Stage Reviews
Drinking Alone As ever with the B Street, this is a smartly executed show with a well-chosen, likeable cast. But this attractive talent is harnessed to a so-so script—in this case, the fourth offering at the B Street by Canadian writer Norm Foster, who’s got a knack for comic dialogue, but wouldn’t make anybody’s list of “10 Best Playwrights.” It’s a pleasant but unambitious show, with plot developments you can spot a mile off. The B Street Theater, which used to surprise us with edgier material, is resting a bit too comfortably on its laurels. B Street Theatre, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. $16.50-$20.50. 2711 B St. (916) 443-5300. Through August 5; may be extended.
An Evening With John Wilkes Booth William Voorhees is back in the one-man show he first presented about a year ago at the small, club-like Thistle Dew Dessert Theatre. It’s a full-length portrait of a complicated man—reared in theatrical tradition, envious of his more famous brother, and furiously angry at President Lincoln, who he blames for the destruction of the American South. It’s an intense and deliberately self-conscious performance—the script demands as much—but in this case, actor and role are well matched, and the swagger compliments the character. Thistle Dew Dessert Theatre, 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday (June 17). $13-$17. 1901 P St. 444-8209. Through July 7.
Shatterproof This is a very likeable but uneven effort that will leave some cheering and others puzzled. It’s not so much a play as a series of free-standing monologues and short meditations—all written and performed by Sacramento women—covering topics from child abuse to Barbie® to the solitary indulgence of an ice-cream habit. Some scenes are like rituals, others rely on farce and a few are icy tragedies. Occasionally the tongue-in-cheek humor gets tongue-tied. Recommended for the adventuresome, especially those with an interest in women’s issues; but those seeking easily absorbed entertainment may find it quirky. Celebration Arts, 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. $10-$12. 4469 D St. 445-2787. Through July 28.
Waking A daring look at the differences separating three generations of an Irish family’s men in all of their flawed, raw beauty. Waking, written by award-winning Irish playwright Lin Coughlan and directed by Irish theater specialist and City College theater instructor Christine Nicholson, is a haunting tale containing classic drama mixed with a healthy dose of wit and human condition as only the Irish can tell it. A sure bet for an evening of good, solid entertainment. California Stage, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with varying Sunday matinees. $15. 1717 25th St. 705-0540. Through July 14.
