The Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra's (SPO) performance of “Basically Beethoven” took place at the Community Center Theatre on Saturday night. On an almost clear night with a full moon shining, aficionados made their way to the theatre with their path illuminated by the bright light of the moon. Marc Feldman, Executive Director, of the SPO came on stage to welcome the audience. After thanking the SPO Board of Directors and Target for their season sponsorship he thanked the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission for their sponsorship of the evening’s concert. Feldman went on to say “The Sacramento Philharmonic over the last few years has brought many artists from around the world to p

The sounds of brass, woodwind, percussion and piano could be heard Thursday at the Community Center Theatre as the famed Glenn Miller Orchestra performed its live set. The show, which lasted about two hours, boasted 19 musicians playing for about 825 people. The set covered number one hits written by artists ranging from Armstrong to Ellington to, of course, Miller. Band leader Larry O’Brien, who happened to turn 77 the night of the concert, was in full form, moving about the stage with snapping fingers and a jovial shoulder bop. “I feel very comfortable up there,” he said backstage before the show. “I feel that we have a great product that the people love. Music like this is not around

"Chicago: The Musical" is returning to Sacramento for an 11-day run starting tomorrow. The world-renowned musical is the sixth-longest running production in Broadway history and was adapted into a movie in 2002, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. This is the fourth time the musical will be in Sacramento. It will be performed at the Community Center Theatre as part of the California Musical Theatre's Broadway Sacramento series. "Our goal is to bring Broadway to Sacramento," said California Musical Theatre executive producer Richard Lewis. "'Chicago' represents prime Broadway theatre." The musical takes place in 1920s Chicago and tells the story of two women who try to become

This is not your traditional ballet. Gone are the tutus and stuffy elevator music, replaced by colorful costumes and toe-tapping music in what is called Pop Ballet. At the Community Center Theatre on Thursday, hundreds of people strolled through the grand entrance, cocktails in hand, ready to enjoy an evening of ballet. Thursday through Sunday night, the Sacramento Ballet is performing sections from three ballets: "Nine Sinatra Songs," "Second Before the Ground" and "Frankie and Johnnie." Each ballet ran about 30 minutes, separated by an intermission. The first ballet of the evening, "Second Before the Ground," featured African drumming. Sixteen dancers performed African dances choreogra

"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.

I'll be the first to admit it. I was drawn to Spring Awakening for all the wrong reasons. I was disappointed, but I won't fault anyone but myself for that. And, as much as I'd like to blame the marketing for this musical, I can't. I knew Rachel Berry was not going to grace the stage. I knew better than to think the practically perfect cast of Glee would surprise me in Sacramento with their best Duncan Shiek. Regardless, I approached Spring Awakening with a complete lack of common sense. I can honestly say I had no idea what my Spring Awakening experience would be like. Regrettably, I did very little research on the plot or protagonists. The only thing I knew was that "everyone" was doin

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