Stage Reviews
Always Patsy Cline Foothill Theatre Company revives its popular 1999 production with the same cast: Cara Burgoyne, a natural as strong, husky, inwardly vulnerable Patsy; and Nancy Keith, as a single mom with big hair who is Patsy’s fan turned friend. The show features Burgoyne’s accurate vocals, with a live band, reprising Cline’s signature country tunes. It’s also an upbeat but not entirely frivolous retro-comedy dealing with what it meant to be a hardworking, independent woman in the late 1950s, with a few stops at a honky-tonk nightspot along the way. It’s a slice of Americana for the summer season.
Nevada Theatre ; 7 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday; $5-$21. 401 Broad Street in Nevada City, (530) 265-8587. Through August 17. J.H.
Julius Caesar Perceptive director Jonathan Moscone updates this history play with swords and assault rifles, Roman togas and modern military camouflage. The opening is slow, but with Caesar’s bloody assassination, the show takes on urgency and thought-provoking contemporary overtones; the chaos resembles present-day Afghanistan or Baghdad after Saddam’s fall. And it’s wonderful to hear this play’s great speeches coming from an Equity cast.
California Shakespeare Theatre ; 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday; $25-$49. Bruns Memorial Amphitheatre, 100 Gateway Boulevard in Orinda, (510) 548-9666. Through June 22. J.H.
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.
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.
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.
