Stage Reviews
Bleacher Bums An odd but appealing assortment of fans gather under sunny skies to enjoy the Chicago Cubs, make a few wagers, sip a few beers, try to pick up a sunbathing waitress, etc. It’s a conversational slice of life, rather like attending a real ballgame. A friendly cast, some effective sound design, and an amiable, freewheeling style make for a pleasant outing.
Garbeau’s Dinner Theatre, dinner at 6 p.m. and show at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; and brunch at 11 a.m. and show at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, $29-$34 for dinner and show/$17 show only. 12401 Folsom Blvd. (in the old Nimbus Winery), Rancho Cordova, 985-6361. Through June 23. J.H.
Give ’Em Hell, Harry Local actor Joe Larrea is a solid choice to portray President Harry Truman in this one-man show, both in terms of looks and temperament. This show covers Truman’s run-ins with Churchill, Stalin and some rascally Ku Klux Klansman back in his native Missouri, and delves into Truman’s feelings about inheriting the presidency from Franklin Delano Roosevelt—a tough act to follow. The Thistle Dew Dessert Theater is smaller than the Oval Office, which magnifies aspects of the performance.
Thistle Dew Dessert Theatre, at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, $14-$18 includes dessert, coffee/tea. 1901 P St. (916) 444-8209. Through July 6. J.H.
Last Train to Nibroc This play is a straight-up romance (not a romantic comedy) set against rural Kentucky in the early 1940s—a time of social change, economic transition and international uncertainty that in some ways resembles our own. Actors Amy Tribbey and Jason Kuykendall are close to perfect as an unlikely pair who have to overcome some personal difficulties and family attitudes; director Buck Busfield develops some magical exchanges from Arlene Hutton’s small-scale, high-quality script. A highlight of the new summer season.
B Street Theatre, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, with 2 p.m., Wednesday matinees on June 26, July 3, 10 and 17, $16.50-$20.50. 2711 B St., 443-5300. Through July 21. J.H.
The Phantom of the Opera Through the last weekend of June, the Sacramento Community Center turns into a Grand Old Opera with gorgeous scarlet curtains, a gilded proscenium, a cornucopia of golden angels, scores of twinkling candles and one precariously swinging chandelier. Which can mean only one thing—the Masked Man has returned. It’s true—Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera just pulled in to the capital city, and for Phantom-heads, it’s time to rejoice. Say what you will about Webber’s take on this old story, what you can’t dispute is the musical maestro’s high-quality production company. Webber’s production team delivers a most impressive, professional-level road show, instead of the scaled-down, productions-lite versions that usually come to Sacramento. The cast is talented, the costumes are gorgeous, the sets magnificent, and the special effects worth the price alone. The only thing that mars this production are bad acoustics that muffle many of the lyrics.
Sacramento Community Center, 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 2 p.m. matinees Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, one Monday performance, 8 p.m. June 24, $15 - $67.50. 1301 L St., 264-5181. Through June 29. P.R.
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, 7 p.m. Sunday, $16-$19. 1028 R St., 446-2668. Open-ended run. J.H.
