Stage

Manly man tangents

Nick Offerman

Nick Offerman is probably best known as the deadpan, whiskey-loving hunter and libertarian Ron Swanson on NBC's Parks and Recreation.

The longtime stage actor holds his own decidedly different political views, but Swanson fans aren’t likely to be surprised when Offerman (pictured above) goes on tangents about woodworking, manliness or the virtues of eating meat. His stand-up comedy acts often present musings on sex and religion, affable wit and silly sing-alongs. But who can really predict Offerman’s antics? Also note that his shows sometimes contain “minor nudity.” Saturday, October 4, 8 p.m., $37-$57. Mondavi Center, 9399 Old Davis Road in Davis; (530) 754-5000; www.mondaviarts.org. J.B.

Dance of the divinities

Royal Ballet of Cambodia

Cambodia’s folk-dance traditions go back at least 1,000 years, according to some historians. One of the most iconic images of classical Khmer (Cambodia’s predominant ethnic group) dance is the Apsara, a divine Hindu-Buddhist nymph. Though Apsaras are engraved on temples and on walls in many Asian countries (notably India, Indonesia and China), the Apsaras engraved on Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temple are perhaps the most famous.

Although folk dance (and all other arts) fared poorly under the brutal Khmer Rouge regime in the late ’70s, the Royal Ballet of Cambodia is now helping revive it thanks to the direction of Princess Norodom Buppha Devi of Cambodia (herself a former dancer), who created the Neak Moneang Phat Kanhol Foundation to support the group.

The Royal Ballet’s October 23 stop at Harris Center for the Arts promises dance that will tell a story through beautiful costumes and mesmerizing hand movements. 7:30 p.m., $12-$55. 10 College Parkway in Folsom; www.norodombupphadevi.com. J.M.

Into the wild

Untamed

Watch the San Francisco-based Smuin Ballet celebrate its 20th anniversary at the Harris Center for the Arts on Friday, October 17, with Untamed, a show that emulates the company’s signature style of classical ballet infused with American culture and tradition. Untamed comprises three separate stories: “Serenade for Strings,” in which Garrett Ammon’s choreography explores the precision and fervency of Tchaikovsky’s composition; “Frankie and Johnny,” the passionate tale of a faithless lover and his ardent lady set to mambo music; and “Objects of Curiosity,” an exploration of the tension between desire and restraint. 7:30 p.m., $25-$55. Harris Center for the Arts, 10 College Parkway in Folsom; (916) 608-6888; www.harriscenter.net. J.R.

Tortured genius

Frankenstein

The conflict between man’s desire to overcome death and the natural order of life has rarely been better revealed than through Mary Shelley’s 19th-century gothic novel Frankenstein, in which scientist Victor Frankenstein tells the tale of his obsession with restoring life to a being created from dead body parts. Resurrection Theatre Company will produce an original adaptation of the story, written by Jes Gonzales, that explores Dr. Frankenstein’s motivations and tortured genius. The production, which will be presented at the California Stage October 17- 31, is a bone-chilling take on the classic tale. 8 p.m. (7 p.m. on Oct. 19), $20. California Stage, 1723 25th Street; (916) 223-9568; www.resurrectiontheatre.com. J.R.

Wherefore art thou, zombies?

William Shakespeare's Land of the Dead

The late great Bard himself may rise like the undead to catch William Shakespeare's Land of the Dead, a comedic homage to zombie lore and Elizabethan theater that runs October 23-November 1 at the Benvenuti Performing Arts Center. The scene: London, 1599, and the company at the Globe Theatre has just finished the first performance of Will Shakes’ latest epic drama, Henry V. Enter the company’s costumer, who has just been bitten by a crazed lunatic and is now missing a chunk of his arm, and the zombie apocalypse is upon them. The entire company, along with historic characters like Francis Bacon and the Virgin Queen herself (who dubs the epidemic “the plague”), are all barricaded inside the Globe, trying to ward off ambling, flesh-eating monsters. 7 p.m., $10-$17. 4600 Blackrock Drive in Natomas; (916) 491-1028; www.benarts.org. J.R.