Sacramento Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 4

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 Addam...

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
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 th...

Review: We Can't Take Our Eyes Off of JERSEY BOYS at Sierra Rep
by Courtney Symes - July 05, 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
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 adapt...

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 such as wirel...

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'
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 de...

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 awake...

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 tend...

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
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, in ...

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 pr...

Review: TEMPODYSSEY is Out of This World at Big Idea Theatre
by Courtney Symes - May 17, 2023

Astrophysics, poultry, and delusional temp employees. The universe conspires to marry odd bedfellows in this bizarre yet fascinating work by Dan Dietz. tempOdyssey is as unique as its title suggests. It’s a study of paradox, exploring themes of freedom vs. entrapment, love vs. apathy, and immortalit...

Review: Chasing the Clouds Away With AVENUE Q at Rise Up Theatre Company
by Courtney Symes - May 14, 2023

Can you tell me how to get, how to get to...Avenue Q? It’s a wondrous place where puppets and humans coexist peacefully and harmoniously. Most of the time. This salacious spoof of Sesame Street opened on Broadway in 2003 and won three Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Twenty years later, its them...

Review: B Street Theatre's BROKE-OLOGY Reminds Us of Our Riches
by Courtney Symes - May 12, 2023

The most shocking thing about getting older is that everyone else is getting older, too. Our parents, who once seemed so strong and commanding, reverse their roles and become the dependents. How do we care for them as they once cared for us? How do we find a balance between duty to them and staying ...

Review: Sacramento Theatre Company Celebrates Neurodiversity With THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME
by Courtney Symes - May 09, 2023

Sacramento Theatre Company’s season of Curiosity, Intrigue, and Suspense is coming to a close with its much-anticipated portrayal of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Based on the best-selling novel by Mark Haddon and adapted for the stage by Simon Stephens, this show provides an in...

Review: You'll Want to Meet This PRETTY WOMAN at Broadway Sacramento
by Courtney Symes - May 03, 2023

Don't miss the electrifying final stop of the North American tour of Pretty Woman: The Musical in Sacramento. Based on the hit 1990 movie, this musical is full of hope, magic, and enchantment. Get ready to be swept off your feet by the dynamic cast, exhilarating choreography, and a score by rock leg...

Review: Read All About It! NEWSIES Opens at Davis Musical Theatre Company
by Courtney Symes - May 02, 2023

Tucked among agricultural fields and university bustle in the small town of Davis is a community staple that is treasured by locals. For 38 years, Davis Musical Theatre Company has been a fixture in the community theatre world in the Sacramento region. Its Main Stage and Young Performers’ Theatre is...

Review: Social Justice Triumphs in ANTIGONE at The Harris Center
by Courtney Symes - April 25, 2023

Murder, greed, incest, tyranny…and you don’t have to go to Washington, D.C. to get it. Folsom Lake College’s production of Antigone checks all those boxes and more. Sophocles’ tragedy is as relevant today as it was in 411 BC, thanks to enduring themes that have been adapted for a modern audience....

Review: WINNIE-THE-POOH Captures Our Hearts at the B Street Theatre
by Courtney Symes - April 19, 2023

What did our critic think of WINNIE-THE-POOH at B Street Theatre?...

Review: A LIGHT IN THE DARK Shines a Light on Homelessness at The Sofia
by Courtney Symes - March 25, 2023

Award-winning choreographer Jacob Gutierrez-Montoya is bringing his special brand of philanthropy to The Sofia this weekend with A Light in the Dark, a modern dance concert inspired by the housing crisis in our region. Sponsored by The Sofia, Gutierrez-Montoya’s Sacramento Contemporary Dance Theatre...

Review: See the Super Sleuths, MS. HOLMES & MS. WATSON: APT. 2B, at B Street Theatre
by Courtney Symes - March 18, 2023

Known for bringing exciting and groundbreaking new works to Sacramento, the B St. Theatre solidifies its reputation with its latest show of the season. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous sleuth and his trusty partner have undergone a complete 21st-century makeover in Kate Hamill’s modern reimagining of...

Review: HAIRSPRAY Welcomes the '60s to Broadway Sacramento!
by Courtney Symes - March 16, 2023

Good morning, Sacramento! Hairspray has brought the beat to town, and you do not want to miss this spectacle of bright, brash, and beautiful 60s splendor! Based on the 1988 John Waters’ movie that became a cult classic, Hairspray opened on Broadway in 2002. It garnered 13 Tony Award nominations and ...

Review: TWELFTH NIGHT Celebrates Comedy at Big Idea Theatre
by Courtney Symes - March 16, 2023

What do Shakespeare and spring break in Florida have in common? Well, I will tell you! It is the festive new reimagining of Twelfth Night at Big Idea Theatre. Written at the turn of the 17th century, this work’s themes of mistaken identity and love triangles are enduring today but given a cleverly m...