Stage Reviews
AAH! Abandon Productions’ physical-theater troupe wrestles with the evolution of human interaction, casting a critical and sometimes comical look at the progress we’ve made as a society. Through its unique blend of dance, movement, a cappella singing, acting and miming, the group continues to captivate. All action occurs within two A-frame construction scaffoldings, where performers loop, leap, slither and snake through the pipings. Even when the concepts haven’t quite gelled, the performers’ sheer joy and enthusiasm have you rooting for them. The miracle is witnessing an experimental theater production that lacks pretension and cynicism. The show lasts one hour.
The Space, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, $10-$13. 2509 R Street, (916) 737-2304. January 24 through February 28. P.R.
The Distance from Here Playwright and filmmaker Neil LaBute writes stories about ordinary people who are guilty of extraordinary cruelty or equally damning inaction. This play is no exception. There’s enough manipulation and betrayal in these two hours to fuel a grand, paranoid Jacobean vengeance play. But LaBute’s characters are small-time losers on the fringes of society—and unlike Jacobean drama, these folks don’t necessarily get what they have coming. Director Anthony D’Juan does a capable job of maneuvering through this gloomy script. The cast features savvy veterans (Beth Edwards in particular) as well as younger performers from the Actor’s Workshop.
The Actor’s Theatre; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday; $12-$14. 1616 Del Paso Boulevard, (916) 925-6579. Through February 1. J.H.
Fat Men in Skirts Synergy Stage’s Fat Men in Skirts is for those who like dark humor. Be forewarned: We’re talking really dark humor. Think midnight-in-a-mine-with-your-eyes-closed dark. (And even that audience may find this audacious comedy creeping over the edge.) If you’re willing to take the plunge into a surreal world of overbearing mothers, dallying fathers, mental breakdowns, cannibalism, rape and incest, you’ll discover a darkly disturbing but highly entertaining look at one family gone way wrong. This story of a mother and son who survive a plane crash on a deserted island explores family dynamics, social taboos, the search for love, and a lot of wayward affections.
Geery Theatre; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; $10-$15. 2130 L Street, (916) 448-9019. Through February 14. P.R.
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change The Delta King Theatre has revived its revival of this long-running revue. The cast is a composite of the first two productions. This revue is about dating, courtship, marriage and what comes after. The songs are sometimes obvious, but they have a way of sticking in your memory. At this point, this reviewer is losing the urge to go down this road again, but there still seem to be plenty of people wanting to see this show.
Delta King Theatre, various times Thursday through Sunday, $18-$25 for the show and $38-$52 for dinner and the show. 1000 Front Street in Old Sacramento, (916) 995-5464. Through February 29. J.H.
