Images by Kelly Christofferson   New exclusive SacPress images by Barry Wisdom The Sacramento Theatre Company is ending its 2011-2012 season of “Mystery, Music, and Mayhem" with the return of a huge hit for STC 20-some odd years ago, the highly successful Howard Ashman-Alan Menken collaboration, “Little Shop of Horrors." It won’t be a mystery if this new STC production turns out to be its own smash hit. As for the music, Ashman’s lyrics and Menken’s music are equally infectious and the cast and band gave a wonderful performance. The two went on to do several successful and award-winning collaborations with Disney. There is lots of mayhem, mostly of the human-eating plant variety. Ashman

photographs by Barry Wisdom / Sacramento Theatre Company closes its 2011-12 season with a blast from the past, staging an all-new production of "Little Shop of Horrors," a huge hit during its 1986-87 season, that is set to play April 28 to May 20, 2012. The show, which originated more than 50 years ago as a Roger Corman film about a milquetoast florist's assistant and his blood-craving spore from outer space, has enjoyed several incarnations, from film to stage, then back to film, before last landing on television as an animated children's series. Undoubtedly influenced by the cinematic seeds planted in his subconcious by such sci-fi classics as "The Thing from Another World" (1951) and

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

There are certain characteristics that most everyone identifies with Sherlock Holmes from the original books by Arthur Conan Doyle, film portrayal or countless theatrical productions for over a century. After all the character has been around for a long time. Doyle first created the character in 1881 along with Dr. Watson. The first play featuring the characters was written by Doyle and a popular American actor William Gillette. The play premiered in 1899. Gillette introduced several things identified with Sherlock Holmes including the bent briar pipe, magnifying glass and syringe. The film carer of the characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson is nearly as long as cinema itself. The

Delightful. Entertaining. Deliciously fun. What more could you want from a theater experience designed to celebrate the 40-year career of one of Broadways best and brightest? Sacramento Theatre Company presented the last in its 2010-2011 Cabaret Series Thursday night with “From Godspell to Wicked: The Musicals of Stephen Schwartz.” “From Godspell to Wicked” was a whirlwind tour of the 40-year career of one of Broadway’s most renowned composers and songwriters, Stephen Schwartz. The show presented melodies from some of Schwartz’s more famous stage plays, including “Godspell,” “Pippin,” “The Baker’s Wife,” “Children of Eden” and “Wicked,” and even included a few songs from some of Schwart

A crazy-eyed landlord struts around his apartment, plotting the death of whichever of his emotionally unstable tenants mistook his artistic masterpiece for common garbage, when a loud screech pierces the intimate theater. The audience jumps. The landlord rears in apparent surprise. The screech lasts for over five seconds. Finally, it stops. The landlord peers over his shoulder, toward the door and proclaims, "The doorbell!" The audiences erupts in laughter. This is just one of several hilarious moments in the Sacramento Theatre Company's production of “The Musical of Musicals: The Musical!” Written by Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart, “The Musical of Musicals” takes a single plot and appl

All photos: Barry Wisdom In my recent review of Sacramento Theatre Company’s “A Christmas Carol,” I mentioned Caleb Salmon, who plays the young Ebenezer, the tailor and the second suitor (at Fezziwig’s party.) I’d like to elaborate on the program that Salmon has gone through to get where he is now. Salmon has gone through the Sacramento Theatre Company’s Young Professionals Conservatory. He is now attending college and is an Equity Membership Candidate.  Caleb Salmon as Ebenezer Scrooge and Ella Isaguirre as Belle Actor’s Equity Association, commonly known as Equity, is the union of actors and associated theatre trades. Having an Equity card is the doorway to a professional acting car

All Photos: Barry Wisdom Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” is possibly the most popular Christmas story ever written, with the exception of the Nativity story itself. Long before radio, television and the multimedia assault we have today, live theatres – from professional to the smallest community – were producing adaptations of Dickens’ novel. For decades the theatre-going public has continued to embrace “A Christmas Carol,” giving the theatres producing it a nearly surefire hit. Many theatre companies depend on their holiday classics the way retail stores depend on the holiday shopping season.  Sacramento Theatre Company now alternates “A Christmas Carol” with its other popular ho

In many cities around the world with live theater, there are special bar/nightclubs. These are places where actors gather after their performances or in between shows. The club will have a well versed resident pianist. The actors take turns belting out their favorite show tune or try out new material for their fellow actors and assorted fans of “show tunes.” For the next two nights and an afternoon, Sacramentens can experience something similar to this phenomenon. Sacramento Theatre Company's Mainstage lobby has morphed into a nightclub for this weekend. The show being performed in this space evokes just what I have described of these actor performance venues. “You Can't Stop the Beat, C