“Water Falling Down,” currently in its American premier as part of the current B3 Series at B Street Theatre, is the story of Dad and Son. Dad is an elderly man loosing his mobility, at least under his own power, and is slipping into aphasia — “poor man’s Alzheimer’s,” as his son calls it. His wife of 30-some years died not long ago without, it seems, telling anyone that she was sick. Son is a dutiful sandwich generation child with a son who won’t talk to him and a surviving parent that often does not make sense when he does talk. The only other “family” is ex-wive(s) who only seem to make his life miserable, leaving him to deal with Father on his own. A common story for many boomers: t

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 understa

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 tog

Wow! That is what I have to say regarding Broadway Sacramento's opening night performance of the current national tour of "West Side Story."  The sold out house at the Community Center Theater suggests others agree. While it is beautifully staged, with wonderful singing anddance, and good acting, it is the material that is the star here. The powerful music of Leonard Bernstein coupled with the equally powerfully words of Stephen Sondheim are enough to make "West Side Story" a show worth seeing. Add in the choreography of original "West Side Story" director and choreographer Jerome Robbins, which can move from strongly ballet to strongly modern dance in a moment, and it's hard to beat. A

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

The B Street Family Series opened, “The Giver,” an eyes wide open look at how “Utopia” can become “Dystopia.” For an excellent introduction to the show see Barry Wisdom’s Sacramento Press preview of “The Giver.” Long time B Street Company members Elizabeth Nunziato and Jason Kuykendall are Father and Mother, the adult component of the mandatory two adult two children family unit. They are so good at creating this feeling that under the veneer of happiness is a pervasive fear of the consequences of differing at all from the norm which flares up anytime the children question something. Nunziato also plays the elder that announces the role that has been selected for each child as they cease

The latest Broadway Sacramento show “Rain: A Tribute to The Beatles” opened to a nearly sold out house at the Sacramento Community Theater Tuesday evening. “Rain: A Tribute to The Beatles” opens with archival film of the Beatles’ first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” projected on two large screens flanking the stage. As the curtain rises, the band breaks into a set of the earliest Beatles music. The audience breaks into screams. This is followed by a set of more early music timed to the Beatles’ Aug. 15, 1965, Shea Stadium concert. The two large screens, plus a much larger screen at the back of the stage, and some props and lighting effects set the scene very well. It is still inte

Among all the different holiday icons, one that stands out is the 1947 black and white film, “It’s A Wonderful Life.” It is a must-see event for many during the holidays. Playwright Joe Landry, also known for his stage adaptation of the cult film, “Reefer Madness,” has taken the story of “It’s A Wonderful Life” and integrates it into his play, “It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play,” as if the it had been performed as a nationally broadcast radio play prior to being turned into the beloved film that it is today.  Capital Stage is in the middle of a very short run of the show.   Many Sacramento Press readers may ask, “What is a radio play?” Long before today’s audio and video media st

The 2012 City Management Academy (CMA) starts on Wednesday January 25th, 2012. Applications are being accepted through Friday, December 9th at 5:00pm, postmarks are not accepted.  Completed applications can be hand delivered, faxed or mailed. If you have a interest in how the City of Sacramento government works this is with out a doubt the best place to learn. This is especially true if you are a neighborhood activist or want to help make the city work better for everyone.   "Anyone considering running for election for mayor/ city council or serving on any board or commission would be well served by participating in these valuable orientation "academies:" fifthgenerationsacramentan SacPr

Photos by Barry Wisdom For many people there are certain holiday traditions that if they don’t get to experience them during the holiday season, it just doesn’t feel like the holidays. Capital Stage has started its own little holiday tradition of more than five years of presenting “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and then some!)” which skewers all those wonderful holiday traditions. Eric steps up to the podium, opens a large book and begins to read, “Marley is dead!” Before he even starts to read there are titters that are growing into laughter in the audience. It is those who have made “Every Christmas Story...” at Capital Stage their holiday tradition. This Capital Stage production i

Photos by Barry Wisdom The magic of the theatre, the theater of magic. While great children’s theatre is a wonderful experience for children and adults any time of the year, it is especially magical during the holiday season. The most recent opening is the B Street Theatre Family Series, “The Snow Queen.” The B Street premier is an adaptation of an 1845 Hans Christian Anderson story, “Sneedronningen,” which originally appeared in Danish. The production is a story of a sister, Gerda, and her brother, Kay, who live with their grandfather. The adaptation was written by longtime B Street Acting Company member David Pierini. This is his fourth adaptation for B Street and follows “Pinocchio,”

Performer photos by Barry Wisdom "How Long Has This Been Going On?-A Tribute to George and Ira Gershwin" opened the fifth season of cabaret at Sacramento Theatre Company Thursday evening to an enthusiastic audience. Although the Gershwin's music goes back to the 1930s and George died tragically in 1937 at the age of 38 the music they created endures as some of the best examples of the Great American Songbook. Ira Gershwin went on to compose with several other lyricists living to the age of 87. STC producing director, Michael Laun who created the cabaret series, enlisted Jerry Lee ("Musical of Musicals the Musical!!," "Frankenstein"-recently closed at STC) one of Sacramento's best youn

Photos by Barry Wisdom “Watching Wynter” is the title of this season’s B Street Theater mainstage production for the holidays. As always, the play is written and directed by B Street producing artistic director Buck Busfield. While Busfield’s shows have some sort of connection to the holidays, however tenuous, with this show the connection is even more minimal than past shows. This year’s production is about how family members relate to each other and to those around them, and how the holiday season can impact those relationships, making them more than a little crazy. As a playwright, Busfield is a master at making family craziness very funny. At the center of the play are Lonny, an onl

“Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks” by Richard Alfieri opened Saturday in Sacramento Theatre Company’s smaller Pollock Theatre. Lily Harrison, a senior retiree living in a high rise view condo in St. Petersburg, Florida books a series of dance lessons from the Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks company. Very quickly, Lily demonstrates how uptight and rigid she has become. Enter Michael Minetti, the young man that the dance lesson company has sent to give Lily lessons at her condo. Michael’s problem is that he is extremely poor at self-censoring and blurts out whatever he is thinking. Naturally, Lily and Michael start off on the wrong foot (pun intended) at the first dance lesson and succeeding

The Sacramento Area Regional Technology Association (SARTA), as part of its Clean Start initiative, held the 2011 Sacramento Clean Tech Showcase last Monday, October 24, 2011. The showcase, entitled, “Green Innovation: Engine of Growth,” was the fifth annual showcase and was held in the California State University Sacramento Union. SARTA CEO Meg Arnold welcomed everyone to the Union Ballroom and acknowledged the governmental leaders present. Mayor Kevin Johnson, a strong supporter of bringing clean tech companies to Sacramento; Dr. Joseph F. Sheley, Sacramento State Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Congresswoman Doris Matsui, a strong supporter of clean tech in Congr

Capital Stage’s move from the Delta King to the heart of Midtown, while a great deal of work, seems to have gone smoothly. The new theater certainly fulfills the part of Capital Stage’s mission about performing “in an intimate, close up setting.” Capital Stage chose “Superior Donuts” by Tracy Letts to open its seventh season. It is the first in a theater designed by them to produce the type of shows they like to do. Letts is now best known for “August: Osage County” a major Broadway hit bigger than life in every way. “Superior Donuts” tells the story of Arthur Przybyszewski a classic hippy from the 60s. Arthur now runs the rundown North Chicago donut shop inherited from his Polish emigra

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 w

n “The Walworth Farce,” a play by prolific Irish playwright Enda Walsh that opened at the B Street Theatre this week, a father and his two sons are forced to live in s sort of exile from their home in Cork, Ireland, and survive in government housing in London. Dinny the father forces the sons to do a daily reenactment of the family history, lore and sometimes fiction according to Dinny.   Unable to control his temper after hours of drink, mourning and self pity, he kills two close relatives. Or did he? Was it an accident? Or totally justified? This and several other large issues haunt Dinny. He reacts by being a stereotypical Irish bully. Sadly for Dinny, his bulling extends only to the t

Just before hitting the big time on Broadway, winning a Tony Award for best actress in a musical for her role as Adelaide in “Guys and Dolls” opposite Nathan Lane, Faith Prince made a major connection in Sacramento. Prince was appearing in “On a Clear Day” with Jack Jones at Music Circus. Little did she know that the man playing trumpet in the pit, Larry Lunetta, would become her husband and father of their son, Henry. Eventually, Prince and Lunetta decided that Sacramento would be the best place to raise their child and relocated here. Prince has continued to expand her performance world with more Broadway shows, notable roles include “The Bells are Ringing” and Ursula in “The Little M

Sacramento Theatre Company opened its 2011-2012 season this weekend with one of the most classic horror stories ever told, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. While Shelley’s work is well known and countless screen and stage adaptations have been made of the story the one being told here is from little different angle. The play is by a prolific playwright Tim Kelly who wrote dramatizations to several Mary Shelley stories as well as stories of other writers. All the basic elements are here. The brilliant young scientist who literally stitches together a creature out of graveyard spare parts. The creature who then escapes and wreaks havoc all over the countryside. There is the doctor’s best friend