Stage Reviews
The King and I Garbeau’s works with InterACT for this production, bringing in Dennis Yep as director and star. It’s an ambitious undertaking for Yep, who usually works with smaller casts and even smaller budgets, but it’s clear this production is close to his heart. Yep is an effective King in stance and delivery and brings a pathos to the role that sometimes is lost in more heavy-handed productions. Kitty Kean as Anna, the teacher, totally captures the spirit and spunk of the character while keeping her humanity, humility and humor intact. The pacing drags at times, and though the two talented pianists work their musical fingers to the bones, the familiar score begs for some strings.
Garbeau’s Dinner Theatre , 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday (dinner at 6 p.m.) and 2:30 p.m. Sunday (brunch at 1 p.m.), $34-$39 for the show and a meal or $20 for the show only. 12401 Folsom Boulevard in Rancho Cordova, (916) 985-6361. Through July 20. P.R.
Last Train to Nibroc The B Street Theatre hosts a two-week revival of last summer’s very popular romance (not a romantic comedy). It’s set in rural Kentucky in the early 1940s—a time of social change, economic transition and international uncertainty that, in some ways, resembles our own. Actors Stacy Barneheisel and Jason Kuykendall portray an unlikely pair that overcomes some personal difficulties and family attitudes while falling in love. Director Buck Busfield develops some magical exchanges from Arlene Hutton’s small-scale, high-quality script.
B Street Theatre ; 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday; $17.50-$21.50. 2711 B Street, (916) 443-5300. Through June 15. J.H.
The Lone Star Love Potion A convenient flash flood isolates seven kooky characters at a huge Texas ranch, where they’ve gathered for the reading of the will of a recently deceased eccentric millionaire. While the various characters wait for their wet clothes to dry, they test the old coot’s other legacy—a secret love potion. With a set containing eight doors, a huge bed and a seduction-sized sofa, you don’t need a Ph.D. to anticipate what’ll happen next in this bedroom farce by Michael Parker. Sophisticated entertainment it is not, but if you’re looking for a mindless romp by a community theater company, The Lone Star Love Potion, or Tempest in a “D” Cup, is up your alley. Not recommended for children under 14.
Woodland Opera House , 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, $7-$14. 340 Second Street in Woodland, (530) 666-9617. Through June 22. J.H.
The Nerd Willium Cubbert’s life has stalled. Enter Rick Steadman, a Vietnam vet who saved Willium’s life on the battlefield but hasn’t been heard from since. Rick’s problem? He’s a nerd, a social misfit, a fashion don’t, an over-insistent irritant. Willium’s problem? He wants to get rid of Rick but made a battlefield vow to be there when Rick needed him, so he’s stuck. Though the play suffers from implausible plot lines and misplaced sentiments, it does give us goofy guffaws, funny setups and a strange yet endearing portrayal of a nerd who’s nebbish but never malicious.
Delta King Theatre , 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, $12-$18. 1000 Front Street, (916) 995-5464. Through June 14. P.R.
Nuts Is Claudia Faith Draper certifiably nuts? Certifiably is the key word. Claudia, a good-girl-gone-murderer, wants to forgo the insanity plea, be declared sane, stand trial and be acquitted. But under a New York law, she could be held indefinitely in a mental hospital against her wishes. This three-act play from SacActors.com is meant to examine a legal and mental system run amok and a society that deems women the weaker, wackier link. But what this courtroom drama lacks is drama. Part of the problem is the passé plot. However, it’s also an undercooked production that leaves a lot lacking. Many lines were stumbled over, forgotten or recited by rote, causing action to stop, pacing to stall and suspense to suspend.
Geery Theatre , 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, $12.50-$14.50. 2130 L Street, (916) 451-4152. Through June 15. P.R.
Rounding Third Baseball is the metaphor, but clashing attitudes about work, fatherhood and marriage are the real topics of this new comedy by Richard Dresser, whose plays have proven popular at the B Street in the past. Two dads are coaching a boys team. One’s a blue-collar beer drinker determined to win at any cost. The other’s a stressed-out office worker who barely knows the rules of the game; he just wants to enjoy time with his son. There’s very little suspense in the storyline, but the interplay between actors George Gerdes and Kurt Johnson keeps things interesting. Because of locker-room dialogue and talk of infidelity, children under 12 are not admitted.
B Street Theatre ; 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday; $15.50-$21.50. 2711 B Street, (916) 443-5300. Through June 29. J.H.
T Bone N Weasel This odd comedy sends a small-time car thief (who’s black) and a relentlessly nervy, illiterate sidekick (who’s white) on a strange odyssey through the rural South, where their underhanded efforts to live off the land get them into trouble repeatedly. Actor James Ellison does a long, slow burn as the thief, while Damion Sharpe nearly hyperventilates as his hapless associate. Resourceful JG Gonsalves contributes a catalog of memorable cameos. Director James Wheatley presents it as a sequence of casually related (almost disconnected) scenes—but then, Jon Klein’s script doesn’t have a clear destination in mind.
Celebration Arts , 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday (no show June 12) and 2 p.m. Sunday, $10-$12 ($6 on Thursday). 4469 D Street, (916) 455-2787. Through July 12. J.H.
The Time of Your Life Director Ed Claudio dusts off this California classic by William Saroyan, which won the Pulitzer in 1939. It’s a meandering tale set amid the chaos of a downscale bar on the San Francisco waterfront. The huge cast features a mix of professional actors (Claudio as “Kit Carson” and Anthony D’Juan as a wannabe comedian, among others) along with community actors. As a result, some scenes have more zing than others. But it’s a treat to experience this charming old script, which has been neglected in recent years, and this production successfully taps into the playwright’s mix of working-class attitudes, optimism and sentimentality.
Actors Theatre , 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, $12-$14. 1616 Del Paso Boulevard, (916) 925-6579. Through June 15. J.H.
