Stage Reviews
Benched This small show performs well at several levels. Playwright and Sacramento resident Richard Broadhurst contributes a well-crafted script that incorporates a present-day fable of regret and redemption (without getting mawkish about it) while simultaneously coming up with some very frank, funny lines, and interesting surprises in the plot. Veteran actors Eddie Jones and Rod Loomis are a pleasure to watch at close range in STC’s cozy Stage Two. Local actors Stephanie Gularte and Brian Henderson contribute solid performances in supporting roles, while director Michael Butler sustains the show’s understated charm like a magician doing the Indian rope trick.
Sacramento Theatre Company , 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday, $16-$35. 1419 H St., 443-6722. Through February 24.
Six Women With Brain Death This very campy revue is Sacramento’s longest-running show, having celebrated its fifth anniversary in October. It’s a series of skits and songs about midlife women with “expiring minds,” dealing with soap operas, high-school reunions, grocery shopping and getting away from the kids. While the show clearly tickles the funnybone of its core audience (females over 40), our critic found the appeal elusive and the humor generic. But then, he’s a middle-aged guy. Studio Theatre , 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, $14-$18. 1028 R St., 446-2668. Open-ended run. Stage reviews compiled by critic
