ReviewS
Now playiNg
4
A Moving Day
Choice Chekhov By JEff HudSon
PhOTO COURTESy OF AMERICAN RIvER COLLEGE
Maier plays the impoverished schoolteacher Medvedenko (whose sighs about supporting his large family on his pitiful salary remind one of the Sacramento teachers who recently almost went on strike.) And Nicholas Unquera as the elderly Sorin (snoring in his wheelchair, just like one of my relatives at the Thanksgiving dinner I’d attended a few days earlier). There aren’t many plays I’d look forward to seeing staged three times in the same year. But The Seagull is surely one—it grows on you with each mounting. If you’ve never experienced this play in person, this would be a good place to start. Ω
4 It's a Wonderful Life Take flight ... for the third time.
The Seagull
4
The Seagull: Fri 8pm, Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm. Through December 2; $15 general, $12 students/seniors; American River College, Stage 2 (Fine and Applied Arts Building), 4700 College Oak Drive; (916) 484-8234.
I’ve had Seagulls on my mind … Last spring, Capital Stage mounted Stupid F##king Bird, a saucy modern “remix” of Anton Chekhov’s 1896 classic The Seagull. And the Art Theater of Davis did Seagull outdoors on a grassy expanse at the Davis Cemetery, under a full moon. The current buzz over the film Lady Bird brought another Seagull to mind: I first saw Greta Gerwig (the film’s director) in 2001, when she was 18, playing Nina in a Sacramento production of The Seagull directed by Ed Claudio. Now The Seagull has landed yet again as a visually attractive, thoughtfully mounted American River College production directed by Janis Stevens. This is a play that artfully combines frivolous comedy and deep despair in a haunting manner. There are many worthy performances in this production, including Mieke Rosencranz as Nina (20-ish daughter of a rich landowner—she dreams of going to Moscow and becoming an actress) and Evan Lucero as Konstantin (20-ish son of a famous actress, determined be a great writer, spinning his wheels in a small town). Eric
5
Kings of America
Dave Pierini and Buck Busfield’s original holiday play is a fitting finale for the original B Street Theatre. It looks back fondly and looks forward with hope. Greg Alexander, Stephanie Altholz, Kurt Johnson, Jamie Jones and Tim Liu star. Thu 8pm,
Fri 8pm, Sat 5pm & 9pm, Sun 2pm, Tue 6:30pm, Wed 2pm & 6:30pm; through 12/24; $27$39; B Street Theatre, 2711 B St.; (916) 443-5300, www. bstreettheatre.org. J.C.
Shortly after the election of Barack Obama, a troubled young history nerd is plagued by dreams of past presidents. Through conversations with them, he is able to work through his current emotional problems. Excellent acting by the four-person cast makes this a riveting production. Thu 7pm, Fri
8pm, Sat 8pm & 2pm, Sun 2pm, Wed 7pm; through 12/10; $20-$38; Sacramento
Theatre Company, Pollock Stage, 1419 H St.; (916) 4436722; www.sac theatre.org. B.S.
5
Silent Sky
Big Idea Theatre shines a bright light on astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt, who reached for the sky in the early 1900s at a time when women were not recognized in academia. This production skillfully brings out powerful, joyful and humorous performances by the cast, all within a lovely backdrop of twinkling constellations.
Thu 8pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 8pm; through 12/16; $22 general, $16 students/seniors, $12 on Thursdays; Big Idea Theatre, 1616 Del Paso Blvd.; (916) 960-3036; www.big ideatheatre.org. P.R.
Short reviews by Jim Carnes, Bev Sykes and Patti Roberts.
1 FOUL
2
3
4
FAIR
GOOD
WELL-DONE
5 SUBLIME– DON’T MISS
PhOTO COURTESy OF SACRAMENTO ThEATRE COMPANy
While it is surprising that adding music to the Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life improves it, there is no denying that the production currently at the Woodland Opera House, under the direction of Dean Shellenberger, is a winner. The 1946 James Stewart movie told the story of the self-sacrificing George Bailey, who gave up everything to keep his father’s savings and loan running and in the process helped so many of the people of Bedford Falls. When it seems that everything was destroyed, Bailey feels suicide is his only option, because the insurance money would solve his family’s problems. God sends an angel to help Bailey understand the reality of his impact on the town. The Woodland cast features the marvelous Eric Catalan as George. The rest of the cast is mostly excellent, especially Jori Gonzales as George’s wife, James Glica-Hernandez as mean Mr. Potter, the banker determined to ruin the savings and loan, and Richard Lui as Clarence, the angel trying to earn his wings. A standout in a minor role is Melissa Baikie-Rick as Mrs. Martini, whose song of thanks to George is lovely. The set is satisfactory, but the special effect of snow falling on the actors and then dissolving on the stage was stunning. Music for this production is recorded, so there are no live musicians, but Glica-Hernandez is credited with music direction. All things considered, this is a lovely Christmas tradition to share with the kids and grandkids. —Bev sykes
It’s a Wonderful Life: Fri 7:30pm, Sat 7:30pm, Sun 2pm. Through 12/17; $12-$25; Woodland Opera house, 340 2nd Street in Woodland; (530) 666-9617; www.woodlandoperahouse.org.
Matt K. Miller as Ebenezer Scrooge.
A Sac original returns ’Tis the season, and the fella who famously says, “Bah, humbug,” will once again be onstage at the Sacramento Theatre Company after taking a break the last five years. The redoutable Matt K. Miller returns as Ebenezer Scrooge in this 30th anniversary revival of the evergreen adaptation of A Christmas Carol, written for STC decades ago by Sacramento’s Richard Hellesen, with music by the late David de Berry (updated by Gregg Coffin). Previews start November 29, opening night is December 2; Wed 7pm, Thu 7pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm. Through 12/24; $40 general, $35 seniors, $20 children; Sacramento Theatre Company, 1419 H Street; (916) 443-6722, sactheatre.org.
—Jeff Hudson
11.30.17 | SN&R | 29