SEASON: BEST OF! By B Street Theatre
B Street Theatre (12/05-12/20)