Courtney Symes

America’s most endearing, optimistic orphan is back in Sacramento and she has a powerful posse of bunkmates backing her up. Almost fifty years after her debut, Annie is as relevant as ever and still stealing hearts with her smarts and sass. After taking home seven Tony Awards in 1977, the show went on to numerous adaptations, including the memorable 1982 film.

Robin Hood, that English ruffian, is back over 700 years after first appearing in Sherwood Forest. His story has undergone several transformations, including the addition of Maid Marian and Friar Tuck in the 15th century. It continues to evolve to encompass 21st century ideas in Jerry Montoya’s new play at the B St. Theatre, Robin Hood.

One of the endearing aspects of the B Street Theatre is that you will always see familiar faces on stage. Their Company members comprise most of the roles in their shows, so it’s fun to watch them as different characters throughout the season. One such Company member, Amy Kelly, has gone from Mrs. Claus to a butler to a friar in a matter of months. She’s currently in B Street’s production of Robin Hood while recording as one half of the musical group Mustache & Cleavage. BroadwayWorld spoke to Amy about her favorite roles, mustaches, and her upcoming album.

I’m still not sure what I watched on Saturday night at the Valkyrie Theatre Company, and I don’t know that I’ll ever fully figure it out. Strangely enough, I feel inclined to go back to gather more pieces of the puzzle. Apparently, such is the norm for viewers of Ghost Quartet, a theatrical song cycle by Dave Malloy (Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812).

The future of theatre is in good hands. Neely Hebert, a senior at Rio Americano, is making a name for herself in the world of entertainment. While her focus is on film, she is also forging a path on the stage. In our first Sacramento Student Spotlight, BroadwayWorld talks to Neely about her new show and her upcoming journey beyond Sacramento.

Margaret Atwood’s play, The Penelopiad, is a fascinating glimpse into an oft overlooked character. The book of the same name was published in 2005 as part of the Canongate Myth Series, in which contemporary authors write their version of ancient myths. Atwood’s story concerns Penelope, wife of Odysseus, and recounts events from her point of view.

Capital Stage’s season of “True Identity” continues with Tanya Saracho’s social commentary, Fade. The semi-autobiographical piece explores the inner turmoil that comes with feeling adrift in one’s culture and the struggle to reconcile that with class disparities and unrelenting ambition. Like last month’s American Fast, Fade focuses on the experiences of a woman of color in a competitive field.    

John Heminges and Henry Condell aren’t names that are immediately recognizable, but they should be. Without them, some of our favorite titles would be lost to history. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Hamlet wouldn’t exist today. No one would know the name William Shakespeare. One of America’s most produced playwrights, Lauren Gunderson, has brought their story to the stage with a fascinating glimpse into 17th century England. The Book of Will is partially a history lesson and wholly entertaining, and Big Idea Theatre has brought together solid local talent to immerse us in the world of the King’s Men.

Sibling rivalry, unrealized dreams, and learning to age gracefully are some themes currently on display in Placer Community Theater’s production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Christopher Durang’s nod to the works of Anton Chekhov premiered on Broadway in 2013 and won the Tony Award for Best Play. It incorporates Chekhov Easter eggs such as character names, locations, and situations, yet familiarity with Chekhov isn’t necessary to enjoy Durang’s play.

An interactive whodunit with comedy, intrigue, and love triangles? Yes, please! Nicole Zimmerer’s captivating new play, Cosmo St. Charles is Dead & Someone in This Room Killed Him, was a finalist at the 2022 B Street New Comedies Festival and is currently thrilling audiences with its world premiere at the B Street Theatre.

Being the first to review a new work is always a pleasure, particularly when that work is as engaging as James Van Eaton’s An Honest Apology. This play is a mixture of Oscar Wilde and Jane Austen, full of witticisms and satire directed towards those who are concerned with their place in high society. In addition, exaggerated affectations and hilariously shallow characters make this an intriguing period piece about learning humility and grace.

Sacramento is brimming with new works in theatre this month, and one play that I am particularly looking forward to is by former Sacramento-based playwright James Van Eaton. The premiere of his Oscar Wilde-inspired An Honest Apology will be performed at FreeFall Stage beginning with their annual Valentine’s Day Dessert on February 14th. BroadwayWorld spoke to James about feminism, video games, and all things Wilde.

When Black History Month coincides with the Dodgers kicking off spring training, it’s a perfect time to celebrate one of the most important names in baseball history. Safe at Home: The Jackie Robinson Story is an engaging history lesson about the man who changed the Major Leagues with his quiet strength and integrity. It was first commissioned and performed by the B Street Theatre eighteen years ago, where Artistic Director Alison Gilbreath fell in love with it. She has partnered with its playwright, Anthony D’Juan, to bring it back on stage with Valkyrie Theatre Company, a new community theatre in Fair Oaks.

Capital Stage is starting the new year off with a winner. American Fast. by Kareem Fahmy, is making its Sacramento premiere and running through February. Its themes of competition, self-reflection, and navigating relationships are particularly relevant, as many immigrants struggle to honor familial traditions while finding their own way in contemporary society.

Some powerful Tudor women have taken Sacramento by storm; Six of them, to be exact. The former wives of Henry VIII have come back from the dead to tell their side of the story in this powerful musical by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss.

Championing new works can be a risky undertaking, but B St. Theatre’s dedication to the cause continues to pay off. Kicking off the 2024 season is Rescue Me, a finalist in the 2022 B Street New Comedies Festival.  It is penned by two B Street fixtures, Tara Sissom-Pittaro and Peter Story, who infuse humor with introspection into two outwardly opposite individuals.

What you oughta know is that Broadway Sacramento is starting off the New Year with a bang. Raw, emotional, and energizing are the words to kick off 2024, as the National tour of Jagged Little Pill, The Musical hits Sacramento this week. It was inspired by Alanis Morissette’s 1995 album of the same name and, like the album, is a Grammy Award-winner. It also won two Tony Awards after its 2019 opening. While the musical uses songs from Morisette’s album, it is not the jukebox musical I was expecting. It features an original book by Diablo Cody that highlights the challenges facing an outwardly perfect suburban family, reminding us all to never judge a book by its cover…or a soccer mom by her minivan.

While the curtain has closed on Sierra Repertory Theatre’s holiday production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, I would be remiss in not acknowledging the quality of another successful SRT show. As most probably know, Cinderella was the only Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that was made specifically for television. Its 1957 debut featured Julie Andrews, the quintessential Rodgers and Hammerstein leading lady. It spurred multiple spinoffs, including the 2013 Broadway adaptation with a revised book by Douglas Carter Beane. New and improved, this isn’t your grandmother’s Cinderella. Its comedy and messages are a delight for an entirely new generation.

It came after Christmas, bringing with it good cheer. It even brought Whos and Max the Reindeer. A trailer it pulled, full of sets and bright dresses. Whoville, wrapped presents, and sky-high coiffed tresses. A makeup designer and green fur hairdresser, the Grinch couldn’t wait to sing out and impress her! In true Grinchy fashion, he didn’t take pity on any of the kiddos in our River City. He plotted and schemed and watched his greed grow, until the curtain came up on Broadway Sacramento. Yes, my friends, you’ve read that right! Tonight, and the next night, and a night after that, How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical will steal your hearts in two seconds flat.

When Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, debuted at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in 1959, she became the first African American woman to have a play performed on Broadway. Its themes of discrimination and resiliency continue to be as relevant now as they were when it was written, and it is still being taught in schools as an eye-opening account of the African American experience. Celebration Arts recently concluded its talent-filled adaptation of this classic with sold-out performances to close out their 2023 Season of “Overcoming.”