'Boom' Opens with a Bang!

2010-01-12T04:37:13Z

When answering a personal ad promising ‘a night that will change the course of mankind’, expect a few disappointments. When Jo and Jules hook up in B Street Theatre’s current production of ‘Boom’, written by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, their disappointment in each other is the highlight of their evening. Jo, played with an angry intensity by Sarah Aili, wants the human connection she’s never had…or, rather, she wants to have had a human connection; best get it over with! Jules, played by Peter Story, has a bit loftier goal. He wants to be the savior of all mankind and the father of all future generations! One small problem though; he can’t really…um…perform. “ But”, he’s quick to point out, “it’s nothing that a bottle of wine and a Jake Gyllenhaal mask couldn’t solve”. If all else fails, he’s got the savior’s best friend-the turkey baster!

Story and Aili play off each other like seasoned pros, and director Michael Stevenson guides them through their courtship with finesse, giving each a chance to shine. There’s comic nuance in both performances, and Aili, especially, can blow the roof off with her laser-focused anger. You don’t want to meet her in a dark alley!

There are five other characters in this little romantic comedy. Four fish, which have helped Jules discover that the Earth will be destroyed by a fiery comet sometime in the future, and a God-like being “with no power” named Barbara, who controls the action from billions of years in the future. Barbara is played by Jamie Jones, a B Street veteran, and it may have been tempting to just call this ‘The Jamie Jones Show’. She twinkles and shines as the far flung descendent who can’t finish a sentence. But, as I’ve said, these folks are pros, and the story of how Barbara came to be, from this night of disappointment is a trio, not a solo, and they play their instruments masterfully. (One beef though, and it’s a small one: they talk about four fish being in the tank on stage but from where I was sitting I only saw one-a big Styrofoam thing tethered to the bottom. It’s a real tank with real water, and I don’t know how many fish in the area are members of Actor’s Equity, but couldn’t they put real fish in the tank? If one of them missed their cue, it wouldn’t be any worse than the one that just sat there. I’m just sayin’…)

‘Boom’ was written by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb and it follows similar themes favored by the author in other works such as ‘Hunter Gatherers'-society’s collapse, and the rebuilding of the human race. After centuries of playwrights obsessed with where we’ve come from, it’s refreshing to hear one questioning where we’re going. It’s not an uncommon theme in literature; Kurt Vonnegut Jr. explored it in his novel ‘Galapagos’. In it, as in ‘Boom’, our legacy lives on, and in ‘Boom’, as in ‘Galapagos’, it’s probably not the legacy we’d prefer. “But it’s all ours”, as Barbara would say. “Let’s all just --- !“

Nachtrieb’s humor is bawdy and irreverent, and more than a little wicked. His character development is thoughtful, and his storytelling is razor sharp. He could very well be this generation’s Joe Orton, pending the company he keeps…

Look for Capital Stage’s mounting of Nachtrieb’s ‘Hunter Gatherers’ in May.

B Street Theatre is located at: 2711 B Street in Sacramento.

“Boom” By Peter Sinn Nachtrieb
January 10, 2009 - February 21, 2010Previews: $12
Tickets: $22–$30
To purchase tickets, call the box office at (916) 443-5300.
Showtimes:
Previews:
Jan 9 @ 5pm
Jan 10 @ 2pm

Showtimes:
Tue @ 6:30pm
Wed @ 2pm & 6:30pm
Thu & Fri @ 8pm
Sat @ 5pm & 9pm*
Sun @ 2pm
*Call to confirm dates for these showtimes

Thistle Dew Theatre offers drama and dessert

2009-11-12T03:58:02Z

You might have heard of Sacramento's dinner theaters: Suspects Dinner Theatre aboard the Delta King, Tommy T's Comedy and Dinner Theatre and the recently closed Garbeau's Dinner Theatre.

So after attending dinner theater, why not stop by Sacramento's only dessert theater?

"As far as I know, we're the only one in the world," said Thomas Kelly, Thistle Dew Dessert Theatre owner, founder and artistic director.

Kelly, now a retired copy/printshop owner, was a playwright for about 20 years before he opened the theater in 1996. In 1992, he and his wife Eleanor Lediard purchased the 1894 Victorian, 1901 P St., where the theatre is housed.

"It had been a drug house before we got it, totally trashed," Lediard said. "It took us a year to remodel it (into) a very small theater with 39 seats, as far as I know, the smallest theater in Sacramento."

Lediard, a family law attorney, has a law office on the top floor of the house, while the main floor of the Victorian sits slightly above ground. The theater is located on the bottom floor, about three feet below street level.

Shows take place Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. Exact times and dates can be found here.

About three years ago, needing "new and good material," Kelly started a Monday night playwright group which critiques plays and offers new wordsmiths community assistance. Now, with nearly 80 active members, each meeting averages about 25 playwrights, and five playwrights in the group have had 12 plays published by Massachusetts-based Jac Publishing.

Being able to help Sacramento's budding playwrights is Kelly and Lediard's proudest achievement of the theater, the married couple said. The theatre now shows exclusively original works by local playwrights.

Currently playing is The Trials of Clarence Darrow, produced by the playwright group several years ago. Written and performed by Paul Hauck, the play depicts the life of lawyer and American Civil Liberties Union leader, Clarence Darrow.

"It's very interesting," Lediard said. "I'm kind of biased because I'm a lawyer, but it's really of interest because the issues it deals with - social equality and civil rights - are all current issues.

Next month, the theater will feature Kelly's original work Wake up, Jay! It's Christmas!, winner of four 2006 Elly Awards including Best Overall Production. Given out by the Sacramento Area Regional Theater Alliance, the Elly Award honors outstanding achievements in the local theater community.

"It's (about) two family pets, a cat and a brand new puppy, left alone Christmas eve," Kelly said. "The puppy just goes berserk, has a lot of fun and kids really enjoy it because the puppy just has a blast."

As for the desserts, Kelly recommends the apple pie and the chocolate cake, the two most popular of five dessert offerings. Desserts come with coffee or tea.

Ticket prices are $25 per person and seats must be reserved by emailing thistledewplaywrights@yahoo.com or calling (916) 444-8209.

Those who wish to join the playwright group should view information here. Those who want to audition for plays should view information here.

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'Boom' Opens with a Bang!

Thistle Dew Theatre offers drama and dessert