William Selby remembers well when he first heard about a little cabaret show that was generating buzz among New York theater fans. “I was a full-time actor at the time, and I had a roommate who was a waiter at this place – Palsson’s (Supper Club) on West 72nd Street,” Selby said. “He came home one night raving about something called ‘Forbidden Broadway’ and did a number for me. “I fell off the bed laughing – I knew I loved it right then and there.” Selby wasn’t the only one who embraced Gerard Alessandrini’s concept of a satiric revue that both celebrated and skewered musical theater. Since its opening 30 years ago this month, “Forbidden Broadway” played almost continuously in New Yor

Each season, Music Circus produces a musical that includes a large number of actors from California Musical Theatre’s Music Circus Junior Company. This years’ production is “Oliver!” Lionel Bart’s highly successful musical based on the Charles Dickens classic “Oliver Twist.” “Oliver!” with music, lyrics and book all by Bart, originally opened in London in 1960 and Broadway in 1962. It has seen numerous revivals powered by mega musical producer Cameron Mackintosh, first in 1977, last in 2009, both in London and on Broadway. It was a highly successful movie adaptation, winning six Oscars. This is Music Circus’ eighth production of the musical. Christopher Bones, a veteran theater and TV ac

Opening its 61st season with a highly popular contemporary musical with good casting has paid off for California Musical Theatre’s Music Circus. “The Producers,” which opened Tuesday night, involves a failed Broadway producer whose most recent show closed on opening night. A passing remark by the low level accountant sent in to audit the books puts the plot in motion. If the producer would have a guaranteed flop, they could bank the investment, close the show and keep the money. They set out to find the worst play, a lousy director and terrible actors. Many complications and much humor ensue, along with lots of great songs and dancing. “The Producers: the new Mel Brooks Musical,” while b

Individual tickets for Broadway Sacramento's presentations of CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE (December 29, 2010-January 2, 2011), 9 TO 5  (March 9-20, 2011) and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN  (April 13-24, 2011) go on sale Monday, September 20 at 10 a.m. at the Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office, 1419 H Street, Sacramento, (916) 557-1999, the Community Center Theater Box Office, 1301 L Street, Sacramento, (916) 808-5181 or Tickets.com, (800) 225-2277. The largest performing arts event in the Capital Region, Broadway Sacramento is presented by California Musical Theatre and sponsored by Wells Fargo.    These shows join Burn the Floor (September 29-October 10, 2010) and  In the Heights  (November 3-14, 2010) wh

Step into the Wells Fargo Pavilion and be transported back to Springfield High School’s 1958 Senior Prom, “Marvelous Dreams.” The evening’s entertainment was supposed to be provided by The Crooning Crabcakes. Alas, Crabcakes lead singer and preacher’s son Billy Ray was caught smoking behind the school. So as not to set a bad example, the principle has canceled their show. The Marvelous Wonderettes are brought in as a last-minute substitution. The Marvelous Wonderettes are Cindy Lou Huffington, Missy Miller, Betty Jean “B.J.” Reynolds and Suzy Simpeon. They are all Springfield High School’s (Go Chipmunks) Song Leaders. For the next couple of hours, we learn about the Wonderettes’ relati

Sophisticated, debonair Lawrence Jamison conspiring with local Chief of Police Andre Thibalult fleeces wealthy vacationing American women of their fortunes. The location is an exclusive French Riviera beach town. Jamison runs into a brash American swindler, Freddy on a train returning from Switzerland where he has banked his latest loot. Freddy blackmails Jamison and Thibault into taking him on as an apprentice. Much humor ensues. The musical "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" is based on the 1988 movie of the same name starring Michael Caine as Lawrence Jamison and Steve Martin as Freddy. The movie itself is based on a 1964 movie, "Bedtime Story." "Bedtime Story" was written by Stanley Shapiro,

Take an iconic piece of american musical theater by arguably the best musical theater writing team of all times and add Music Circus talent and production values and you have a splendid evening of entertainment. "Oklahoma" was the first collaboration between composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. Rodgers had previously worked with Lorenz Hart creating "Pal Joey." Hammerstein had been teamed with Jerome Kern, with "Show Boat" as their best-known production. The new collaboration worked well for both. Hammerstein preferred to write lyrics before they were set to music. Rodgers preferred to have completed lyrics before creating the music. There previous co

“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” was the first collaboration between Andrew Lloyd Weber (music) and Tim Rice (lyrics). They were an astounding 19 and 22 years old, respectively, when they began working on “Joseph.” They took the well-known Old Testament story from Genesis chapters 37-46. It is the story of Joseph, one of the 12 sons of Jacob, sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. Joseph overcomes all through dreams, luck and intelligence to become second to the Pharaoh in Egypt. He ends up saving his brothers and forgiving them. They use a “grab bag” of musical styles to tell the story, including country western, 60s pop, disco, calypso, Parisian cabaret and for the Ph

The big top is flying up as the Sacramento Music Circus returns to the Wells Fargo Pavilion for its 60th anniversary season and 500th production. The seven-show 2010 season opens July 9 with Monty Python's "Spamalot" and closes Aug. 29 with "42nd Street." As always, season ticket holders contribute to the show selection by filling out surveys sent by the Music Circus months prior to the season opening. The highest-rated shows are selected assuming Music Circus can obtain rights to the show. This year "Funny Girl" was the second highest-rated show on the survey, which marketing director Christopher Bower described as "surprising." "If there is something we're maybe on the fence about but

Tony Award-winning musical "In the Heights" as well as the recent Disney revival of the classic "Mary Poppins" are among the six touring shows that will come to Sacramento between September 29 and June 19 of next year. For the first time in producing organization California Musical Theatre's 22 year history of bringing Broadway shows, all six of the shows will be Sacramento premieres. Along with "In the Heights" and "Mary Poppins," this season's shows will include the dance spectacle "Burn the Floor," the seasonal "Cirque Dreams Holidaze" and two new shows based on films: "9 to 5," based on the Dolly Parton movie and "Young Frankenstein," based on the Mel Brooks comedy. Ticket subscripti

"Rent: The Broadway Tour" stopped in Sacramento Wednesday night, bringing a slice of New York to the Community Center Theatre. An audience of over 2,000 sang along, hollered and gave a standing ovation to the play, which featured the male leads from the original Broadway cast, Adam Pascal (as Roger Davis) and Anthony Rapp (as Mark Cohen). Led by poignant performances by Pascal and Rapp, the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning drama featured powerful acting, dancing and singing. Watching the play was like viewing a prototypical hip-hop song come to life, describing characters in an urban New York City neighborhood dealing with a mosaic of issues including AIDS, drugs and homelessness.

On Monday, Cosmopolitan Cabaret announced its 2010 season, the cabaret's first scheduled season with a full lineup of shows. Nov. 30, California Musical Theatre, which runs the Cosmopolitan Cabaret as well as the Music Circus and Broadway Sacramento, will begin selling tickets for the three shows making up the season. The 2010 season will begin Jan. 26 with My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, followed by a murder-mystery non-musical play called Shear Madness and end with Suds, an upbeat love story with a 1960s top-40 soundtrack. Last September, the cabaret began its first show, Forever Plaid, as an open-ended run. It ended after a year, earlier than had been hoped. But it lasted

Sex. It's controversial today, and it has been for more than a century. That's why Frank Wedekind’s 1891 play, Spring Awakening, which has strong sexual themes and language, was not produced in the playwright's native Germany until 1906. It opened to English audiences for the first time in New York in 1917, and closed after one performance. Times have changed. The winner of eight 2007 Tony awards including "best musical" and a 2008 Grammy for "Best Musical Show Album opens Wednesday as part of California Musical Theatre's Broadway Sacramento season. Well, sort of. Spring Awakening was not offered as part of the season subscription package, because the theater's executive producer, Richar

Many of humanity's most enduring stories have been told in the simplest ways. Folk tales tell the truths of societies in ways that are outside of time, outside of specific culture, even outside of "reality" itself. But they can be true in ways that more sophisticated, contemporary stories can't hope to be. Thus, the power of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's musical, "Into the Woods," which opened at the Music Circus Tuesday night and runs through Sunday. First performed on Broadway in 1987 with Bernadette Peters, and revived many times since, most famously with Vanessa Williams in the role of the Witch in 2002, "Into the Woods" has aged beautifully. Under Glenn Casale's able direction

One of the longest-running Broadway shows in history, "The Lion King" started another long Sacramento run Friday night at the Community Center Theatre. This is the touring production's second run here, a five-week stay that is already nearly sold-out. Friday night's show made it clear why this is an all-time favorite. From the very start, "The Lion King" captivates, the proverbial for-kids-of-all-ages show. Director Julie Taymor's dazzling backgrounds of the African savannah translate beautifully from the source material - Disney's animated feature film - and the costumes of various animals are breathtaking in their resourcefulness and versatility. Particularly amazing are the two giraffe

Single tickets for this summer’s Music Circus shows at the Wells Fargo Pavilion at 15th and H streets will go on sale to the general public on Monday at 10 a.m. This summer’s performances of such venerable Broadway staples as Thoroughly Modern Millie, Guys and Dolls and Into the Woods continue a Sacramento tradition that’s now 58 years old. Tickets will be available by phone at (916) 557-1999, at the Wells Fargo Pavilion box office window at 1419 H St., or online at sacramentomusiccircus.com. (Ticket orders made online are processed by Tickets.com and include additional convenience charges.) Tickets are also available by phone through Tickets.com at (800) 225-2277. Tickets are $50 for T