Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "cosmopolitan cabaret"

"Forbidden Broadway" + Cosmo Cabaret Cast = Hiliarity

2012-02-02T00:17:23Z

Cosmopolitan Cabaret opened with the September 2008 to September 2009 run of “Forever Plaid,” which remains the biggest success as a show. “Forbidden Broadway,” which opened Friday night, may just rival “Plaid.”

There are lots of similarities. Both have talented creators, lots of hysterically funny scenes, songs, costuming, props and more.

"Forbidden Broadway" creator and continuing writer, Garrard Alessandrini, aims his sharp pen at mostly easy targets but in incredibly funny ways. You may never have seen “Annie,” “Les Miserables” or “Lion King,” but are still very aware of them and lots of other Broadway shows through popular culture.

Both have four very talented actors, who understand and are so good at delivering the material. There are two men in “Forbidden Broadway,” Mark Ginsburg and Jerry Lee, and two women, Jessica Reiner-Harris and Melissa Wolfklain, all credited as “cast.”

New York transplant Ginsburg, debuting with California Musical Theatre and the Cosmo Cabaret does a Jean Valjean performed by an actor overtaxed by the wrong key among the many roles for which he received long ovations.

Lee, who has been doing great things (“In Trousers,” “Musical of Musicals...,” “They’re Playing our Song”) since his return to his hometown after graduating from Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts a couple of years ago.

I started to say “New to Sacramento,” but Reiner-Harris is a hometown actor who has been quite busy acting, it’s just that she has been acting elsewhere. Her daring-to-take-on-the-diva Streisand is one of the priceless moments in the production. Reiner-Harris is one of those great discoveries for her home town theater scene.

Back for a third time at Cosmo Cabaret is Wolfklain (“A Grand Night for Singing,” “Suds”). The lights will go up on Wolfklain as Annie, an over-the-hill Annie, and the audience begins to chuckle at just the first sight of her character. They end in fits of laughter by the end of the song. Wolfklain definitely charms with her third Cosmo Cabaret production.

In a “West Side Story” spoof, Reiner-Harris and Wolfklain do Chita Rivera and Rita Moreno as dueling stage version Anita verses film version Anita which had both the characters and the audience yelling AYE! AYE! AYE!

Musical director Graham Sobelman (“Graham-A-Rama”) brings out great musical performances and also performs the lively piano score.

The characters would not be complete without the very character-defining costume creation for each character by Alvin Colt, working with the hair, wig and makeup designs of Christine Conklin.

Colt, who had an astounding career in costume design starting in the 1940’s, has spent 15 years designing for “Forbidden Broadway,” receiving a Drama Desk award in 2005 while in his late eighties. The pictures speak for themselves in regard to Colt’s designs.

The same thing can be said for Conklin’s hair wig, and makeup design. This is also her third production at Cosmo (“Suds,” “Bingo”), while also designing for Music Circus (“Camelot,” “Oliver!” and “I Do! I Do!”).

With all those costumes and costume changes someone is needed to keep them in order and get the actors changed - often in record time - and that would be Gabriella Nance as costume coordinator and head dresser. Nance costumed “Plaid” as well.

Three long-time Cosmo Cabaret associates complete the experience of “Forbidden Broadway.” Michael Peters has created a minimal budget-friendly single set, yet it fits so well with the whole humor of the look of an Off-Broadway production. His design is assisted by fellow longtime Cosmo Cabaret associate Sally Slocum’s lighting. Robert Sereno continues to engineer the great sound of Cosmo Cabaret productions.

Pulling all this together is director William Selby. Sacramento Press contributor Barry Wisdom has an excellent interview with Selby in his preview of “Forbidden Broadway.”

“Forbidden” has something else in common with “Plaid” in that both have several creative folks that have long histories with their respective productions. Selby has been an award winning actor, assistant director and now director, of numerous productions of “Forbidden.” His sense of timing, especially critical with this humor, is great.

With “Forbidden Broadway,” everything - the songs, music, costuming and acting - is geared to make the audience laugh. The Cosmopolitan Cabaret production of the Off-Broadway phenomenon hits on all levels and should become a Sacramento phenomenon.

Reiner-Harris says it all in her bio.

“(She) wants to thank the ridiculously fun cast and crew for making her laugh until she cries and snorts.”

With opening night’s audience giving loud ovations for scene after scene, I would say the audience felt the same way.

“Forbidden Broadway” Cosmopolitan Cabaret California Musical Theatre
Through March 18th, 2012
Information and Tickets

"Make Em Laugh" Mines the Humor of Musicals at STC Cabaret

2012-01-28T21:01:32Z

Sacramento Theatre Company associate producer Michael Laun shakes up the STC Cabaret format with some good surprises. SacPress community contributor writer/photographer Barry Wisdom has a great preview of the latest show.

Changes included the type of theme. Many previous shows have centered around specific composers. “Make Em Laugh” which runs for a short four show run this weekend on the STC Cabaret Stage, is centered around the title subject. It is a collection of songs, many of which are very well known songs by extremely well known composers from timeless shows.

Many of the songs are also from “who wrote that”? Great song, but “what show”? Never heard of it. And it all works well together to create a fun musical look at what Broadway and pop culture has seen as humorous in our lives. No surprise, much of the humor revolved around relationships.

Much of the success of “Make Em Laugh” is due to the performance of this ensemble. They are excellent at turning a good song into a whole story. Each STC Cabaret show has a mix of performers familiar to the core audience and new performers. This show has a larger mix of new faces.

Leading off with Laun is Jessica Crouch fresh off her staring role in “Bingo” at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret, a role that caused this reviewer to use the “F” word: Fabulous! She sounds so beautiful while being so downright funny. She is especially great on “What Happened to My Song” from “Monty Python’s Spamalot.”

Laun is great on a very funny song called “Hawaiian Wedding Song” from a musical called, of all things, “When Pigs Fly.”

Joining Laun and Crouch from the STC Young Professionals Conservatory for “Make Em Laugh” is 14 year old first year student Devon Hayakawa. She gives a sophisticated performance beyond her years, starting with “Shy” from the tv musical “Princess and the Pea” made famous by Carol Burnett.

New to the ensemble are Robert Irvin, Christine Nicholson, and Madeleine Wieland.

Irvin is great on the Cole Porter hit “Miss Otis” and teams with Crouch on “Sue Me” from “Guys and Dolls” and Laun on “Honest Man.”

Nicholson is a hoot on “April in Fairbanks” and “When Your Lover Says Goodbye.”

Wieland opens with “The Boy From” a Sondheim song with a mouth full of words that she readily handles.

Since a lot of the songs are about relationships and the cast is heavily tilted to those interested in men a lot of the songs are about relationships with men such as “The Boy From,” “What Do You Do About Men?,” and “100 Easy Ways to Loose a Man.”

Also new to STC Cabaret is Sam Schieber, musical director and pianist playing with frequent performer, Kellen Garcia on bass.

Love clever lyrics from Broadway shows, both popular and obscure, performed by some great talent? Check out the remaining shows today at 2:00 and 8:00 pm of “Make Em Laugh.”

“Make Em Laugh.” Sacramento Theatre Company Cabaret
Last shows today
Information and Tickets

'Forbidden Broadway' vet Selby sings praises of Cosmopolitan Cabaret's game-for-anything cast

2012-01-27T03:04:26Z

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 York (after more than 9,000 performances and 20 editions) before closing in 2009. Additionally, Alessandrini’s parodies of both popular and pompous Broadway tuners have spawned a worldwide cult fueled by a continuously updated score and countless tours and special engagements.

One such production, directed by Selby, opens in Sacramento Jan. 27 for an eight-week run at California Musical Theatre’s Cosmopolitan Cabaret.

Selby joined his first “Forbidden Broadway” cast in 1985 when he was selected for a Washington, D.C., production.

Just as he imagined, Selby found it was love at first spoof.

Beyond the joy of performing twisted versions of the Great White Way’s greatest hits to wildly appreciative audiences, Selby said he became a part of something more permanent than a Playbill listing.

“One of the nice benefits of being part of ‘Forbidden Broadway’ is that it’s a family,” he said. “I’ve made some of the truest friends I’ve had.”

“I’ve always come back to it because I love it,” Selby continued.

After 15 years of playing dozens of theater legends in their best and worst roles from San Diego to Singapore, Alessandrini and producer John Freedson suggested Selby join the team’s directorial staff.

“By that time, you know what works,” said Selby.

Since making his directorial debut in Minneapolis in 2001, he has led shows in New Orleans, Chicago, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Long Island, N.Y., and at sea onboard a Regent Seven Seas Cruise Lines voyage.

The production at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret marks his 15th show at the helm.

While he said he keeps “pretty busy” with “Forbidden Broadway,” both as a director and performer, the Emerson College alumnus continues to take acting gigs that are far from his “FB” roles, including playing the prompter opposite Keith Baker in “Barrymore.”

Selby said working on both sides of the “Forbidden Broadway” footlights gives him invaluable insight on what works – and who works – on stage.

He said he was quick to pick the four performers ultimately selected for Sacramento’s production from the L.A.-based auditions.

“I know in the audition if they can do it – it’s a matter of confidence,” Selby said.

Freedom from fear of failing is an important trait shared by successful “Forbidden Broadway” cast members, he continued. Most of those who try out aren’t professional impressionists, “But as we always say, you don’t have to be a great impersonator, just be willing to try.”

Selby gushed about the way his cast (Marc Ginsburg, Jerry Lee, Jessica Reiner-Harris, Melissa WolfKlain) has shed all self-doubts and vanity to take on the diverse numbers (and costumes) demanded of “Forbidden Broadway” performers.

Jerry Lee and Jessica Reiner-Harris have River City roots, and WolfKlain recently spent eight months at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret performing as the soubrette in “A Grand Night for Singing,” and Cindy in “Suds.”

Ginsburg is a Philadelphia native and former New Yorker now living in Los Angeles ~~Sacramento~~ .

“These guys have totally nailed it,” Selby said of the quartet that escorts their audiences through a whirlwind tour of classic and contemporary musicals from “Hello, Dolly!” to “Hairspray,” and from “Man of La Mancha” to “Jersey Boys.” “Even after all of these years, I don’t take the show lightly. They have to perform the numbers as if they’re actually doing the original shows.”

Selby stressed that one does not need to be a fan of said original productions – or musical theater in general – to enjoy a “Forbidden Broadway” revue.

“You don’t even need to be aware of all of the shows,” he said. “The costumes alone are hysterically funny.”

Selby said Alessandrini and his creative team are very conscious that their audiences aren’t all New Yorkers with easy access to the Times Square TKTS booth, and dismiss more-obscure titles from their list of shows ripe for mocking.

One of the things his New York-based team does in tailoring a “Forbidden Broadway” show for a particular city is to look at what tours recently played in that area. (“Mary Poppins,” which recently played at the Sacramento Community Center Theatre under the California Musical Theatre banner, is featured in Sacramento’s “FB” revue.)

But he also said they try not to underestimate audiences as they’ve found audiences in the hinterlands who were crazy for numbers culled from lesser-known shows.

Call “Forbidden Broadway” a parody, a spoof or a mock-musical, but Selby said it’s not an all-out farce.

“You can play it too broadly,” he said, switching gears to offer up an example of a Carol Channing impression gone awry.

“It can be grotesque,” he said. “There’s a level, and you have to keep that level.”

It’s a balancing act his current cast has perfected, he said.

“They’ll give you what you ask for – they’ve found capabilities even they didn’t know they had.”

Selby said all four shine as newly minted mimics.

“Jessica does a tremendous Patti LuPone. Marc’s Mandy Patinkin … well, I was proud of mine, but his is better. … Melissa – her Carol Channing is so funny. ... Jerry is a terrific Robert Goulet. These four have very strong voices.”

Along with kudos to his cast, Selby applauded the California Musical Theatre/Cosmopolitan Cabaret creative team, including Executive Producer Richard Lewis, Artistic Director Glenn Casale and ~~Company Manager~~ Cosmopolitan Cabaret Associate Producer Marlene Shire-Anderson.

“I’ve decided this is the best team by far that I’ve ever worked with,” said Selby. “They dot every ‘I,’ cross every ‘T.’”

JUST THE FACTS
WHAT: “Forbidden Broadway,” a musical revue parodying classic and contemporary musical theater hits from “Man of La Mancha” to “Wicked.”
WHEN: Jan. 27-March 18, 2012 (7 p.m. Wednesdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays)
WHERE: Cosmopolitan Cabaret, 1000 K St., Sacramento
TICKETS: $33-$43; call (916) 557-1999 or go online at www.tickets.com
FOR INFO: www.calmt.com

Editor's Note: Edits have been made to this article after publication.

Catch "Little Fish" at the New Helvetia Theatre Before It Is Gone

2011-10-27T06:25:39Z

New Helvetia Theatre ends its three-weekend run of Michael John Lachiusa’s off-Broadway show “Little Fish” this weekend. While Lachiusa is known for two Broadway shows, "Marie Christine" and "The Wild Party," he has written several smaller-scale off-Broadway shows. Most of these have a reputation of being very serious. “Little Fish” is one of his lighter works and was suggested from the short stories of Deborah Eisenburg.

“Little Fish” is New York City-centric. It is the setting of the play, and some of the interactions of the characters can be described as very “New York.” The play itself is part of a genre of musicals, many by Lachiusa, that are specifically written for off-Broadway with a more contemporary style. Lachiusa is also known for an ongoing feud in print with the creators of more traditional Broadway musicals. Nevertheless, “Little Fish” deals with universal themes of the human condition and relationships.

Charlotte, a writer living in New York City, is the center of the play. Her decision to stop smoking results in a clear look at herself and her relationships. She comes to realizes that she has low self-esteem and that her past and present relationships don’t help. This is especially true of Charlotte’s relationship with Robert in Buffalo, her first live-together relationship. He has no difficulty putting her down, telling her how untalented, dumb and uninteresting she is.

Charlotte’s way of dealing with Robert is to run off to New York City, where, moving in with a wild roommate, Cinder, she first takes up smoking. Being off cigarettes, Charlotte also discovers that running away is her usual reaction to issues she doesn’t want to deal with.

Maggie Hollinbeck is perfectly cast as Charlotte. She plays Charlotte with a vulnerability that makes her seem like she is going to break. The role has similarities to that of “The Wife” that she did such a great performance of at Graham-A-Rama’s staged concert of “In Trousers.” Yet Charlotte continues to find her strength. It is always a pleasure to hear Hollinbeck sing, and this is no exception.

Robert is performed by Craig Howard. Howard has a wonderful voice, and his Robert puts down Charlotte with such relish that some of the audience hissed at him. Howard teaches theater arts at Sheldon High School, where he has been nominated for and won numerous Elly Awards for his work. He has also has won or been nominated for Elly Awards for his performances in diverse musical theater productions on several regional stages.

Cinder the crazy roommate is performed by well-known Sacramento actor Nanci Zoppi. This is her fourth production at New Helvetia, along with several shows on other stages including Cosmopolitan Cabaret and B Street Theatre. Zoppi displays both her great singing and comic talent here.

Rosemary Babich (“They’re Playing Our Song”), Danielle Hansen (“In Trousers In Concert”), Steve Minow (“The Drowsy Chaperone”), Andrew J. Perez (“Junie B. Jones, Jingle Bells Batman Smells) and Tristan Rumery (“tick...tick...BOOM!”) are great as the friends who surround Charlotte.

While there is dialogue in the show, much of the story is told through the music. There are over two dozen songs in “Little Fish,” allowing each performer to show off their musical skills, whether as a solo, duet or singing with the whole company.

The music is so central to the show that the single set designed by Pat Farragher and Tim Mickiewicz incorporates the band as part of the set. The set also incorporates lots of storage for the props and is mostly representative of the “Y” where Charlotte swims and runs.

The band consists of Graham Sobelman on keyboard and conducting, Erik Daniels on keyboard, Kellen Garcia on bass, Ryan Harbert and James Lohman rotating on reeds and Jim Nakayama on percussion. There is a strong Graham-A-Rama influence here. It is, in some ways, as enjoyable to watch the band perform as it is to watch the actors. Speaking with Garcia after the show, he confirmed that the band members really enjoy performing the score.

New Helvetia artistic director Connor Mickiewicz directs, demonstrating his usual flare for this style of musical. Working with choreographer Michael Jenkison, the production numbers work well for both their visual impact and the balance of the singers’ voices.

Mickiewicz and New Helvetia are drawn to musicals that appeal to a younger audience. “Little Fish” is certainly one of those shows, but it is appealing to much wider audience. This show has a definite date-night feel to it, but not just a young-romantic-couple date-night feel. There is also the feel of friends, family, coworkers and longtime couples on a theater date night.

“Little Fish” enters its third and final weekend run Wednesday night. Make a date for an entertaining couple of hours.

“Little Fish” New Helvetia Theatre Through October 29, 2011
More info and tickets

Sacramento Area Concerts and Local Music Events This Week

2011-10-14T14:24:10Z

Here are some of the many music events happening in the Sacramento area this week. For more detailed information on these events and many more go to www.eMusiConnect.com.

Sacramento Area Concerts & Music Events

Running through January 2012: Bingo The Winning Musical at Cosmopolitan Cabaret at 10th & K street in Sacramento. Shows at various times. Tickets are $32.00- $48.00.

Friday, October 14th: Journey with Foreigner & Night Ranger at Sleeptrain Amphitehatre. Concert at 7PM. Tickets are $30.00 - $280.00.

Saturday, october 15th & Sunday, October 16th: Sacramento Philharmonic presents Rachmaninoff featuring pianist Olga Kern. SAT at Sacramento Communit Center Theatre at 8PM. SUN at Three Stages Folsom at 2PM. Tickets are $20.00 - $60.00.

Saturday, October 15th: Midtown Vampire Pub Crawl featuring dancers from the Scaramento Ballet beginsa with Happy Hour and continues to sevral locations in Midtown. Info at www.sacballet.org.

Monday, October 17th: Brian Mckenna's B-Day Show with Adrian Belew Power Trio & Stickman - King Crimson - at Harlows. Show at 7:30PM. Tickets are $25.00 - $48.00.

The Local Music Scene

Friday, October 14th

Musical Charis - Feva in the Funkhouse at Harlows 10PM/$7

Rudy Parris at Torch Club 9PM/$8

Gene Smith - Greenhouse - Lucky Laskowsk at Fox & Goose 9PM/$5

3 Dance Floors of DJ Top Hits - Hip-Hop - Latin at Faces $5 before 10PM/$10 After

Flirt Fridays at District 30 9PM

CrookOne TGIF at Golden Bear 10PM/No Cover

Robert Wynia from Floater at Marilyns 9:30PM/$5

80's & 90's DJ Mix at Mix Downtown 9PM

Banner Mountain Boys at Lunas 9PM/$6

Desario - Jem & Scout - 50 Watt Heavy at Old Ironsides 9PM

Zodiac Death Valley -Ritual Waste - Tepid Joy at Naked Lounge Downtown 8:30PM/$5

DJ Gabe Xavier Park Ultra Lounge 9PM/$15

Roger Carpio & X-GVNR - Jon Dro -l at Townhouse 9PM/$5

Get Down To The Champion Sound with DJ Esef at Capitol Garage 10PM/$5

Mr. Rogers - The Well Known Nobody’s - Groovin’ High at Shenanigans 9PM/$5

G.A.B. - Brand Smiff - Jesse James - Kaleigh Boi - Vicious - Von Vatton at The Boardwalk 8PM

Wonderbread 5 at Power House Pub 10PM/$12

Happy Medium - Goodness Gracious Me at Luigis Fungarden 8:30PM/$6

Saturday, October 15th

Halloween Party w/ The Hits at Marilyns 9:30PM/$10

Exhale The Vile - A Thousand Shall Fall at Old Ironsides 9PM

Little Black Bats and friends at Fox & Goose 9PM/$5

Wonderland at Mix Downtown 9PM

Country Music & Line Dancing 8PM with DJ's on Three Floors at Faces $5 before 10PM/$10 after

DJ Peeti-V at Park Ultra Lounge 9PM

The Nickel Slots - Bright Faces - Whiskey & Stitches at Distillery 10PM

Terry Hanck at The Torch Club 9PM/$8

The Speed Of Sound In Seawater - Hail The Sun - Asteroid M - Iconoclast Robot at Lounge Downtown 8PM/$8

DJ Whores at The Golden Bear 10PM/No Cover

Blood Moon Regale After Party at Shenanigans 9PM

Tag! You’re Dead - Our Endless Obsession - Calling All Survivors - Brothers to Arms - Thea Skotia The Boardwalk 7PM

Caravanserai at Power House Pub 10PM/$10

DJ Larry Rodriquez at Press Club 9PM/$5

Ancient Mariner Iron Maiden Tribute - Electric Funeral Black Sabbath Tribute at Blue Lamp 9PM

X-GVNR & Brian Hawk at Townhouse Lounge 9PM/$5

Sunday, October 16th

Dragalicious Show & DJ Hits at Faces 9PM/$5

Bone Mc Donald Band at Torch Club 1PM/$20

Powerhouse of Blues at Power House Pub 3PM

Industry Night at Golden Bear 9PM

Reggae Basement with DK Wokstar at Blue Lamp 9:30PM

Sunday Nght Soul Party with DJ Larry & DJ Hailey Press Club 8PM

Today the Sacramento Arts & Business Council's Annual Prelude To The Season "Arts & Minds" event which honors many regional area arts organizations, performing arts groups, and companies that support the arts will take place at Double Tree Hotel on Arden Way in Sacramento. I'll be working at the event again this year, and it's a great way to gather, celebrate the arts, and look forward to the coming 2011-2012 seaon of events in the Sacramento regional area.

Disclosure: I have been covering the local music scene in the Sacramento area for over ten years, and just want people to know what's happening where they live. There is a lot to choose from and a wide variety of local talented musicians.So Get Out & Enjoy!!

Everybody Wins at this Bingo-"Bingo the Winning Musical" Cosmo Cabaret

2011-10-05T22:28:08Z

Some Bingo players are notorious for not letting anything get in the way of their Bingo night. That is definitely the case of Vern, Patsy and Honey, the trio of women at the center of “Bingo the Winning Musical,” which opened this last weekend at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret.

The show begins with our trio of bingo addicted ladies listening to emergency weather reports describing a major storm raging outside.

No one should leave their home except in the most dire emergency, but does this faze our intrepid gang? Not in the least. Besides, this is not just any Bingo night. This is the anniversary of the local bingo parlor featuring a double prize! No little storm is going to keep our girls away.

But there is another anniversary tonight that is just as significant. The trio used to be a foursome. On this night fifteen years ago, Bernice, the fourth player, committed a Bingo faux pas so great that it broke up the foursome. Vern believes herself to be the victim of the act and has not forgiven Bernice after all these years.

Naturally, they make it to the Bingo parlor where Minnie the hostess and Sam who calls the numbers are busy revving up the crowd.

Who is the crowd that made it to Bingo this dark and stormy night? Well, it is the audience.

Each audience member gets multiple Bingo cards with daubers to use to mark the cards.

A stranger walks into the Bingo parlor this night. Hesitant at first, she is seated with our trio. Little do they know that this young lady, Allison, is the daughter of the long estranged Bernice.

Eydie Alyson plays Patsy, the extremely superstitious one, hysterically so. Alyson has a long stage, television and recording resume. She was last seen at Cosmopolitan Cabaret in “Suds the Musical” as Dee Dee.

Nikki D’Amico plays Honey who makes little effort to hide the fact that she has the hots for Sam and would do anything to make him hers. D’Amico has appeared in numerous regional and national tours of major Broadway musicals. In Sacramento she appeared in Music Circus productions of “A Chorus Line,” “The Boyfriend” and “Nunsense.”

Lisa Raggio does a great job of portraying the still bitter Vern while keeping Vern a sympathetic character. It might help that Raggio has an MA in Psychology and counseling along with her extensive experience in musical theater and voicing animation.

Bonnie Bailey-Reed plays both Minnie the Bingo parlor hostess and Bernice, mostly in flashbacks. She has acted in a number of musical and dramatic stage roles along with extensive television work including roles as a series regular. Her television work includes many roles in commercials that bring you those shows. The fact that she is having a great deal of fun with these roles is obvious.

Michael Stevenson at his hunkiest and sexiest plays Sam, the object of Honey’s lust and affection, also as Frank, the man who pulled the numbers 15 years ago. His portrayal of Sam runs from sexy to silly or goofy. An MFA graduate of the American Conservatory Theatre, Stevenson is best known for appearing in numerous shows at the B Street Theatre where he is a member of the acting company. He and his wife, Jamie Jones, are co-directors of the B Street Conservatory.

The mysterious Alison is played by Sacramento native and graduate of the prestigious NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Jessica Crouch. She was most recently seen on the Cosmopolitan Cabaret stage in a reprise of Graham-A-Rama’s concert version of William Finn’s, “In Trousers,” playing Miss Goldberg. That role was a portend of her – yes, I am going to use the “F” word here, fabulous performance as Alison.

Everyone in the show is a really great singer-actor-dancer with years of experience, but when Crouch walks onto the stage and begins to sing, the whole place just lights up.

While having a fairly simple and straight forward plot, the book by Michael Heitzman and Ilene Reid is sweet and endearing. The sequences where the audience plays bingo helps create the excitement and the addictive quality of bingo while actually being fun.

The music and lyrics by Heitzman and Reid along with David Holcenberg run from fun and silly to sad and hopeful. The songs allow the talented cast to show off their best performances.

All the creative talent for “Bingo the Winning Musical” have strong ties to Cosmopolitan Cabaret and its sister series, Music Circus.

Music director Michael Paternostro, while an experienced musical director, is usually out on stage performing. He has appeared in over a dozen roles on Broadway, touring and regionally. This season he was the wonderfully over the top Carmen Ghia in the Music Circus opener, “The Producers,” and the sweet Eddie Ryan in last year’s, “Funny Girl.”

Sound designer Robert Sereno did the original sound design and engineering for the Cosmopolitan Cabaret.

Scenic designer Michael Peters is the prop designer for Music Circus and did set design for “Suds” at the Cosmo as well as the great props for “Forever Plaid,” the first production at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret.

Peters’ set design is enhanced by lighting design by Sally Slocum who did the Cosmo productions of “Shear Madness” and “A Grand Night for Singing.

Angela Enos, who did costumes, also designed for “Miss Saigon,” “The Producers” and “Camelot” this season at Music Circus.

Hair, wig and makeup design, so important in a show like “Bingo” is by Christine Conklin who did “Oliver!” “Camelot” and “I Do! I Do!” at Music Circus this season.

The biggest Music Circus and Cosmopolitan Cabaret connection here is the director, Glenn Casale.

Casale is the artistic director of California Musical Theatre, the parent company for Music Circus and Cosmopolitan Cabaret, along with Broadway Sacramento. He is a theatre icon as well as a treasure in Sacramento. He makes the most of a talented cast with a good musical show. His staging and choreography really make “Bingo” come alive.

“Bingo the Winning Musical” is easily the best show Cosmopolitan Cabaret has produced since “Forever Plaid.”

Like “Plaid,” “Bingo” will easily hold up to repeat viewings. The talented cast is a joy to watch. It is fun, funny and good time, and who knows, you may win an actual Bingo prize! Even if you don’t, you will have had a winning night at the theatre.

Graham-A-Rama's Excellent Production of "In Trousers" Being Reprised at Cosmopolitan Cabaret

2011-08-12T20:35:33Z

On sporadic Sundays an audience gathers in the cosy Geary Theater in Midtown for an evening of songs performed by some of Sacramento’s best actor/singers at a cabaret event known as Graham-A-Rama, named after its’ founder and musical director Graham Sobelman.

In June Graham-A-Rama did something different. They devoted a weekend to three performances of William Finn’s one act musical play “In Trousers” in concert. “In Trousers” which Finn wrote the book, lyrics and music is the first of what became trilogy of three one act plays. Finn joined with James Lapine to create two more one act plays “March of the Falsettos” and “Falsettoland.” The second two shows were combined to create a two act Broadway musical “Falsettos.” "Falsettos" was nominated for four Tony Awards and won best book for a musical and best original score for the writers. Finn is now best known for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

Through 30 songs, “In Trousers” tells the story of Marvin from childhood, through high school, marriage, coming to terms with his sexuality, and divorce. We see all this from the points of view of Marvin, Miss Goldberg (one of Marvin’s teachers), the sweetheart and the wife.

As a concert, only the songs of the play are performed, with out using full set design and with minimal props. The singers hold their songbooks or place them on music stands. Yet even with the minimal staging, there isn't a loss of dramatic impact. The audience is transported into the life of Marvin. Finn’s words and music are part of what makes this show so dramatic. Speaking with director Jerry Lee, who also sings the role of Marvin, he stated that: “In my opinion William Finn may be the best living American composer.”

\The other reason that this production has the dramatic punch that it does is the skill of the performers “In Trousers” features four of the best musical theater performers around in Sacramento or really anywhere. In addition, music director Graham Sobelman’s accompaniment is powerful dramatic, and flawless

Danielle Hansen is The Sweetheart. Hansen has appeared with numerous community musical theater companies and is a regular at Runaway Stage Production where she last played Little Sally in “Urine Town.” Dressed in as a cheerleader here, she is the quintessential high school girl. She does a great job on “My High School Sweetheart.”

Miss Goldberg, the teacher Marvin lusts after, always wearing sunglasses, is played by Jessica Crouch. Crouch has just finished touringwith the national tour of “All Shook Up.” Her torch-song rendition of “Set Those Sails” had the audience cheering.

Maggie Hollinbeck plays The Wife. Hollenbeck is well known on numerous Sacramento stages for her wonderful performances and beautiful voice. She is perfect as The Wife who finds herself unable to understand who her husband is and what is happening to her marriage. The audience witnesses her character dramatic trajecory falling apart on “I’m Breaking Down.” The audience cheered Hollinbeck's performance of the song.

In regard to Marvin, the production notes state: “You are about to witness a series of flashbacks, some of which are true. Some of which are probably not so true. But all of them, in their quirky, Finn-esque way, shape Marvin into the flawed protagonist we both loathe and adore.

Jerry Lee is tremendous as the flawed Marvin. Marvin must both answer to the women and hold his ground in who he is fundamentally.

Roseville native, Lee, who returned to Sacrament in 2010 after completing his studies at the prestigious Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts plays Marvin. He quickly began appearing on Sacramento stages most visibly at New Helvetia Theater notebly as Vernon Gershin “They’re Playing Our Song” and at Sacramento Theatre Company as Billy in their acclaimed production “Musical
of Musical: The Musical.” Lee has a beautiful voice and great musical skill. He also has the dramatic chops to embody Marvin’s moods from giddy and silly to confused and conflicted to clear and steady. As the director of the show he also has the actors communicate much of the emotion and relationship through his staging.

The fine singing performances are backed by Graham-A-Rama founder/music director/producer Graham Sobelman. Along with being a sought-after accompanist, Sobelman has been the music director at New Helvetia Theatre, UC Davis, Capital Stage, Sacramento Theatre Company, and Music Circus Junior Company. The scheduled August 28th Graham-A-Rama Cabaret show will be his 86th production of the cabaret series! Sobelman’s performance of the score reflects his feelings for one of his favorite composers.

The great news for Sacramento music and theatre lovers is that this production of “In Trousers” is being reprised. The production is moving from the restricted seating of the Geary Theater to California Musical Theatre’s modern Cosmopolitan Cabaret. Although the Cabaret is about four times the size of the Geary a great deal of work went into the design of room to have very good acoustics. The same wonderful cast will be performing the show.

Sacramento audiences are lucky to have another opportunity to experience the music and drama of a rarely produced but excellent piece of American musical theater by one of its’ great composers. All of this is lovingly rendered by a talented cast that perform so well together.

Graham-A-Rama presents William Finn’s “In Trousers”
Cosmopolitan Cabaret August 15th and August 22, 2011 7:00 pm
$18 advance $23 at door Tickets Wells Fargo Pavilion Ticket Office (916) 557-1999

B on K, New Concept, New Venue for B Street Theatre

2011-08-04T07:11:16Z

Last Thursday B Street Theatre previewed a new concept to a sold out house at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret after Cosmo Cabaret regular show of the evening, "Defending the Cave Man." The new concept is sketch comedy and some improv performed by some of B Street's funniest actors. The actors in the show along with B Street producing artistic director Buck Busfeild wrote the material. Think the funnier sketches from "Saturday Night Live"

B Street veteran Dave Peirini emcees along with appearing in several of the sketches. Peirini has appeared in many of the funniest shows at B Street over the years including last seasons opener "Love Child" The SacPress review of "Love Child" started with this: Love Child is the theatrical version of juggling. The cast consists of B Street regulars David Pierini and Gregory Alexander. Between the two of them they play eleven characters of both sexes and varying ages. Changing between characters sometimes at lightning speed.

Peirini has also appeared with two of the other B on K performers Brittni Barger and Stephanie Altholz in the very funny "Junie B. Jones, Jingle Bells, Batman Smells."

The other performers are Jason Kuykendall and Amy Kelly. The appeared in last season's hysterical "The 39 Steps" where the two played 140 different characters some changing at lightning speed.

While all are good at performing comic roles in a structured play, sketch comedy and improv is a very different thing. The cast of B on K have managed to put together some very funny material and do a good job of performing it.

Kelly who is a writer as well as an actor has the most experience performing in sketch comedy. Her waitress with no inhibitions coming on to Peirini and Kuykendall's characters is a hoot. She is in fact very willing to be quite outragous in all she appears in.

Put a bright colored wig on Barger and she will do anything.

Altholz and Kuykendall proved to be quite facile at improv along with being very funny in many of the sketches.

The audience made up primarily of B Street subscribers laughed uproarisly throughout the show. They did tend to be a little older which is not the usuall sketch comedy/improv audience. It will be interesting to see what the next two scheduled performances bring.

The show is a funny fun evening for a very reasonable price.

Showing this Thursday August 4th and next Thursday August 11th at 9:30 pm. $15 plus one drink minimum. 18 and over. Non-alcholic dirnks also available. Approximately 1 hour plus intermission.

B on K at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret More info and tickets.

Speaking with the Caveman

2011-06-09T02:19:29Z

Los Angeles-based actor Cody Lyman is the first of four actors appearing in the solo show “Defending the Caveman” at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret. A review of the show was published earlier on SacPress. SacPress caught up with Lyman on his day off Tuesday.

You grew up in Durango, Colo. How did you end up being an actor?

I was a baseball and football player in high school. Played in an all-state game. Didn’t think I was good enough for college. I fell into acting in college. Kept going. It seemed like a lot of fun. It was a good group of people. I feel that theater is pretty important. It helps people look at the world.

“Defending the Caveman” is about more than just male-female relationships.

One of my favorite parts about the show is about men’s relationships with each other. (The play) is for everyone who loved someone enough to be frustrated with each other.

You have been performing “Caveman” for seven years. What keeps it interesting for you as an actor?

It is because the play is conversational, more than a monologue. It is the audience seeing their relationships up on the stage. (There is) a very thin fourth wall. This is the first time to have four actors. I stay closer to the script. Some are more stand-up. I have seen all the other Cavemen. Four different actors, four different performances.

Speaking of stand-up, you have a very strong background in improvisational acting. Rob Becker, who wrote the play, came from doing stand-up comedy, and the play has a very stand-up feel. How did this work out for you?

Improv helped me land the role in the show. I auditioned with Rob Becker in Chicago, where he was based at the time. I do know how to do the tricks. Five of us were hired to learn the script at the same time. We were sent to boot camp in Norman, Okla. Yes, Norman, Okla. There are a lot of cavemen there. I was the only one that was hired. I was given pages and pages of notes. “Caveman” is translated into the language of where it is performed. I saw it in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Do you pick up on caveman behavior in your friends and acquaintances?

Definitely! When I first got the script, I did not understand it. The longer I do it, the more I see it in my family and others.

When you are working in different cities, do you take the time to check them out?

Yes, I do like to do that. I have already checked out Old Sacramento. I have been to a River Cats game. I got to throw out the first pitch. I take in as much of each city as I can.

Cody Lyman will be performing the solo role of the Caveman in “Defending the Caveman” at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret through June 26, 2011

Schedule and Tickets

Long Running “Defending the Caveman” Opens at Cosmopolitan Cabaret

2011-06-05T23:46:18Z

Is there a difference in how men and women communicate? Do they, in fact, view the world differently? Rob Becker’s comedic play “Defending the Caveman” demonstrates not only that this is true, but that this can be traced all the way back to when Homo sapiens lived in caves.

Now don’t confuse “Defending the Caveman” with some academic lecture. The show is much more akin to stand-up comedy — stand-up comedy with a nice set design, sound track and introduction video.

Speaking of the set, it looks like Fred and Wilma Flintstone meet HGTV.

The Cosmopolitan Cabaret production of “Defending the Caveman” opened Thursday evening with Cody Lyman in the role of today’s caveman. Lyman is one of several cavemen appearing in productions around the world. The Cosmo Cabaret production is going to feature four cavemen during its three-plus-month run.

Lyman is very charming as he lays out the “Caveman” premise that the original caveman was the hunter/protector and the original cavewoman was the gatherer/knowledge-seeker/reproducer/goddess. That translates to the basic premise that men are simple, uncomplicated and focused on one thing at a time, while women are complex, complicated and multi-focused.

All this is laid out with gentle humor. Yes, much of the humor is about stereotypical behavior, but it is generally acknowledged that there is usually a grain of truth in stereotypes. It is the grain of truth that sparks recognition from the audience and the ensuing laughter — not only laughter but shouted responses from the audience typical of stand-up comedy.

The show does depend to a degree on audience reaction and interaction. The more audience reaction, the more fun the play is for the audience. Stand-up fans will really love the show and will bring the rest of the audience along laughing at not only what is happening on the stage but what is happening in the audience.

Becker’s play pretty much equally highlights the behavior of men and women. It also asks that each gender think about what may be innate behavior of the opposite sex. Becker also has a lot to say about interactions of men with men and women with women. All this needs to be prefaced with that this is heterosexual behavior and that it also discounts the evolution of relationships.

“Defending the Caveman” obviously strikes a chord with its audiences. It has been showing since Becker premiered it in San Francisco in 1991. It still holds the record of the longest solo performance play on Broadway and has been successfully translated into over 15 languages. Lyman has been performing the role for seven years. He is good at making the material timely.

Go see “Defending the Caveman” and let your inhibitions go. Shout out your reactions when things spark recognition. If you have been in a successful long-term relationship, you are bound to recognize several truths. If you are new to a heterosexual relationship, you will learn some useful things. If you don’t fall into either group, you can just laugh at how crazy these people can be.

“Defending the Caveman” Cosmopolitan Cabaret June 1- September 11, 2011 More Information and Tickets

Cody Lyman-”Caveman” June 1- June 26
Ben Tedder-”Caveman” June 29- July 17
Paul Perroni-”Caveman” July 20-August 14
Vince Valentine-”Caveman” August 17-September 11

City loans California Musical Theatre $300,000

2011-04-28T01:17:51Z

The struggling California Musical Theatre in Sacramento will receive $300,000 from the city to help it stay afloat.

The Sacramento City Council unanimously decided Wednesday to loan the amount to the theater over the next three years. The theater can withdraw the money in $50,000 increments each quarter until the $300,000 total is reached, according to a report by city staff. The money will go toward the theater’s operations.

California Musical Theatre runs Music Circus, the Broadway Series and Cosmopolitan Cabaret.

“It’s an important piece of downtown,” Councilman Jay Schenirer said, referring to the theater. The business the theater brings to downtown is “incredibly important,” he added.

The city is taking $300,000 from its Community Center Theater Renovation Project for the loan.

Councilwomen Sandy Sheedy and Angelique Ashby noted that the money for the loan is designated for the arts and cannot be used in the city’s general fund.

When the theater withdraws money from the loan during a fiscal year, it must pay back the city the amount plus interest by June 30 of that fiscal year, according to the city staff report.

The theater cannot receive a bank line of credit because of its financial situation, the staff report said.

Still, the theater provides benefits to the city, according to the report. The theater employs more than 550 people, and pays $800,000 to the Sacramento Convention Center in rent annually, the report said.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Shows, Lectures and Dance: Lots Going On the Next Couple of Weeks

2011-04-06T00:58:42Z

Theater

Openings

“The Bell of Amherst” Sacramento Theatre Company
Opened Saturday Great performance by Jackie Vanderbeck
SacPress review Schedule and Tickets

"FROM GODSPELL TO WICKED: The Musicals of Stephen Schwartz" STC Cabaret Thursday through Saturday only Last of STC Cabaret shows this season SacPress preview Tickets and Info

“Young Frankenstein” Broadway Sacramento
Opens Wednesday April 13 Mel Brooks’ insanity brought to the stage
Schedule and Tickets

Last Chance

“Circle Mirror Transformation” B Street Theatre Mainstage
Closes April 10th Features B Street’s great actors
SacPress review Schedule and Tickets

On Going

“Master Class” Capital Stage
Extended through April 17th Knockout performance by Janis Stevens
SacPress review Schedule and Tickets

“Cinderella” B Street Family Series
Two more weekends. Excellent children’s show for all ages.
SacPress review Schedule and Tickets

"A Grand Night For Singing" Cosmopolitan Cabaret Continues through May 8, 2011 The great music of Rodgers and Hammerstein with beverages and food. SacPress review Tickets and Information

Lectures and Performance

Thomas McGuane in conversation with Pam Houston California Lectures
Wednesday night only Novelist, humorist, filmmaker, fly-fisher and all around great storyteller.

SacPress preview Tickets and More Info

Sarah Silverman Mondavi Center
November 10th only If you have seen her on TV you can only imagine what she will be like live. Tickets and Info

Dance

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Mondavi Center
Tonight and Tomorrow only America’s incomparable dance company and ambassadors to the world. Features “Revelations” Fiftieth Anniversary Performance
SacPress preview Tickets and Info

All Mondavi Center Events

Tue–Wed • Apr 5–6 Alvin Ailey American Dance Theate

Wed • Apr 6 Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Recommended for grades 4-12 Mondavi Center School Matinee Program

Fri • Apr 8 The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma Pre-performance Talk SOLD OUT more info

Sat–Sun • Apr 9–10 Lara Downes, piano Long Time Coming: The music of Duke Ellington and David Sanford Pre-performance Talk

Sun • Apr 10 Sarah Silverman Live

Tue • Apr 12 China Philharmonic Orchestra Long Yu, conductor and music director Renaud Capuçon, violin Pre-performance Talk

Wed • Apr 13 Max Raabe & Palast Orchester

Thu • Apr 14 Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain, & Edgar Meyer

Fri • Apr 15 Gold Coast Trio Rachel Vetter Huang, violin Susan Lamb Cook, cello Hao Huang, piano UC Davis Department of Music

All Mondavi Center information and Tickets

New Helvetia Theatre Marks It's Second Anniversary with "They're Playing Our Song"

2011-03-25T22:37:15Z

New Helvetia Theatre is dedicated to performing American musical theater shows. Their selection tends to be contemporary, as the most recent productions were “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” “tick, tick, Boom!,” “It’s Only Life” and “[title of show].”

The current production, “They’re Playing Our Song,” reaches much further back, to December 1978. The book is by one of American theater’s most established playwrights, Neil Simon. The composer is Marvin Hamlisch and the lyricist is Carole Bayer Sager. The book is based very loosely on their personal relationship at the time. Both Hamlisch and Sager are also very established popular songwriters.

The show was a success on Broadway and continues to have stagings and revivals throughout the world. It is essentially a two-person play Each of the characters does have a trio of “voices” that sing the thoughts and dreams of each character. The voices function as a sort of Greek chorus.

New Helvetia Theater also tends to cast young rising stars of the Sacramento theater scene. They have two of the best in “They’re Playing Our Song.” Jerry Lee is Vernon Gersch, the Hamlisch role, and Nanci Zoppi is Sonia Walsk, the Sager role.

Lee most recently appeared as Willy in the critically praised and very popular “The Musical of Musicals: The Musical!” at Sacramento Theatre Company. He was also Fred in STC’s production of “A Christmas Carol” this last holiday season. He appeared in NHT’s last production, “[title of show].”

Lee is a Sacramento native and graduate of the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, where he appeared in numerous roles. Lee has a beautiful voice and solid acting skills. He is also a good pianist, playing the character’s music when the composer character is working on songs.

Zoppi most recently appeared as Marge in the long-running “SUDS” at Cosmopolitan Cabaret. She previously performed at NHT in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” “tick, tick, Boom!” and “It’s Only Life.” Zoppi trained at the prestigious Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York City. She appeared in several production in New York, including “Godspell.” Zoppi also toured schools with the B Street Fantasy Theatre. She is also a beautiful singer and confident actor.

Lee and Zoppi have good rapport, which is important for the success of the show. That rapport is at its best when they are singing together and to each other. Hamlisch and Sager’s music greatly makes up for any weakness in Simon’s dialogue. Zoppi’s performance as the quirky but smart and pretty Sonia and Lee’s performance of the successful handsome also smart Vernon make it easy to see why these two characters alternate being attracted to and repelled by each other.

The three male and three female “voices” characters back each of the two pricipal characters as their thoughts or conscience. They also perform the set changes in choreographed movement.

The women include Rosemary Babich, who also performed in “Celebration” at NHT. She has a drama degree from UC Irvine and also performs with Willows Theatre Company and Davis Musical Theater Company.

Rebecca Mason, debuting at NHT, is another grad at from the Pacific Conservatory, where she appeared in several productions. In Sacramento she appeared last summer in “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” at Music Circus.

Hilary Wells appeared in the title role of “Cinderella” at Sacramento Theatre Company during the 2009-2010 holiday season. She is a graduate of STC's Young Professionals Conservatory.

For the men, new to NHT is Joseph Boyette, who appeared in “Footloose,” Altar Boyz” and “Rent” at Runaway Stage Productions and “The Producers” and “Crazy for You” at Davis Musical Theatre Company.

American Musical and Dramatic Academy graduate T. Patrick Van is also new to NHT. He appeared as the king in STC’s “Cinderella” and in “Evita” and “Man of La Mancha” at Music Circus.

Mike Yee appeared in “It’s Only Life” at NHT. He has also been in “Amahl and the Night Visitors” and “Curtains.” He also teaches high school math.

The show is choreographed by the multi-talented Kiera Anderson, another graduate of the Pacific Conservatory, where she choreographed and appeared in shows. She has also choreographed “tick, tick...Boom!” and acted in “Celebration” and “[title of show].”

“They’re Playing Our Song” is directed by Connor Mickiewicz, NHT’s founding artistic director. Mickiewicz, another multi-talented theater persona, has acted in nearly all NHT’s productions, as well as at B Street Theatre (“Go Dog Go”) and Music Circus (“Annie”). He has directed “Celebration,” “tick, tick...Boom!” and “It’s Only Life” at NHT.

Musical direction is by Graham Sobelman, who is also the first keyboardist. The band features Erik Daniells as second keyboardist, Kenny Manlapig on guitar, Alfonso Portela on drums and Kellen Garcia alternating with Verna Brock on bass. Sobelman music directs at several venues in the Sacramento area, writes music with Nanci Zoppi and is a recording artist.

He may be best known for his “Graham-A-Rama,” the very popular weekly cabaret. Many performers in “They’e Playing Our Song” are regulars at “Graham-A-Rama,” including Lee, Zoppi, Yee, band members and Mickiewicz.

The set makes good use of the somewhat tight stage space in the Artisan Theatre. The set and the costumes look like they are discoveries of a massive ‘70s scavenger hunt. Who has seen a reel-to-reel tape deck recently? Sonia Walsk sourcing outfits from closed theater productions adds to the fun.

New Helvetia Theatre’s second anniversary and premier show of “They’re Playing Our Song” opened to a sold-out audience. The were treated to a well-acted, beautifully sung show with charming songs and a look back at relationships in what seems like a very different time.

"They"re Playing Our Song"

New Helvetia Theatre

Two More Weekends

March 11-April 2 2011
The Artisan Theatre

More Information and Tickets

Sacramento Concerts, Music Events, and The Local Music Scene This Week

2011-03-18T16:06:56Z

Here are some of the many music events happening in the Sacramento area this week. For more detailed information on these events and many more go to www.eMusiConnect.com.

Sacramento Area Concerts & Music Events

Through Sunday, March 20th: 9 to 5 The Musical at The Sacramento Community Center Theatre on 1301 L Street in Sacramento. Shows at 8PM, 2PM, and 7:30PM depending on date. Tickets are $18.00 - $70.00.

A Grand Night For Singing at Cosmopolitan Cabaret on 1000 K Street in Sacramento. Continues WED-SUN. Show times are at 8PM or 7:30PM with some 2PM matinees. Tickets are $33.00 - $48.00.

Friday, March 18th - Saturday, March 19th: Sacramento Ballet In-Studio Celtic Experience at 1631 K Street in Sacramento. Enjoy beer and wine and an intimate performance beginning at 7PM. Tickets are $25.00.

Saturday, March 19th: Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra presents Verdi's Requiem at Mondavi Center on the UC Davis Campus. Performance at 8PM. Tickets are $30.00 - $50.00.

Saturday, March 19th - Sunday, March 20th: Sacramento Master Singers Celtic Connections III at First United Methodist Church on 2100 J Street in Sacramento. SAT at 8PM, SUN at 3PM. Tickets are $20.00.

Sunday, March 20th: Camellia Symphony Orchestra presents a Family Concert at Tsakopoulos Library Galleria at 828 I Street in Sacramento. Performance at 2PM, Instrument petting zoo at 1PM. Free Admission.

Tuesday, March 22nd: Paul Thorn at Harlows. Show at 7:30PM. Tickets are $22.00 ADV.

Wednesday, March 23rd: Marsha Ambrosius with Melanie Fiona at Harlows. Show at 9PM. Tickets are $30.00.

Wednesday, March 23rd: Richrad Thompson Electric Trio at Ace of Spades at 1417 R Street in Sacramento. Show at 7:30PM. Tickets are $35.00 - $40.00.

Wednesday. March 23rd: Lady Gaga Monster Ball Tour at Power Balance Pavilion (Arco Arena). Concert at 8PM. Tickets are limited $52.00 - $177.50.

Thursday, March 24th: Crocker Art Museum presents Open Art: CORE Dance Collective World Premiere of Silent Noise at 216 O Street in Sacramento. Performance at 7PM. Tickets are $15.00 - $25.00.

The Local Music Scene:

Friday, March 18th:

Jerry Perry presents Island of Black and White - The Bellboys - James Cavern at Old Ironsides 9PM/$7

Mary Youngblood at 7PM/$20ADV and Primo with GPD at 10PM at Harlows

Gino Matteo at Torch Club 9PM/$12

Kevin Seconds - Kepi Ghoulie - Dino The Girl at Fox & Goose 9PM/$5

3 Dance Floors of DJ Top Hits, Hip-Hop, Latin at Faces $5 before 10PM/$10 After

Wonderbread 5 at Power House Pub 10PM/$15

CrookOne TGIF at Golden Bear 10PM/No Cover

Adam Varona - Christian De Wild - Ross Hammond at Distillery 10PM/$6

Set Theory at Marilyns 9PM/$5

80's & 90's DJ Mix at Mix Downtown 9PM

Coco Montoya - Mick Martin & The Blues Rockers at The Boardwalk 8PM/$20-$22

DJ Illest at Dream Ultra Lounge 9PM

DJ G-Roy District 30 9PM

As I Lay Dying - Winds of Plague - After The Burial at Ace of Spades 6:30PM/$20

DJ Billy Lane at Park Ultra Lounge 10PM/$15

Rough House with DJ Shaun Slaughter & Roger Carpio at Townhouse 9PM/$5

Get Down To The Champion Sound with DJ Esef at Capitol Garage 10PM/$5

Hot Tar Roofers - Perpetual Drifters at Luigis Fungarden 8:30PM/$5

98 Rock Local Licks Live with Stepchild - Fallrise - Black with DJ Blend downstairs at Shenanigans 9PM/$5

Sean Powers Shadow Puppet Theatre - Gilberto Rodriquez at Lunas Cafe 8PM/$6

Saturday, March 19th

Richard March at Old Ironsides 9PM/$5

The Newzmakers at Marilyns 9PM/$5

Early States - Wesley Avery - Greenlight District at Ace of Spades 6:30PM/$20

Simpl3Jack - Prieta - Honyock at Luigis Fungarden 8:30PM/$5

Sean Kilcoyne - Chris2Me - Rebel Radio at Fox & Goose 9PM/$3

Wonderland at Mix Downtown 9PM

Cura Cochino - Rabbits - Ungolian at The Distillery 10PM/$6

Country Music & Line Dancing 8PM with DJ's on Three Floors at Faces $5 before 10PM/$10 after

DJ Peeti-V at Park Ultra Lounge 9PM

White Minorities - Mudface - Left Hand - Deadset at The Boardwalk 8PM/$10

Laurie Morvan at The Torch Club 9PM/$10

DJ Whores at The Golden Bear 10PM/No Cover

Superlicious at Power House Pub 10PM/$10

DJ Slick D at District 30 9PM

DJ Larry Rodriquez at Press Club 9PM/$5

The Ricky & Del Rock Show - Dungeons & Dragqueens at Blue Lamp 9:30PM/$8

Oh Dang! at Townhouse Lounge 9PM/$3

Sunday, March 20th

Dragalicious Show & DJ Hits at Faces 9PM/$5

Blues Jam at 4PM & Bone McDonald 8PM at Torch Club 8PM/$7

Industry Night at Golden Bear 9PM

Saving Abel - Red Line Chemistry - Desperate Union - First Class Citizen at Ace of Spades 6:30PM/$16

Reggae Basement with DJ Wokstar at Blue Lamp 9:30PM

Great Story, Great Acting, Great Show "Brighton Beach Memoirs" STC Mainstage

2011-03-08T04:06:46Z

In the 1980s, even though he had written numerous highly successful plays (“The Odd Couple,” “The Sunshine Boys”), Neil Simon’s career and his own satisfaction with his work was at a low point. By looking back on his own life as source material, Simon was able to go from seriously funny to a funny and serious play. The result was “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” a fictional look at his childhood in the seaside neighborhood of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York.

It is the fall of 1937. The world is in the worst depression ever and on the brink of the World War II. The Jerome family is typical of the many Jewish families that settled in Brighton Beach. They are trying to live as normal a life as possible, even having taken in an aunt who was widowed young and her two daughters. They worry about relatives still in Europe. The youngest boy, Eugene, though, dreams of the New York Yankees, girls and being a writer.

The audience enters the Sacrament Theatre Company Mainstage theater with Jarrod Bodensteiner’s beautiful set already on display. It is a cutaway of a two-story period Brooklyn row house, including the front steps and door. There is Bodensteiner’s usual attention to detail. His previous set for “The Owl and the Pussycat” was in STC’s Pollock Stage, where the audience members can admire his work as they walk across the set to their seats.

The casting for this show is perfect. The resulting performances are a knockout, starting with Craig Piaget in the role of Eugene. A UC Santa Cruz graduate, Piaget has primarily performed in the Bay Area as well as Melbourne, Australia.

“Brighton Beach Memoirs” is centered around Eugene as the narrator of the play. All the family dynamics are seen through his eyes and interpreted by him in his monologues. To a large degree, the character stands in for Neil Simon. Eugene tells us about things we don’t see directly, as well as about what we are about to see or have just seen. Eugene also throws in a lot of asides during the action.

Piaget is perfectly cast in the role of the “almost 15-year-old” Eugene Morris Jerome. He captures the very charming character perfectly. Whatever mood the character is experiencing at the moment, from elated to upset to the point of crying, Piaget is spot-on in his portrayal. Piaget’s fellow actor, Julie Anchor, stated at the opening-night party that: “He is a great storyteller.”

The role of Eugene is a starmaker. The original 1983 production of “Brighton Beach Memoirs” starred the then-unknown Matthew Broderick. Broderick won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Eugene and went on to play the character two years later in “Biloxi Blues.” Given Craig Piaget’s performance in this production, he is going to have a great acting career.

While Eugene may be the character who stands out the most, Neil Simon is very generous with each of the other characters in “Brighton Beach Memoirs.” All the actors in the play have scenes where they can really display their acting skills.

Jamie Jones portrays Kate Jerome, wife and mother of two teenage sons who has taken in her widowed sister and two teenage nieces. Kate Jerome works hard to keep the blended family functioning smoothly until all the stress and a lifetime of resentment for not being appreciated boil over. Jones succeeds at creating a character who remains very sympathetic while remaining authoritarian, set in her ways and even bigoted at times.

Jones is a veteran actor, well-known on Sacramento stages, most recently in the Cosmopolitan Cabaret production of “Shear Madness.” She is also a member of the B Street Theatre Acting Company and co-director of the B Street Theatre Conservatory along with her husband, Michael Stevenson.

Kate’s widowed sister is portrayed by Julie Anchor. Anchor gives a wonderfully understated performance as Kate. Her Kate moves from someone whose whole life is dependent on others for room and board and for making all her decisions for her to someone who decides what is best for her and her daughters and takes a stand for her choices.

Anchor has performed on many Sacramento and Northern California stages. Later this summer, she will be performing in “A Flea in Her Ear” and directing “Leaving Iowa” at Main Street Theatre Works in Sutter Creek.

The third adult character is Jack Jerome. Jack is the wise husband, father, uncle and brother-in-law of the Jerome household. He works hard at two jobs to keep a roof over the heads of the extended family and food on the table. After a long workday, he also performs the duties of head of the household as adviser and confidant. In what little spare time is left, Jack keeps up on the ever-darkening world news and news of close family members trying to escape Poland.

Sacramento Theatre Company interim artistic director and director of “Brighton Beach Memoirs” Matt K. Miller portrays Jack Jerome. Miller’s Jack is definitely the solid rock of the Jerome family.

Miller is a consummate actor, well-known in numerous roles at STC and many other stages in Sacramento. He is also a playwright (“Fits and Parts: My Life in Stages”) and continues to prove himself a good director (“Tuesdays with Morrie,” “The Importance of Being Earnest,” “The Owl and the Pussycat”) with this production. For much more on Matt Miller and his directing the show in Barry Wisdom's SacPress article.

With all these powerful actors, the roles of the remaining three children could easily be overshadowed. Not so here.

Eugene’s older brother Stanley is portrayed by Eason Donner. Stanley is 18, graduated from high school and now working to help support the family. Stanley laments that as the older brother he did not have an older sibling to guide him and how lucky Eugene is to have him. With Donner’s portrayal, this feels very real. His Stanley is a great brother to Eugene, letting him in on the secrets of life, if not always accurately. He agonizes about the mistakes he makes and listens to and learns from his father.

The roles of the two nieces are each played by two actors from the STC Young Professionals Conservatory in alternating performances. Again, the high quality of the actors the STC-YPC produces is evident.

The role of 15-year-old Nora is played by Raelyn Torngren alternating with Abbey Williams-Campbell.

Torngren is in her third year at the YPC and has appeared in “Arranged Marriage” and “Cinderella” on the Mainstage and in the youth productions of “The Iliad” and “La Pastorella.”

Fifteen-year-old Abbie Williams-Campbell, in her fourth year at the YPC, performed the role of Nora on opening night Saturday. She has appeared in “A Christmas Carol,” “Cinderella” and “Arranged Marriage” on the STC Mainstage. She has also won vocal competition and performed in the STC January Cabaret production “They Say It’s Wonderful: Broadway’s Best Love Songs.”

Williams-Campbell’s Nora is truly the petulant teen when she doesn't get to drop out of high school and audition for a Broadway musical. Her Nora is also credible when she learns to support her mother’s difficult decision and to appreciate the sacrifices the rest of the family has made for her.

Laurie, the younger sister, niece and cousin, is portrayed by Rachel Finerman alternating with Lauren Metzinger.

Finerman has appeared as Clara in “The Nutcracker” at The Sacramento Ballet, in the Children’s Chorus at last summer’s Music Circus production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat,” as well as “Arranged Marriage” at STC. She is an eighth grader at Natomas Charter Performing and fine Arts Academy.

Metzinger performed the role of Laurie on opening night. Laurie has been diagnosed with a heart murmur. She is constantly babied and allowed to lay about and read. Metzinger’s Laurie is quite happy, indeed entitled to do little to help with household chores. She does reluctantly come around when it becomes apparent that everyone needs to pull their weight and that it would indeed be healthy for her to help.

Lauren Metzinger, 12, has also appeared in “Carol” at STC and “Joseph,” “Evita” and “Whistle Down the Wind” at Music Circus. She appeared at the STC Cabaret “Younger Than Springtime” in 2010. Metzinger has appeared multiple times at the ever-popular Graham-A-Rama Cabaret!

Jessica Minnihan has dressed the actors in costumes that nicely set the period. There are several nice photos on Barry Wisdom's article on Matt Miller.

Although “Brighton Beach Memoirs” premiered nearly three decades ago and is set in a period nearly three quarters of a century ago, the current production that opened at Sacramento Theatre Company Saturday night is fresh, funny and poignant. It is a great story with great acting. At its heart, it is about what it means to be a family. It shows that families have not really changed that much over the decades. Much of what affected families in the ‘30s – concerns over finances, the impact of strife in the world and how to deal with blended families – is still as big of a concern today. “Brighton Beach Memoirs” shows that we can still find lots of humor and hope in everyday life, no matter the decade.

New and Continuing Shows

2011-02-26T00:26:08Z

Theatre

Opening

In a community-center drama class, four lost souls act out hilarity, sadness, desperation and hope. But are they really acting?

B Street Theatre Mainstaige Preview Saturday/Sunday 2/26-27 Opening Sunday 2/27 Tickets and Information.

Sacramento Theatre Company

BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS by Neil Simon
MARCH 2 – MARCH 27, 2011 (Main Stage)
Neil Simon’s award-winning play of a boy’s rocky
journey to adulthood, and all of the rocks live under the same roof !

Broadway Sacramento Comunity Center Theatre March 9-20, 2011 Tickets and Information, including video clips.

New Helvetia Theatre "They're Playing Our Song" March 11-April 2 2011 The Artisan Theatre Ticket and Information

Continuing

Cosmopolitan Cabaret “A Grand Night For Singing” SacPress review. Tickets and Information, including video clips.

Fri–Sun • Feb 18–27 Body of Knowledge by Karl Frost/Body Research UC Davis Department of Theatre & Dance

Fri–Sun • Feb 25–27 Bartók: Bluebeard's Castle UC Davis Symphony Orchestra Christian Baldini, conductor UC Davis Department of Music

Wed • Mar 2 UC Davis Jazz Bands Delbert Bump, director UC Davis Department of Music

Sun • Mar 6 Berlioz: Te Deum UC Davis Department of Music

Mon • Mar 7 Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. African American Lives: Genealogy, Genetics, and Black History Post-performance Q&A

Wed • Mar 9 UC Davis Concert Band Pete Nowlen, director UC Davis Department of Music

Thu • Mar 10 Tango Fire Tango Inferno

Sat • Mar 12 Yefim Bronfman, piano

Sun • Mar 13 2:00 pm Alexander String Quartet SOLD OUT wait list

Sun • Mar 13 7:00 pm Alexander String Quartet Post-performance Q&A

Information and Tickets for all Mondavi events

Last Chance, Continuing, First Chance, Only Chance in Theatre Lectures Etc.

2011-02-19T01:36:09Z

Theatre

Last Chance

"reasons to be pretty " Neil LaBute Contains Strong Language and is Intended for Mature Audiences
Capitol Stage Closes Saturday 2/20 SacPress review Tickets & Information

THE MUSICAL OF MUSICALS THE MUSICAL ! Music by Eric Rockwell Lyrics by Joanne Bogart Book by Eric Rockwell & Joanne Bogart JANUARY 12-FEBRUARY 20, 2011 (Pollock Stage) A hilarious homage to the great musical theatre genres of our time. Fun for musical fans and foes alike!

Sacramento Theatre Company Closes Saturday 2/20 The show has been extremely popular and continues to sell out. SacPress review. Tickets & Information.

B Street Theatre Mainstage Closes Saturday 2/20 Reopens 3/4 for limited run. The 39 Steps has received rave reviews. SacPress review. The actors deserve a two week break given the energy they put in each show. Tickets & Information.

B Street Family Series Two more weekends. Closes Saturday 2/27 SacPress review. Tickets and Information

Continuing

“A Grand Night For Singing” Cosmopolitan Cabaret SacPress review. Tickets and Information, including video clips.

Opening

In a community-center drama class, four lost souls act out hilarity, sadness, desperation and hope. But are they really acting?

B Street Theatre Mainstaige Preview Saturday/Sunday 2/26-27 Opening Sunday 2/27 Tickets and Information.

Lectures and other Performances

One Time only

AMY BLOOM In conversation with Pam Houston
California Lectures Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Crest Theatre \\\| 7:30 p.m.

The bestselling author of two novels and three collections of short stories, Amy Bloom has been called a writer with both incredible “spunk” and “flair.” For her novels, Love Invents Us and Away, and for her short story collections, Come to Me, A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You, and Normal, Bloom has won multiple accolades and awards: the O. Henry Award for short story writing and nominations for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. In addition to writing prize-winning works of fiction, Bloom has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times magazine, and The Atlantic Monthly and earned a National Magazine Award. Her latest collection of short stories, Where the God of Love Hangs Out, explores love in its many forms and the effects brought about by both love and loss. Bloom has been a psychotherapist for the past 20 years, taught at Yale University for a decade, and is now Wesleyan University’s Writer-in-Residence.

“Amy Bloom gets more meaning into individual sentences than most authors manage in whole books.” – The New Yorker
Pam Houston is the author of Cowboys Are My Weakness, Waltzing the Cat, and A Little More About Me. Her stories have been selected for the Best American Short Stories, the O. Henry Awards, the Pushcart Prize and the Best American Short Stories of the Century. She is the director of creative writing at UC Davis and lives in Colorado near the headwaters of the Rio Grande.

SacPress interview with Amy Bloom Lecture Preview \\\| Crest Theatre \\\| 6:30-7:00 p.m. with Catherine Fraga Tickets and Information

Fri–Sun • Feb 18–27 Body of Knowledge by Karl Frost/Body Research UC Davis Department of Theatre & Dance

Fri–Sun • Feb 25–27 Bartók: Bluebeard's Castle UC Davis Symphony Orchestra Christian Baldini, conductor UC Davis Department of Music

Wed • Mar 2 UC Davis Jazz Bands Delbert Bump, director UC Davis Department of Music

Sun • Mar 6 Berlioz: Te Deum UC Davis Department of Music

Mon • Mar 7 Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. African American Lives: Genealogy, Genetics, and Black History Post-performance Q&A

Wed • Mar 9 UC Davis Concert Band Pete Nowlen, director UC Davis Department of Music

Thu • Mar 10 Tango Fire Tango Inferno

Sat • Mar 12 Yefim Bronfman, piano

Sun • Mar 13 2:00 pm Alexander String Quartet SOLD OUT wait list

Sun • Mar 13 7:00 pm Alexander String Quartet Post-performance Q&A

Information and Tickets for all Mondavi events

Community Theatre

There is allways lots of great shows on comunity theatre stages in the Sacramento Area. Vistit Sacramento Area Regional Theatre Alliance for a list of current productions.

It's a Grand Night at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret

2011-02-10T23:18:06Z

From “Oklahoma” (1943) to “The Sound of Music” (1959), composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, popularly know as Rodgers and Hammerstein, were arguably the largest contributors to what is known as “The Great American Songbook.”

Five of their musicals were major hits. Their work has been described as groundbreaking. Revivals and regional productions of their shows continue to this day. “South Pacific” recently ended a Broadway run, and “Oklahoma” was a big hit at the Sacramento Music Circus last summer. They won numerous awards, including Tonys, Oscars and Grammys.

Richard Rodgers rt. Oscar Hammerstein II photo: http://www.morethings.com

What sets Rodgers and Hammerstein apart is how enduring their songs are. Over half a century after they produced their last song, folks still hum, sing and otherwise enjoy the songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Sometimes people don’t even realize the song they are enjoying was written by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

The Cosmopolitan Cabaret’s current production of “A Grand Night for Singing” is a wonderful opportunity to re-experience how great Rodgers and Hammerstein’s music is for those of us who know or think they know their music. And for those who are somehow not familiar, this show is a great introduction to some of the best songs ever written.

Many of the arrangements are the same as, or very close, to the originals. There are some amazing new arrangements that show just how versatile this music can be. Who would have thought that the mother superior and the nuns of the convent’s query “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?” could come from a lovesick male? (Everything’s up to date in) “Kansas City” from “Oklahoma” becomes a jazzy, almost “Manhattan Transfer”-like song.

The two men and three women in the cast have great voices and backgrounds for singing songs from the musical-theater genre.

Ryan Drummond has performed roles such as Corny Collins in “Hairspray,” Ozzie in “On the Town” and Leo Bloom in “The Producers,” and he has been in several productions of “Forever Plaid” around the country and many other musical productions. He has also appeared in film, television and video games (as the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog).

Justin Michael Duval originated the role of Potsie for the national tour of “Happy Days: A New Musical.” Duval has performed in some 15 shows preparing him to sing Rodgers and Hammerstein, especially shows such as “My Fair Lady,” “Brigadoon” and “Fiddler on the Roof.”

Lisa Ferris last performed in Sacramento in “Funny Girl” at Music Circus last summer. She has also performed in “Fiddler on the Roof” and a great deal of Shakespeare plays.

Jill Van Velzer has also performed in some 15 productions, including lead roles in Rogers and Hammerstein musicals “The King and I,” “Camelot,” “Carousel,” “Oklahoma!” and “The Sound of Music.”

Melissa Wolfklain just finished playing Cindy in the last Cosmopolitan Cabaret production, “Suds.” While she has not performed in another Rogers and Hammerstein musical, she has a strong musical-theater background with leads “Crazy for You,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie” and “42nd Street.”

They are accompanied by Chris Schlagel, who is also the musical director of the show. Schlagel is a beloved accompanist at many theaters in Sacramento, including Cosmo Cabaret (“Forever Plaid,” “My Way”), Sacramento Theatre Company (“A Christmas Carol,” “Five Course Love”), B Street Theatre (“The Big Bang,” “The Last Five Years”) and Music Circus.

Chri Schlagel from facebook

Even though the songs are plucked from their original productions, each one is a little story in itself. Director and Broadway veteran Mindy Cooper has created very nice choreography to accompany the songs, helping tell their stories and transition from piece to piece. Her 25 years of choreographing and directing on Broadway, regionally and around the world comes though in her staging of these great songs.

Cooper also has a great set design by Jamie Kumpf to work with. Cooper stages the songs all over the set, adding interest to the story the music is telling. The set has terraces on different levels and several pillars. The design is quite sophisticated, as is appropriate for a Rodgers and Hammerstein production.

Lighting design by Sally Slocum enhances the design and action. The look of the pillars and other design elements change with changes in lighting, giving a nice effect.

Everything in this Cosmo Cabaret production of “A Grand Night for Singing” comes together to showcase what is central to this show: the music of Richard Rodgers and the lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein II. The nearly 30 songs from 11 musicals are beautifully presented in a lovely setting.

One would be hard pressed to find a more lovely, romantic time than spending a couple of hours enjoying “A Grand Night for Singing” at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret.

Theatre and Lectures in Sactown First Week of November '10

2010-10-31T02:00:08Z

THEATER

Last chance. Tonight at 8:00 Tomorrow at 2:00

"THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST" by Oscar Wilde OCTOBER 6 – OCTOBER 31, 2010 (Main Stage)
Oscar Wilde’s sparkling comedy of mistaken identities, frothy wit and a million laughs.

Saw it last night. Oscar Wilde's humor still shines over 110 years later. Great acting, delivery and set design.

Tickets

Last chance this week. Rave reviews from all the Sacramento critics including SacramentoPress.com's Barry Wisdom.

Capitol Stage "MAURITIUS"

From the creator of the Capital Stage hit "The Scene" comes an edge-of-your-seat, gripping dark comedy about…stamp collecting. After their mother's death, two estranged halfsisters discover a book of rare stamps that may include the crown jewel for collectors. Like the Maltese Falcon, the Mauritius stamp becomes the fraught object of desire for an assortment of shady characters with different and mysterious backgrounds and motives.

SacramentoPress.com review. More information. Tickets.

Also ending November 7. Uniformly great reviews

B Street Theatre " A Different Kind of Cool"

A new play written and performed by Jack Gallagher.

Jack takes a humorous and insightful look at how we learn to accept others' differences...starting with his own family.

SacramentoPress.com review More info. Tickets

Continuing

"Suds" Cosmopolitan Cabaret
“Loaded with good clean fun, bubbling energy and some of the ’60’s greatest pop hits, Suds is the delightful story of a young woman and her guardian angels who come to teach her about finding true love in, of all places, a laundromat. Including over 50 favorite songs from the ’60s like “Where the Boys Are,” “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,” “Respect,” “I Feel Good” and “Do You Want to Know a Secret.”

SaramentoPress.com review. More info. Tickets

Opening

Broadway Sacramento Series “In the Heights” Opening Wednesday November 3rd

“In the Heights,” winner of four 2008 Tony Awards including best musical!, is a sensational new show about chasing your dreams and finding your true home. With an amazing cast, incredible Tony Award-winning dancing and a thrilling Tony Award-winning score, “In the Heights” is an exhilarating journey into a vibrant Manhattan community - a place where the coffee is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. Experience the next chapter of the classic American story at the most joyous and exciting musical on Broadway. Find out what it takes to make a living, what it costs to have a dream, and what it means to be home…“In the Heights.”

More info and tickets

LECTURES

California Lectures presents: THOMAS MCGUANE In conversation with Pam Houston
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Crest Theatre | 7:30 p.m.
The renowned author of ten novels, three works of non-fiction, two short story collections and numerous screenplays, Thomas McGuane is described as the quintessential modern American “poet–philosopher.” His writing masterfully explores the depths of human relationships from Michigan to the Florida Keys, to the plains of Montana and the American West. His novel, The Bushwhacked Piano, won the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and his novel, Ninety-Two in the Shade was nominated for a National Book Award. McGuane later wrote and directed the successful film by the same name starring Peter Fonda. He is the recipient of the Wallace Stegner Award and a member of the American Academy of Arts & Letters. An avid outdoorsman and Fly Rod & Reel Magazine’s 2010 Angler of the Year, McGuane infuses his works with a rich appreciation for the natural world. McGuane’s latest novel, Driving on the Rim, returns to one of his favorite settings, the picturesque Montana landscape, to provide a “hilarious and profound illumination of the threads by which we are all hanging.”

“A virtuoso … a writer of the first magnitude. His sheer writing skill is nothing short of amazing.” –New York Times Book Review

Pam Houston is the author of Cowboys Are My Weakness, Waltzing the Cat, and A Little More About Me. Her stories have been selected for the Best American Short Stories, the O. Henry Awards, the Pushcart Prize and the Best American Short Stories of the Century. She is the director of creative writing at UC Davis and lives in Colorado near the headwaters of the Rio Grande.

Lecture Preview | Crest Theatre | 6:30-7:00 p.m.
Steve Cook

More info and tickets

"Suds, The Rocking ’60s Musical Soap Opera" at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret

2010-10-16T00:04:01Z

Cindy starts her work day at the laundromat. It’s her birthday. It’s going to be a great day. Then the mailman arrives. Letter one is from the IRS. Her aunt has died, and somehow Cindy is on the hook for back taxes. Letter two is from her pen pal boyfriend saying he has fallen in love with someone with better handwriting and is leaving her. Letter three informs her that her cat is sick. Cindy’s response: tie one leg of a pair of leggings to her neck and the other around an agitator. Suicide by washing machine.

So begins “Suds, The Rocking ’60s Musical Soap Opera.”

The play is well into its run at California Musical Theater’s Cosmopolitan Cabaret. As with most Cosmo Cabaret productions, the show is built around as specific music genre or period. With “Suds,” it is girl groups of the ’60s.

Who comes to save Cindy? A pair of bickering guardian angels named Dee Dee and Marge. Why are they bickering? The rule is that there can only be one guardian angel per case, so why are they both here, and who should leave?

A few other characters, “Everybody Else,” wander in and out to move the plot along.

What little plot there is though is just there to be a setup for the musical numbers, of which there are a lot. Forty-nine, in fact. Some of the numbers one can see coming. Others incite a chuckle for their surprise. Some are individual songs. Some are part of a melody that connects them together.

Melissa Wolfklain plays the innocent Cindy. Wolfklain has appeared in leading roles at the Fullerton Civic Light Opera and Broadway by the Bay. She is believable as the innocent Cindy who grows into the wiser Cindy by the end of the show. She has power in her solos while blending with the others in group numbers.

Eydie Alyson (Dee Dee) has appeared in numerous revivals and national tours of Broadway shows, including “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Les Miserables” and “Fiddler on the Roof.” She has recorded four CDs, and her television credits include ABC’s “All My Children.” All this experience shows in her performance of Dee Dee, the less-experienced guardian angel.

Marge, the guardian angel with a past, is played by Nanci Zoppi. While Zoppi has a strong training and performing background in New York City, she is also very well-known to local audiences.

She is probably best-known for her work at New Helvetia appearing in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” “Tic, Tic, ... Boom,” “Rocky Horror Show” and several other productions.

Zoppi has also toured with B Street’s Fantasy Theatre and often appears at the very popular Graham-A-Rama cabaret series. She is a great comic talent and has a beautiful voice. She is very good at making use of her “talents” for comic effect.

“Everybody Else” is played by Music Circus veteran Michael Dotson. Dotson has appeared in 30 productions over 11 years at the Music Circus, including this season’s “Spamalot.” As one would expect of a Music Circus vet, Dotson is a great dancer. He can also more than hold his own vocally with the rest of the cast.

Speaking of the Music Circus, everyone else involved with the production of “Suds” is a Music Circus veteran.

This truly applies to “Suds” director Glenn Casale.

Casale is an icon in Sacramento and around the world for his work in musical theater. He has worked with many of the biggest stars in Broadway musicals on Broadway and overseas. This has included Cathy Rigby (“Peter Pan”), Carol Burnett (“From the Top”), Tyne Daly and Charles Durning (“Ballroom”), and Mark Harmon and George Clooney in “Wrestlers.” Casale’s direction keeps the action moving to the pace of the music. He makes good use of the set design for the actors’ movements.

Joann Lewis has been involved with California Musical Theatre and the Music Circus for 27 years. For the last 15 years, she has been heavily involved with the CMT educational department, including as a dance instructor/choreographer for programs for children to seniors. Lewis’ vast knowledge of popular dance styles is evident in her choreography of these ’60s dance songs.

Music director Michael Paternostro’s only Music Circus connection so far has been playing Eddie Ryan in this season’s “Funny Girl.” He has appeared in more than 10 musicals on Broadway and other venues from “A Chorus Line,” the Broadway revival, to “Beauty and the Beast.” He was the musical director for several regional productions and has performed both as an actor and the piano player in a couple of productions, and he has even composed a musical: “Scary Musical-A New Musical.”

Marcy Froehlich (costume design), Michael Peters (scenic designer), Steve Odehnal (lighting designer), Robert Sereno (sound designer) and Judi Lewin (hair, wig and makeup) are also all veterans of California Musical Theatre/Music Circus productions. Each design element captures the bright colors and patterns of the early ’60s. All come together to create a wonderful look feel and sound of the ’60s.

Production Stage Manager Katherine Cannon has been with the Cosmopolitan Cabaret since the inaugural production of “Forever Plaid.” She has kept everything moving smoothly.

“Suds is a bright, bubbly production. There is nothing dark or heavy...even with an attempted suicide. The music of the early ’60s still retained the postwar giddiness with a pop beat. For boomers, they can be taken back to their happy teen years and young adulthood. For children of boomer parents who listened to ’60s oldie radio, they can go back to their childhood.

“Suds, The Rocking ’60s Musical Soap Opera.” Cosmopolitan Cabaret 1000 K Street at 10th. Through January 9, 2011 More information and tickets.

What's happening in Live Theatre and Lectures

2010-10-06T02:24:53Z

Lectures

California Lectures.MICHELE NORRIS In conversation with Pamela Wu
Wednesday, October 6, 2010 Crest Theatre | 7:30 p.m.

Michele Norris hosts NPR’s All Things Considered, public radio’s longest-running national program. Before joining NPR in 2002, Norris worked as a reporter for ABC News, a position in which she garnered both an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award for her coverage of 9/11. Norris has reported extensively on issues of inner city poverty, race and education for The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times. Her powerful Washington Post series on the drug trade's impact on young children was published along with essays by Nelson Mandela and Gabriel Garcia Marquez in the book Ourselves Among Others. Norris’s journalism has earned her four Pulitzer Prize nominations, the 1990 Livingston Award, the National Association of Black Journalists’ 2006 Salute to Excellence Award and the 2009 Journalist of the Year Award. In her new book, The Grace of Silence, Michele Norris shows extraordinary candor in examining her own complex racial legacy. This memoir is inspired by hundreds of interviews with ordinary Americans and wise observations about evolving attitudes toward race in America.
“Journalists should look to people like Michele Norris, who shows that through determination, intelligent analysis and careful investigation come journalism’s highest level of respect.” –Barbara Ciara, President of the National Association of Black Journalists

Pamela Wu served as news anchor and reporter for KCRA 3 in Sacramento for over seven years. She received an Emmy nomination and Unity Award for her work as host of the cultural affairs program “KCRA 3 Common Ground.” Prior to joining KCRA, Wu worked as news anchor and reporter at stations across Northern California. She currently serves as Director of Marketing and Communications for UC Davis School of Law.

Lecture Preview | Crest Theatre | 6:30-7:00 p.m.
Chevelle Newsome – Professor and Graduate Dean CSUS Dr. Newsome has published several articles relating to the communication of race in American society and women’s issues in healthcare, and she has coauthored a resource book on political commentary in the United States. She holds a Ph.D. in political communication.
Tickets $30 Students w/ ID $15
Tickets.com or (800) 225-2277 (service fee)
in person: Crest Box office 4:30-8:00 p.m. (no service fee)

Theater

Sacramento Theatre Company Season Opener

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST by Oscar Wilde OCTOBER 6 – OCTOBER 31, 2010 (Main Stage)

Oscar Wilde’s sparkling comedy of mistaken identities, frothy wit and a million laughs.
Tickets $15-48

Must see! Broadway Sacramento

The season will opened with "Burn the Floor" through October 10, 2010. The international dance sensation comes to Sacramento after its record-breaking run on Broadway, thrilling theatregoers excited by television’s “Dancing with the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance” and ready to see first-class ballroom dancesport on stage. Audience members will feel all the passion, drama and excitement of 20 champion dancers, in a true theatrical experience. From Harlem’s hot nights at the Savoy, where dances such as the Lindy, Foxtrot and Charleston were born, to the Latin Quarter where the Cha-Cha, Rumba and Salsa Steamed up the stage, “Burn the Floor” takes audiences on a journey through the passionate drama of dance. The elegance of the Viennese Waltz, the exuberance of the Jive, the intensity of the Paso Doble – audiences will experience them all, as well as the Tango, Samba, Mambo, Quickstep and Swing. “Burn the Floor” – it’s Ballroom. Reinvented.
SacramentoPress.com review SacBee review

Only a few more days for one of the hottest shows ever to play Sacramento
Tickets $18-65

Hot ticket: B Street Theatre

“ A Different Kind of Cool” A new play written and performed by Jack Gallagher. Jack takes a humorous and insightful look at how we learn to accept others' differences...starting with his own family.

Through November 7, 2010 Tickets $ 22-30

Must See! B Street Theatre

NEAT by Charlayne Woodard

A magical, compelling, personal portrait of a young woman's coming of age, Neat is the story of an urban African-American girl bursting into adulthood.
Through October 10, 2010

Extended production. Charlayne Woodard is an extreamly talented writer and Danielle Moné Truitt gives an astounding performance. “Neat” is a wonderful experience that should not be missed. SacramentoPress.com review SacBee review
Tickets $22-30

"Suds" continues at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret

“Loaded with good clean fun, bubbling energy and some of the ’60’s greatest pop hits, Suds is the delightful story of a young woman and her guardian angels who come to teach her about finding true love in, of all places, a laundromat. Including over 50 favorite songs from the ’60s like “Where the Boys Are,” “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,” “Respect,” “I Feel Good” and “Do You Want to Know a Secret.”
Through January 7, 2011
Tickets $33-43

title of show] New Helvetia Theatre opening October 8th running through October 30, 2010 “[title of show] is a fun musical that takes place over three frantic weeks during a steamy New York summer. Four friends scramble to create an original musical to submit to the New York Musical Theatre Festival. Battling insecurity and frustration, overwhelmed and underpaid, these struggling actors find inspiration in their friendship and in the deep love of theatre that brought them together.”
SacramentoPress.com preview

Tickets and more information $15-25

Other community theatre shows opening this week: “The Good Doctor”, “Dial M for Murder”, “Proof” and “Gold Fever.” For more information and many more shows playing in the greater Sacramento region visit Sacramento Area Regional Theater Alliance.

Thanks to each theater company for information and photos

“The Marvelous Wonderettes” Will Sing Their Way Into Your Heart

2010-08-19T01:21:10Z

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’ relationships with each other and the loves of their lives during the decade between 1958 and 1968. Their stories are told through 33 songs from that decade.

“The Marvelous Wonderettes” writer and creator Roger Bean has done a pretty amazing job of taking mostly well-known and a few not-so-well-known songs of the period and weaving a complete story arc for the girls. Some of the song connections are cliché, and some are quite surprising. His choice of songs also demonstrate the major shift in popular music from the 1950s to the 1960s. The radical changes of the time are reflected in the women’s lives.

Bean directs his own work, successfully transferring it to the theater in the round.

Janet Miller’s choreography also contributes greatly to restaging the Wonderettes dance routines, keeping them connected with the audience on all sides.

Broadway and off-Broadway (including “The Marvelous Wonderettes”) actress Lindsay Mendez plays Betty Jean “B.J.” Reynolds. B.J. is the prankster in the group. She has a not-so-faithful boyfriend, Johnny.

Mendez also performs as a singer with collaborator Marco Paguia and his jazz trio at several New York City venues. She is also the lead singer for the cover band “Limbsakimbo” and is the wife of the show’s musical conductor, Michael Borth. More information on Lindsay Mendez can be found here.

Lowe Taylor has performed all four roles in “The Marvelous Wonderettes.” Along with the off-Broadway production of ‘Wonderettes,” she has numerous regional theater credits.

In her Music Circus debut, she plays Cindy Lou. Cindy Lou is the “Miss Perfect” that everyone loves to hate and is very successful at flirting with the boys, including B.J.’s Johnny. After high school, the now-Cynthia has a tragic relationship with the aforementioned preacher’s son, Billy Ray. Here is more information on Lowe Taylor.

Missy Cotton has performed the role of Missy Miller both in the off-Broadway production and at the Laguna Playhouse run. She has appeared at the Music Circus in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Coat,” “Annie,” and “A Funny Thing Happened .... Forum.”

Along with appearing in Broadway, off-Broadway and regional productions, Cotton originated roles in Roger Bean’s “Honky Tonk Laundry” (Katy Lane) and “Winter Wonderettes” (Missy).

Missy Miller is a character who tends to hold the group together and smooth over differences between the girls. She is a great singer, but her dance moves are not the smoothest. Missy shocks all in her revelation that her secret love is someone who is not appropriate to be in love with.

The fourth Wonderette, Suzy Simpeon, is played by Bets Malone. Malone originated the role of Suzy, starting with the first workshop of “The Marvelous Wonderettes.” She also appeared in the off-Broadway production and original cast recording.

Malone has been in four of Roger Bean’s productions, choreographing his “Route 66” last season at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre. She has appeared at the Music Circus in “Fiddler..” and “1776” as well as several regional productions. She appears on DVD in “The Ten Commandments, the Musical,” with Val Kilmer and as the voice of Talulah the monkey in “Barbie as the Island Princess.” Her character Suzy is, shall we say, a little ditzy. Her love is Richie, who works the lights for the Wonderettes’ shows. Learn more about Bets Malone here.

All four actresses are great comedic talents and have wonderful voices. They realistically transition from the four girls at their senior prom to the young women at the 10-year reunion.

Bobby Pearce’s fun, period costumes (more) and especially hair, wig and makeup design by Judi Lewin contribute a lot to the transition as well. Lewis has worked extensively in theater, opera, television and film both in Los Angeles and her native Canada.

Recent University of California, Davis, MFA recipient Jamie Kumpf’s scenic design truly turns the Wells Fargo Pavilion into the Springfield High School Gymnasium. She has also designed for the Sacramento Theatre Company (“Gem of the Ocean”) and the B Street Theatre. Last season, as the resident scenic charge artist for the Music Circus, she designed “Altar Boys.”

The props the Wonderettes use in their shows are designed by Michael Carnahan, who created the props for several other “The Marvelous Wonderettes” productions as well as numerous shows in New York City, Toronto and throughout the United States.

Robert Sereno’s sound design is an important element. Much happens offstage, with Sereno giving us sounds from school bells to motorcycles. Sereno has been with the Music Circus and Broadway Sacramento since 1986. He also designed and engineered the new Cosmopolitan Cabaret where “Shear Madness” is currently appearing.

As mentioned, Michael Borth conducts what is a much smaller orchestra than usual for Music Circus productions. The orchestra consists of Mike McMullen (woodwinds), Tom Phillips (guitars), Brian Kendrick (drums/percussion) and much-beloved Sacramento keyboardist Chris Schlagel. The orchestra does perform to the usual Music Circus high standards.

Given Tuesday night’s opening-night audience reaction, the Music Circus has proved that it can take a smaller-scale production with only four actors and create a highly entertaining evening.

8:00 pm Thurs. Fri. Sat. 2:00 Thurs. Sat. 7:30 Sunday (last show)
Wells Fargo Pavillon 1419 H St. Sacramento
$41-$53
(916)557-1999 or here

Top photo: Lowe Taylor as Cindy Lou, Lindsay Mendez as Betty Jean, Bets Malone as Suzy and Misty Cotton as Missy Photo by Charr Crail. All photos courtsey California Musical Theatre

Vicki Lewis Triumphs in “Funny Girl”

2010-08-12T05:38:59Z

“Funny Girl” is a star maker. It made a star out of Barbara Streisand first on Broadway, then in film. Vicki Lewis most certainly shines as Fanny Brice the title “Funny Girl” in this the latest Music Circus production of the show.

Everything in the play centers on the character of Fanny Brice. Brice herself was one of the biggest stars of her time. From 1910 through the 1930s on stage, screen and radio, Brice was wildly popular and influential.

Legendary Broadway producer David Merrick worked with lyricist Jule Styne and equally well-known composer Bob Merrill to turn what had started as a screenplay into a Broadway musical.

Having seen Streisand in her first role on Broadway in “I Can Get It For You Wholesale,” Styne hired her for the leading role.

“Funny Girl” opened on Broadway on March 26, 1964. In 1968, “Funny Girl” was released as a film winning Streisand an Oscar for best actress. Both the musical and film were major critical and financial successes, and Streisand is a major star to this day.

This is the Music Circus’ fourth production of “Funny Girl.” The Music Circus applies its magic to what is now nearly a half-century-old play to not just make it alive, but to really make it shine.

The Music Circus magic is the very high production values it uses with everything involved in its productions, starting with casting.

Lewis spoke of pushing hard for the role of Fanny Brice and her lifelong desire to appear in “Funny Girl” in an interview with Dixie Reed published Aug. 6 in The Sacramento Bee. Music Circus artistic director and “Funny Girl” director Glenn Casale was impressed with her audition and wisely cast Lewis in the lead.

From her opening number, “I’m the Greatest Star,” to he finale of “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” Lewis’ powerful, gorgeous voice brought ovations from the audience. Her Fanny Brice was funny, warm and very accessible. She totally fit in the role of a star.

Don’t let my praise of Lewis overshadow the rest of the cast. Everyone’s performance rises to the level of the star.

Michael Paternostro plays Fannie’s first big supporter, mentor and fellow professional Eddie Ryan. Paternostro is a fine dancer and singer and has several numbers in the show to display his talent.

Veteran Broadway actor Brad Little, best-known for “Phantom of the Opera,” is cast well as Nicky Arnstein, having the right looks and bearing. Sadly, the role does not allow Little to fully exhibit his incredible vocal talent. Oh yes, he does know how to wear a cape well.

Alex Korey as Mrs. Brice and Helen Geller (Mrs. Strakosh), Jennie Scott (Mrs. Meeker) and Kim Arnett (Mrs. O’Malley) do a good job adding a lot of humor to the production.

Ron Wisniski in his third of four Music Circus roles this season is Florenz (not Florence) Ziegfeld Jr. His Ziegfeld is just the right balance of domineering and loving. As a great veteran character actor, Wisniski has made a wonderful contribution to the Music Circus, appearing in five productions in previous years.

A special mention is due to J.D. Daw, who appears as the Ziegfeld Tenor and several incidental roles.

Daw played the role of Jinx beloved by Sacramento audiences in the Cosmopolitan Cabaret’s inaugural one-year production of “Forever Plaid.” Daw gets to show off his great voice in “His Love Makes Me Beautiful,” Fannie’s first big production number with the Follies.

Glenn Casale’s direction and Bob Richard’s choreography make excellent use of all these talented actors. Their expertise at using the Wells Fargo Pavilion to best advantage also shows. They also make great use of Stephen Gifford’s scenic design, lighting design by Pamila Z. Gray and Robert Sereno’s sound design.

The period costumes by Marcy Froehlich and hair, wig and makeup design by Judi Lewin are great fun. The wig Judy Lewin created for Lewis adds much to the sense of her character.

Music direction by Dennis Castellano and the always-excellent Music Circus Orchestra beautifully support this very talented group of singers and dancers.

It never ceases to amaze me how the Music Circus can take a relatively old musical that is so strongly associated with an iconic lead performance and revision and recreate it to be so powerful and new for a contemporary audience.

Photos: 1. Vicki Lewis as Fanny Brice 2.Michael Paternostro as Eddie Ryan 3. Vicki Lewis as Fanny Brice and Brad Little as Nick Arnstein 4. Michael Paternostro as Eddie Ryan and Vicki Lewis as Fanny Brice 5. Vicki Lewis as Fanny Brice and Brad Little as Nick Arnstein, 6. Vicki Lewis as Fanny Brice

All photos by Charr Crail courtsey California Musical Theatre

"Shear Madness" Looks to be another hit for Cosmopolitan Cabaret

2010-06-03T20:24:57Z

Given Tuesday’s opening night of Sheer Madness, it looks like Cosmopolitan Cabaret has another hit on its hands.

Shear Madness is based on a serious German play, Scherenschnitt, by writer and psychologist Paul Portner. The play is set in a uni-sex hair salon, has six stereotypical characters and involves the murder of a concert pianist. It is a study of how people perceive or misperceive reality.

Bruce Jordan, a former high school teacher, began adapting the play in 1976. He was joined by fellow former teacher Marilyn Abrams in producing the first production of Scherenschnitt -now known-as Shear Madness at the Lake George Dinner Theater in Upstate New York in 1978. They began to notice the audience responses contributing to the humor of the play. After decades of performing Shear Madness, the play now incorporates contributions from the audience along with frequent references to the latest media scandals and local news items.

The Cosmopolitan Cabaret production has been completely adapted to Sacramento. Edie Lambert is one of the locals mentioned. Meg Whitman takes a couple of hits. It is so timely as to mention Al and Tipper, whose separation had only been announced that morning. The “fourth wall” is totally broached. Audience participation is vital and adds much to the humor. The humor comes at a breakneck speed much of the time.

A minor complaint: The projection of the actors' voices could come down a notch. In a theater the size of the Cabaret, I and some others around me found it loud enough to be somewhat annoying.

Everything else about the production it right on. The characters are stereotypic without being offensive. Neil A. Casey is a 10-year veteran of the Boston production that has been running for 30 years. He plays Tony Whitcomb, the very out, flamboyant and outspoken owner stylist of the Shear Madness Hair Salon in Midtown.

The rest of the cast is equally strong. Lindsey Alley, a Mouseketeer for seven years, is Barbara DeMarco, the supposedly not-so-intelligent busty stylist. The stuffy upper-crust matron Mrs. Shubert is played by Jamie J. Jones. Jones is well known in the Sacramento theater scene and has several rolls on and off stage at B Street Theater.

Lol Levy originated the role of Eddie Lawrence, the shady antique dealer in the long-running San Francisco production. The senior cop Nick O’Brien is played by Gary Alan Wright. Wright is a veteran Sacramento area actor and was an associate artist at the Foothill Theatre Company for 15 years. Rounding out the cast is Ryan Pratton as Mikey Thomas, the junior cop who is also somewhat of a dim bulb.

Director Bob Lohrmann is very familiar with the production of "Shear Madness.

He was the artistic director of the Kennedy Center production in its ongoing 22-year run. He has performed all the male roles in the show. The multitude of entrances, exits, doors opening, doors slamming and characters running into each other flows smoothly under his direction.

Stage managers seldom get recognized in a review. In a show like Shear Madness, timing is of great importance and veteran Sacramento stage manager Katherine Cannon keeps everything on cue.

Audience members should arrive early to admire Nicholas St. James' scenic design and listen to some great music. The action starts long before the “curtain.” Mikey actually gets his hair shampooed while the audience is being seated.

Shear Madness is a show that many folks are going to see more than once. I suspect that lots of people will return many times, bringing friends and family along. With the changing topical humor and the interaction with each audience, the show promises to be different each night. It is delivered by a very experienced and skilled team that look like they are having as much fun as the audience.

Cosmopolitan Cabaret presents My Way, a Sinatra revue that is a little bit sauced, a little bit saucy

2010-01-30T22:07:33Z

After the last strains of the first song, “Strangers in the Night,” at last night’s Cosmopolitan Cabaret production of “My Way, a Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra,” singer Karole Foreman (Woman No. 1) leaned into the crowd and whispered, “I bet everyone in this audience has a memory associated with that song.” Do they? I had to ask myself if only gray-haired Sacramentans might be moved and entertained by a local show of Sinatra medleys.

In truth, the answer is complicated. Last week, my 18 year-old son was driving me around town with his iPod plugged into the stereo. He played, his choice, not mine, a remix of that very song, "Strangers in the Night," by the young Berkeley band, The Morning Benders. And it was good.

When I was a 22 year old grad student in 1984, I did have a memorable night dancing on a table at Senor Frogs in Mazatlan over spring break with other ridiculous, North American, college-aged beach lovers, singing “New York, New York,” very badly.

I think many of the songs Frank Sinatra made famous continue to attract new listeners, because their lyrics and their tunes (and Frank’s particular vocal style) often suggest a mix of longing, regret, self doubt, resilience and intoxicated hubris, a mix that remains very current. So, though the crowd last night was full of gray-haired guests who knew all the words and raucously bantered with the four singer-stars while rattling the ice in their old fashioneds, I could also picture twenty-somethings enjoying the night, so long as they appreciate a little bit of camp and a little bit of syrup, as I do.

The four member cast includes Karole Foreman, the charismatic Woman No. 1, Laura Dickinson, a real throw-back to 1940's beautiful lady-crooning, and Jeffrey Christopher Todd, a young, trim, handsome and funny guy (presumably a reminder of young Frank) who makes a perfect foil for Old-Frank, Michael G. Hawkins, who, even if he does not sound just like Vegas-era Sinatra, surely does channel his sauced and saucy persona. He was my favorite. None of the singers tries to replicate Sinatra's delivery, and that is good, since it would be impossible. But they do a very nice job of reminding us of the shifting tones of Sinatra's songs. And if you are not totally bowled away with the first half of the show, hang on. The best moments happen after intermission, beginning with "Losers Medley," which I loved, and ending with "I'll Be Seeing You," for those who like to drink through the show and cry a little at the end.

At the Cabaret's 200-seat venue next to the Cosmo Cafe, guests can choose table or tiered seating with beverage counters for cocktails and snacks, making it a very comfortable, friendly and fun setting, not too crowded, but certainly not sparse. The show will run for fifteen weeks, through May 9. Tickets cost $33-$43 and are available online at www.CosmopolitanCabaret.com or by calling the Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office at 916-557-1999.

New Year's dancing

2009-12-28T18:01:43Z

Looking for a place to go for New Year's Eve? The Sacramento Press would like to break down the most appealing dance parties for those who like to get their groove on.

Paragary Restaurant Group, who put on the ball drop last year, will be hosting what they bill as the "largest party of 2010."

What: Dinner at Cosmo Café. The Spazzmatics playing 1980s hits at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret and DJ Pat Allen spinning dance hits at Social Nightclub. The cafe and cabaret are all-ages and Social Nightclub is 21-and-over.

Where: The Cosmopolitan Building, 1000 K St.

When: Dinner from 5 - 11 p.m., dancing from 8 p.m. - 1 a.m.

Cost: $50 for access to Social Nightclub and the Cosmopolitan Cabaret. Purchase here. $99 for access to Social Nightclub, Cosmopolitan Cabaret and a three-course dinner at Cosmo Café. Purchase here. $450 and up for VIP tables. For more information call 443-9004 or email vip@nightclubsocial.com.

V101.1 R&B and Old School radio station will be hosting its ninth annual "New Year's Jamming Eve" dance party.

What: The SOS Band, One Way featuring Al Hudson, Kurtis Blow and DJ Gino will perform R&B and classic hip hop. The event is 21-and-over.

Where: The Radisson Hotel Grand Ballroom, 500 Leisure Lane

When: 9 p.m. - to be determined

Cost: $67, tickets available at The Radisson Hotel gift shop (916) 922-2020, Sandra Dee's BBQ and Seafood (916) 448-6375, online at Ticketmaster.com or by phone at (866) 448-7849.

EasternMpire Promotions will hold the "Ménage á Trois" party, billed as the biggest New Year's Eve event in Downtown Sacramento.

What: Three rooms including a "Bollywood" music room headlined by DJ Sohbash, a Top-40/hip hop room headlined by DJ Alazzawi, and an electronic music room headlined by Dyloot, plus a live fashion show put on by Fetti Entertainment. The event is 18-and-over.

Where: The Sheraton Grand Hotel, 1230 J St.

When: 8 p.m. - to be determined

Cost: $40, December birthdays $25. Tickets available at Dimple Records, The Beat and by calling 916-709-2578.

The MiX's First Anniversary and New Year's Eve Celebration

What: A rooftop party with champagne, DJ Jus James, holiday food and drinks. The event is 21-and-over.

Where: MiX, 1525 L St.

When: 7 p.m. - 2 a.m.

Cost: $50, $75 with dinner.

Empire Event Center's New Year's Ball, promoted as "the biggest New Year's bash in Sacramento."

What: Top-40, hip hop and mashups by DJ Junior Fresh and DJ GI, a balloon drop and a live broadcast by KSFM 102.5. The event is 18-and-over.

Where: Empire Event Center, 1415 R St.

When: 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Cost: $20

Cosmopolitan Cabaret announces 2010 season

2009-11-25T03:44:12Z

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 387 performances and drew 46,000 people before closing as the longest-running, professional-equity theatre production in Sacramento history.

"We were hoping it was going to run for five years and be a smash hit," said Christopher Bower, CMT's director of marketing. "But we didn't really have a certain date in mind (to close), we were just going to see how it went."

Last spring, CMT management decided to move to a normal cabaret season with several productions per year.

"We got hit pretty hard with the economy going down the tubes right after we opened, but it started to get its legs and we decided last spring that it might be better to go with a season format," Bower said.

As CMT executive producer Richard Lewis saw ticket sales dwindling, he decided to close Forever Plaid, according to an article in the Sacramento Bee. On Sept. 22, CMT opened Late Night Catechism: 'Til Death Do Us Part, a one-woman show which ended Nov. 22.

The production featured a minimalist set, with Emmy-Award winning actress Nonie Newton-Breen playing a nun who offers humorous lessons on various Catholic sacraments.

She will reprise her role as a nun for six weeks beginning Tuesday, Nov. 24 in Sister's Christmas Catechism, followed by a one-week encore show of 'Til Death beginning Jan. 5, 2010. Both shows have improvised material with heavy audience interaction.

Bower said that there is much to be learned from the first year, and the CMT won't know if the cabaret is a success until having completed several more seasons. He also said Forever Plaid was so funny and well done, once the word got out, people started buying tickets quickly.

"Artistically, the show itself got great reviews and great audience response," Bower added. "Financially, (the year) had its ups and downs but it's a learning process. We didn't really know what to expect, we'd never run a cabaret-style theatre before."

Cosmopolitan Cabaret is located on the corner of 10th and K streets.

The following is the Cosmopolitan Cabaret's 2010 season schedule and plot summaries, taken from www.californiamusicaltheatre.com:

My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra

Jan. 26 - May 9 (previews Jan. 26 – 28, opening night, Friday, Jan. 29).

The four-person musical review celebrates the music of this icon of cool: a singer whose style, voice and attitude defined much of 20th century music. Two dynamic couples perform 58 songs made famous by the Chairman of the Board, including "Strangers in the Night," "I’ve Got You Under My Skin" and “New York, New York.”

Shear Madness

May 25 - Sept. 5 (previews May 25 – 30, opening night, Tuesday, June 1).

Taking place in a beauty salon, this uproarious whodunit includes colorful characters, spontaneity and topical humor. And the audience gets to solve the crime! "Shear Madness" has had long-running engagements around the country including Chicago, San Francisco, Washington D.C. (9,000 performances and counting) and the original Boston production which opened in 1980 and is still going strong.

Suds

Sept. 21 - Jan. 9, 2011 (previews Sept. 21 – 23, opening night, Friday, Sept. 24)

Suds is a delightful musical about a teenage girl and the guardian angels who come to teach her about finding true love. This bubbly musical set in a laundromat features hits from the '60s including "Where the Boys Are," "These Boots Are Made for Walkin’," "Respect," "I Feel Good" and "Do You Want to Know a Secret."

Subscriptions are available for purchase beginning Monday, Nov. 30, at the Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office, 1419 H St., Sacramento, or by calling (916) 557-1999.

Subscription tickets are discounted more than 20 percent off the price of the tickets sold separately. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday evening performances and Thursday matinee performances are $79 for the three-show package. Friday and Saturday evenings and Saturday and Sunday matinee packages are only $89. Subscriptions for premium tables on the first tier are $89 and $99 respectively. Discounts are available for groups from 12 to 199 by calling (916) 557-1198.

Single-show tickets for each of the productions will go on sale at a later date.