Stage Reviews
How the Other Half Loves Three couples—the men work in the same office—and multiple suspicions of infidelity (real and imagined) fuel the domestic farce How the Other Half Loves. Noted British playwright Alan Ayckbourn wrote the clever script. The production features a “split screen” set depicting two households side-by-side, with overlapping events. Director Adrienne Sher handles the verbal and physical humor skillfully; the cast of six local actors (including Nicole Hayes, Miranda McClenahan, Dan Slauson and Ken Figeroid) alternate smoothly between innocence, intrigue, anger and guilt.
Delta King Theatre , on the riverboat at 1000 Front St. in Old Sacramento, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Show-only seats are $14-$16. Dinner/brunch and show tickets are $36-$41. 995-5464. Through March 2. J.H.
Love Letters For Valentine’s Day (and after), this production features different couples from the local theater community, reading A.R. Gurney’s popular play, which relates the story of two lifelong friends (and lovers) from the time they’re growing up well into middle age, told through the exchange of old-fashioned letters—the kind the postman used to bring. We’re not rating it, because the cast rotates from week to week.
Thistle Dew Dessert Theatre, 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Sunday. $16, reservations required. 1901 P. St., 444-8209. Through March 30. J.H.
Mousetrap This, the longest-running play in theater history, is classic Agatha Christie, with its understated murders, intricate plot lines, well-placed red herrings and an assortment of English eccentrics. Through the clever script and earnest acting, this production manages to keep the audience’s attention despite slow pacing, wandering accents and a freezing theater. Michael Coleman is notable as flighty drama-lover Christopher Wren, and the rest of the cast looks like it’s having fun, despite the uneven performances.
Theatre El Dorado , 7 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday, $10-$13. El Dorado County Fairgrounds, 100 Placerville Drive, Placerville, (530) 626-5193. Through March 3. P.R.
The Old Settler This comedy of courtship is set in Harlem, circa 1943. The arrival of a good-looking young man from rural South Carolina sets off a string of funny conflicts. He’s come to the Big City to retrieve his girlfriend, but she’s changed her name and isn’t interested in going back home. At the core of the story is the relationship between two 40-something sisters—one of whom catches the young man’s fancy. The cast is terrific, and the set’s a beauty, which compensates for a certain predictability in John Henry Redwood’s feel-good script.
Celebration Arts Theatre, 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. $10-$12 ($6 on Thursdays), 4469 D St. (at 45th), 455-2787. Through March 2. J.H.
Scattered Bits and Pieces Playwright, songwriter, choreographer, performer and director Doniel Soto reaches for the stars in this ambitious new solo effort, playing a nervous mental patient returning to the stage after a 15-year layoff. Soto (as the patient) presents a string of characters and scenes, ranging from Native American ritual to stand-up comedy to first-person confessional to song. The design initially seems random (hence the title), but there’s a plan underneath. It’s intense and intelligent, and well worth checking out—especially if your taste runs toward experimental, multidisciplinary work. Dress warmly as the theater is unheated.
The Space , 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, $10, 2509 R St., 737-2304. Through March 23. J.H.
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. J.H.
