Ah, the child actor. So much competition, so much drive, so many stage mothers and many others, as we shall see, pushing. Oh, and then having to survive the bad reviews. But when a child actor makes it big, there is lots of money and other perks to go around. They say for a child actor to succeed, they and everyone supporting them need to be ruthless. But ruthless to the point of killing a rival? For the lead role in the third-grade play? The center of attention in “Ruthless! The Musical” which is just ending its first week of sold-out and nearly sold-out shows at the Sacramento Theatre Company’s Pollock Stage is Tina Denmark. Right behind Tina is Sylvia St. Croix, child talent represent

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

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

The 2010-2011 Season of the Sacramento Theatre Company Cabaret Season opened with “You’re the Top: A Tribute to Cole Porter.” STC producing director Michael Laun, who created and directed the show, opened with “Let’s Misbehave” from an early Cole Porter show.” After welcoming the near capacity audience Laun explained that the first half of the show would consist of Cole Porter tunes from the 1920s and 30s. This was a period before Porter became well known and met major success. This is surprising to a contemporary audience since all but a couple of the songs are well known to most adult listeners and were hits for various singers over the years. Laun also promised the show would be “a l

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, t

Sleepaway Camp: The Musical Amongst Sacramento’s varied, thriving, and disparate art scenes are large and passionate audiences for both live theater and the trashiest of trash films. Finally, those two audiences can co-exist, and pairs of significant others with significantly different tastes can find a mutually satisfactory outlet in Sleepaway Camp: The Musical. Officially entry #62 (or rather LXII) in the hit midtown cabaret series Graham-A-Rama, this is a new and original musical adaptation for the stage of the campy and bloody 1983 film that spawned five sequels, Sleepaway Camp. I had the opportunity to sit in on one of the final rehearsals (OMG: ROTFLMAO!) and to bounce a few impro

Rehearsal photos by Paul Le and Tony Sheppard – taken at the Artisan, 1901 Del Paso Blvd.   “Tick, Tick…BOOM” Book, Music, and Lyrics: Jonathan Larson Script Consultant: David Auburn Directed by Connor Mickiewicz and Erin island New Helvetia Theatre officially opens its second full production on Saturday, with previews starting Wednesday, of “Tick, Tick…BOOM.” The show is by Jonathan Larson, who won three posthumous Tony awards and a Pulitzer for “RENT.” I had the opportunity to sit in on a recent rehearsal and it literally had me both laughing and crying uncontrollably (not at the same time). The timing was also interesting after the recent movie release of Jane Campion’s beautiful “

Graham-a-Rama, a weekly cabaret show put on by local music director and pianist Graham Sobelman, was only planned to run a few weeks. But after the success of the first few shows in February, Sobelman has continued the show nearly every week since then, has guest appearances confirmed as far out as January and will continue the show until it "runs its course." It has gained somewhat of a cult following, selling out nearly every show. Most of the audience has been to multiple shows, Sobelman said. Graham-a-Rama, one of the few cabaret shows in the grid, is a mix of original music, standup comedy, musical theatre and rock 'n' roll covers. The instrumentation consists of Sobelman on a grand

After only six weeks of shows, the Sundays-only Graham-A-Rama cabaret series at the Geery Theater performed for a full house last week.  Here are a few photo highlights from the show....  The pre-show crowd waits to be allowed in:   The crowded Geery Theater:   Graham-A-Rama VI leads Kevin Caravalho and Joelle Wirth (with drummer Alfonso Portela in the background):   From the back of the house:   Caravalho (right), Wirth (center) and impresario Graham Sobelman (left):   Graham-A-Rama VII "We're Seriously Irish" plays Sunday March 15th at 7pm and 9pm at the Geery Theater, at 22nd and L Streets.  For an earlier Sacramento Press interview with Sobelman, including reservation

Courtney Glass and Connor Mickiewicz perform in Graham-A-Rama III: "Not the Marrying KInd" on Sunday, February 15th, 2009 at the Geery Theater - video and screen capture by Mike Yee   With little fanfare or exposure, one of the best and least known shows in town opened a few weeks ago, on Sundays at the Geery Theater on the corner of 22nd and L Streets. Featuring local stage actors and singers, the Graham-A-Rama cabaret series is a perfect fit for the Geery’s intimate space, giving the feeling of having been invited to a private party of some kind – like the ultimate insider experience, even for outsiders! I asked the man behind Graham-A-Rama (and behind the piano) Graham Sobelman, a f