NOW PLAYING
REVIEWS
5
Dorothea Puente Tells All
In the wake of disaster BY PATTI ROBERTS
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARR CRAIL
From the very start, actress Janis Stevens totally and convincingly transforms herself into Puente, always juggling an unassuming, manipulative manner that veiled a damaged, evil spirit. She’s aided by a carefully orchestrated script by playwright Mark Loewenstern, who skillfully tap dances through the many conflicting layers of Puente. Fri 8pm, Sat 8pm,
Sun 2pm; Through 2/23; Tickets are sold out; The
5
The Field
Black Point Theatre is off to an intriguing start with its inaugural performance of The Field, by playwright John B. Keane. The flawless performances by this talented cast present a unique, thoughtprovoking story about insiders and outsiders, lawmen and small town living. Thu 8pm, Fri
8pm, Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm; Through 2/16; $15-$20;
California Stage, 2509 R Street; (916) 455-0163; blackpointtheatre.org. TMO
5
Pump Boys and Dinettes
Director Abbey Campbell guides this outstanding group of actor-singer-musicians with a deft hand and never takes the easy step of mocking the culture. Rather, she gives us an opportunity to experience a genuine taste of a simpler, maybe purer, slice of American life. Wed 7pm, Thu 7pm, Fri
8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm; Through 2/16; $25$40; Sacramento Theatre Company, 1419 H St.; (916) 443-6722; sactheatre.org. J.C.
Wilkerson Theatre, 1725 25th St.; (916) 451-5822; calstage.org. P.R.
1 2 3 4 5 Tornado survivor, June (Stephanie Altholz) is interviewed by a curious photographer (Susan Maris).
Alabaster
FOUL
4
Wed 7pm, Thu 7pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm; Through 2/23; $27-$44; Capital Stage, 2215 J St., (916) 995-5464, capstage.org.
When a tough-talking, wise-assing goat bounds onstage at the start of Capital Stage’s Alabaster, it’s a clear sign that a quirky play lies ahead. Weezy the goat (Amy Kelly) faces the audience and introduces us to a small Southern farm and its owner June (Stephanie Altholz). Both the farm and June were severely damaged by a violent tornado that swept through their area many years ago. From the farm’s outside, we switch to June’s bedroom, where an interview is being set up by visiting photographer Alice (Susan Maris). Alice is there to chronicle the tragedy and ongoing struggles that have left June with major physical and emotional scars. June is just one of many women that photographer Alice is interviewing around the country for a book to illustrate how victims deal with permanent, visual wounds. What playwright Audrey Cefaly does so successfully in Alabaster is a slow reveal of the tragedies that both June and Alice have dealt with, as well as the visible and invisible scars the two have struggled with over time. It’s deeply moving and raw, with a four-member cast that slowly reels us into this unexpectedly sensitive and captivating story. Director Kristin Clippard carefully keeps the pace steady and the characters connected with each other and the audience. Altholz and Maris are powerful in their performances, creating believable, complicated characters. Kelly plays Weezy with comedic and sensitive aplomb, while Janet Motenko as an elderly goat who simply emits sad bleats manages to come across as a fully formed personality. 24
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02.06.20
5 Herstory lesson You might say that sisters are doing it for themselves in The Revolutionists, now at Big Idea Theatre. Written by a woman (Lauren Gunderson), directed by a woman (Jenny Adler) and starring a quartet of extremely talented women, the play is a brutal—and brutally funny—feminist take on the role of four women during the French Revolution. Playwright Olympe de Gouges (Stephanie Hodson), assassin Charlotte Corday (Kourtney Smith), former queen Marie Antoinette (Ashley Rose) and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle (Jasmine Washington) bicker, banter and ultimately conspire to fight the Reign of Terror of 1793 Paris. The playwright wants to be recognized for the power of art, particularly her art; the queen wants to hang onto her head; the assassin wants to rid the world of radical politician and sexual sadist Jean-Paul Marat, the Marquis de Sade; and the rebel, a composite character representing a movement among Caribbean women, fights French colonial rule over Haiti even as the French Revolution rages. Hanging over their brave actions is a sure and certain meeting with the guillotine. Despite the impending tragedy, Gunderson’s play is as funny as it is serious. She sparks clever discussions about the power of art—especially theater—to affect history, and about the value of acting upon personal conviction, even if the outcome is uncertain. —JIM CARNES
The Revolutionists: Thu 8pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm; Through 2/15; $12-$18; Big Idea Theatre, 1616 Del Paso Blvd.; (916) 960-3036; bigideatheatre.org.
FAIR
GOOD
WELL-DONE
SUBLIME DON’T MISS
Short reviews by Patti Roberts, Tessa Marguerite Outland and Jim Carnes.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHHIMI DESIGNS AND PHOTOGRAPHY
STAGE PICK These woods aren’t like normal woods, sometimes a twig will pop up out of nowhere.
Tales from the forest In a world where shoes are lost and beanstalks get way too big, a shoe is lost and a beanstalk gets way too big. It’s the world of Into the Woods, the hit Stephen Sondheim musical that weaves together popular fairy tales with showstopping tunes. This weekend only, see it performed by the students from STC School of the Arts, Young Professionals Conservatory. There’s more than just shoes and beans—there’s drama, romance, heroism. Things also get pretty dark in the second act, figuratively and probably literally, depending on the stage lighting situation. Thu, 2/6, 7pm; Fri, 2/7, 7pm; Sat, 2/8, 2pm & 7pm; Sun, 2/9, 2pm & 7pm; Through 2/9; $17-$20; Sacramento Theatre Company, 1419 H St.; (916) 443-6722; sactheatre.org.
—RACHEL MAYFIELD