BOB AND RO’S OLD TIME RADIO SHOWS

From Bob and Ro's

In the old days, boys and girls, social media was called "Radio."

Live audiences would watch actors (both up-an-comers and established personalities) perform comedies, dramas and mysteries. The rest of the world would listen breathlessly to their radios for the next episode of their favorite programs.

Now anyone can be a part of that studio audience when Bob and Ro’s Old Time Radio Shows perform at the Studio Theatre! Local actors take on the roles of established and timeless shows like Our Miss Brooks, Boston Blackie and My Friend Irma. Add in a musical interlude with singer Mike Branson and you’ve got a great evening’s entertainment.

Performances in February are at the Studio Theatre, 1028 R St., Sacramento:

Sunday, Feb. 14 • 7:00 pm • Tickets $10
Boston Blackie • The Bickersons • Our Miss Brooks, Madison High is Cold

Also featuring the song styling by Mike Branson

Sunday, Feb. 21 • 7:00 pm • Tickets $10
Richard Diamond Private Eye • The Bickersons • My Friend Irma

Also featuring the song styling by Mike Branson

Tickets can be arranged by calling (877) 532-7171 or purchased at the door.

At the end of February we will be appearing at the Sutter Street Theatre in Folsom!

Sat., Feb. 27 at 4:00 pm and Sun., Feb. 28 at 6:00 pm
Richard Diamond Private Eye • The Bickersons • Our Miss Brooks, Madison High is Cold
Also featuring the song styling by Mike Branson
Call Sutter Street Theatre for ticket prices! (916) 353-1001

If you’d like more information about BOB AND RO’S OLD TIME RADIO SHOWS, Bob and Ro Productions, or to schedule an interview with the actors, please call Bob Gerould at 916-532-0108 or e-mail bobgerould@gmail.com.

CHICAGO is BACK IN TOWN

From California Musical Theatre

California Musical Theatre presents the national tour of "Chicago" starring John O'Hurley at the Community Center Theater, 1301 L Street, as part of the 20th anniversary Broadway Sacramento season, March 10-21, 2010. Now celebrating 13 glorious years of girls, glitz and glamour on the Broadway, the record-breaking smash hit musical CHICAGO is now the seventh longest-running production in Broadway history ... and shows no sign of ever slowing down!

Murder. Greed. Corruption. Violence. Exploitation. Adultery. Treachery. Set amidst the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s, CHICAGO is the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who maliciously murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her. Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago's slickest criminal lawyer to transform her malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines, the likes of which might just as easily be ripped from today's tabloids.

With a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, CHICAGO is the winner of six 1997 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Cast Recording.

John O'Hurley (Billy Flynn) is one of People magazine's "Sexiest Men Alive," and has become one of television's busiest and most versatile actors, show hosts, advertising heroes, and feature film stars. The award-winning actor is best known as J. Peterman on "Seinfeld," which is now the No. 1 syndicated series in the world in 85 countries. He danced his way into the hearts of America as the ultimate champion of the highly rated ABC show "Dancing with the Stars," starred on Broadway in Chicago, as the male lead Billy Flynn and starred in a two-year stint as the head of the Round Table, King Arthur, in Eric Idle's hilarious musical comedy "Monty Python's Spamalot" in Las Vegas. On the small screen he can be seen weekly on the popular syndicated show "Family Feud." As a follow-up to his Billboard chart topping CD Peace of Our Minds (which was the first independently produced CD to ever reach #13 on the Billboard Music charts), O'Hurley recently released Secrets from the Lake, a collaboration of his piano compositions with cellist Marston Smith. O'Hurley has written two books including his New York Times Bestseller called It's OK to Miss the Bed on the First Jump: And Other Life Lessons Learned from Dogs, and Before Your Dog Can Eat Your Homework, First You Have To Do It. When not performing, John maintains his single digit gold handicap by playing on the Celebrity Players Tour. Additionally, he lends his name and golf game to help charities close to his heart, especially Golfers Against Cancer and Child Development Institute. O'Hurley enjoys spending his free time with his wife Lisa and their young son William Dylan. Together they love to play golf, travel, play with their dogs, cheer for the Boston Red Sox, and entertain friends at their Beverly Hills home.

Produced by Barry and Fran Weissler, CHICAGO has become a worldwide phenomenon with productions in 24 countries and 11 languages since 1996.

The record-breaking London production of CHICAGO continues to hold the record as the longest-running American musical in West End history. CHICAGO is also on tour throughout the U.S. and Canada, as well as international tours in Australia and the United Kingdom.

CHICAGO is a production not to be missed. And all the reviewers agree. Time Magazine calls it "A Triumph," Newsweek raves "Smashing" and Entertainment Weekly sums it up by calling CHICAGO "Broadway's Most Electrifying Show."

Advance tickets for CHICAGO are available at the Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office, 1419 H Street, Sacramento, by phone at (916) 557-1999 or (916) 808-5181. Tickets are also available at the Community Center Theater box office, 1301 L Street, or online at Tickets.com. Performance times are Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m., and Sunday, March 14, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $18-$65. Visit www.BroadwaySacramento.com for more ticketing information.

Discounts available for groups of 10 or more by calling (916) 557-1198.

Celebration Arts Announcement

Celebration Arts presents "From The Mississippi Delta," a drama by Endesha Ida Mae Holland, Ph.D. Directed by James Wheatley, From The Mississippi Delta will open February 19, 2010 and show Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. through March 28, 2010. For this production there will be a 2 p.m. matinee on March 20 and 27. There will be no performance on February 20, 26, 27 and 28. Celebration Arts Theatre is located at 4469 D Street, Sacramento.

The journey begins in Greenwood, Mississippi – the Delta. Phelia, the author’s alter ego describes the events that inspired her to dream far beyond the funny-paper wall in her drafty shotgun house. A very powerful influence in her life was Ain’t Baby, a midwife who delivers babies of poor black and white women, does ironing for white women and rents rooms to prostitutes as a way to support her family. She describes how the civil rights movement helped her toward her destiny. She gains an education and received a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.
Ticket price: $15 general and $13 students and seniors. On Thursday night all seats are $8. Call (916) 455-2787 for information and reservations.

“Rent: the Broadway Tour” comes to Sacramento

Photo by Joan Marcus


Jonathan Larson’s “Rent,” which gathered a Pulitzer and a flock of other honors, closed on Broadway in 2008 but is now traveling as “Rent: The Broadway Tour.” California Musical Theatre makes it “a special addition to the Broadway Sacramento season.” It includes three members of the original Broadway cast: Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp and Gwen Stewart.

Just as “West Side Story” was an update of “Romeo and Juliet,” “Rent” is a contemporary version of “La Bohème,” where characters have AIDS instead of tuberculosis. And “Rent” has by now risen to a classic, a must-see at least once in a lifetime. As for the current version, we were lucky to have seats next to a couple who’d seen the Broadway version. They told us that the road show was a match for the original.

The first act reveals the characters living in a run-down apartment house on New York’s East End. A pair of friends, Mark Cohen (Anthony Rapp) and Roger Davis (Adam Pascal) are tenants, but the owner, Benny (Jacques C. Smith), wants to evict them so he can develop the property. He bemoans the fact that so many tenants are behind in their rent, the subject of the play’s second musical number. Thus we get one interpretation of the title. In a broader sense, “rent” may be what we “pay” just for being alive.

An aspiring film maker, Mark turns his camera on his surroundings, including Angel Schunard, played in drag by Justin Johnston. Among others in the neighborhood are Mimi Marquez (Lexi Lawson), Benny’s former date and now Roger’s lover. As for Mark, he was formerly paired with the gorgeous blonde Maureen Johnson (Nicolette Hart), who is now the paramour of Joanne Jefferson (Trisha Jeffrey/Merle Dandridge). Also on hand is Tom Collins (Michael McElroy), friend and former roommate of Mark and Roger.

It’s the Christmas season, warmed by the complexity of these relationships, as expressed in the act’s twenty numbers. Among them is a delightful courting song, “Light My Candle,” where Mimi is the pursuer and Roger the pursued, until he runs out of matches. The song also illustrates how times have tended to reverse the roles of the sexes. In a hilarious moment Maureen moons her fellow cast members. We also see how racial differences have been negated.

The first act probably has greater appeal to younger audiences, but the second act–which takes us through New Year’s Day, Halloween and a second Christmas–should have greater appeal to older audiences. Its darker moments and twelve numbers capture the pains of parting, sickness and death. The feeling of loss is caught in “Goodbye, love,” sung by seven characters.

Much credit goes to director Michael Greif, with strong help from choreographer Marlies Yearby and music supervision by Tim Weil, supported by an on-stage six-musician orchestra. Set designer Paul Clay offers a surreal back wall of gray bricks with odd sketches on them, plus a towering construct that looks like an abstract statue built with a giant erector set.

“Rent” continues through February 8, 2010, at the Sacramento Community Center Theater, 1301 L Street. Performances continue Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.; and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the Convention Center Box Office, (916) 808-5181. Advance tickets can be had at the Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office, 1419 H Street, (916) 557-1999, or Tickets.com.

Prices are $18-$65. A “Rent” tradition, started in New York and continuing on the road, continues with the current production in Sacramento. Orchestra tickets for $23 go on sale at the theater box office two hours before the show, cash only, with a limit of two per person.

"SPAMALOT" TO OPEN SEASON AT CMT

60th ANNIVERSARY MUSIC CIRCUS SEASON ANNOUNCED

TONY WINNER "SPAMALOT" TO OPEN SEASON IN
FIRST REGIONAL THEATRE STAGING ANYWHERE

"THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES" AND "DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS"
ALSO TO MAKE IN-THE-ROUND PREMIERES

California Musical Theatre Executive Producer Richard Lewis has announced the line-up of shows for the 60th summer season of Sacramento Music Circus, America's Theatre-in-the-Round. The seven-show season will include the Music Circus premieres of "Spamalot," "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" and "The Marvelous Wonderettes" and new stagings of "Oklahoma!," "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," "42nd Street" and "Funny Girl," the latter returning to Music Circus after an 18-year absence.

Season ticket holders from 2009 will receive renewal invoices by mail on January 25, and the Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office will begin taking paid reservations for new subscribers on that day as well. For the 60th anniversary season, season ticket prices have been rolled back to their lowest since 2006, with seven-show package available for $235-$299. Subscriptions are discounted over 20 percent off the price of the tickets if sold separately. Reservations and renewals are available at 1419 H Street or by phone at (916) 557-1999 beginning Monday, January 25. >complete season ticket prices


The season will open with the Music Circus premiere of Monty Python's "Spamalot," the Tony Award-winning best musical of 2005. Written by Eric Idle and based on the film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," "Spamalot" will play a 13-performance run July 9-18. The comedy tells the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, and includes a bevy of beautiful show girls, cows and a killer rabbit. The Broadway production played for over 1,500 performances in New York and had an extensive national tour. (An extended engagement at Winn Las Vegas blocked the tour from being presented anywhere in California.) CMT Executive Producer Richard Lewis negotiated the rights for Music Circus to present the major regional theatre premiere of the show. The production, to be staged by CMT Artistic Director Glenn Casale, will include the Tony-nominated original Broadway costume designs. >more about "Spamalot"


The season will continue July 20-25 with "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." The early work by Broadway legends Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber is a favorite for Music Circus audiences, with its vibrant costumes and its energetic songs. "Joseph" is a fanciful retelling of the Bible character whose talent for interpreting dreams takes him on incredible adventures through Egypt. Directed and choreographed by Richard Stafford who has staged a national tour of the show, this summer's production will use the new London script for the first time, utilizing a 40-person choir of local children. Tickets will be half-price for children 4-11. >more about "Joseph"


The works of Rodgers and Hammerstein are the foundation of the American musical theatre as well as Music Circus. To celebrate the 60th Music Circus season, "Oklahoma!," the first collaboration between Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, returns to the tent July 27-Aug. 1. Perhaps the most American of musicals, "Oklahoma!" celebrates the pioneer spirit on the Western frontier and features many of the most recognizable musical classics, including "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" and "Surrey with a Fringe on Top." Marcia Milgrom Dodge, whose production of "Ragtime" just completed its critically acclaimed Broadway run, will direct "Oklahoma!" for Music Circus. >more about "Oklahoma!"


The second of three Music Circus premieres this summer will be the recent Broadway hit "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," Aug. 3-8. The musical comedy, which ran for over two years on Broadway and was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, is an adaptation of the 1988 film about two charming con men on the French Riviera and their competition to swindle a beautiful young American woman. Being presented for the first time in-the-round, this production will be directed by Richard Stafford, who directed last summer's Music Circus production of "Cats." >more about "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"


By popular demand, "Funny Girl," the 1964 musical biography of Vaudeville legend Fanny Brice, returns to Music Circus for the first time in 18 years Aug. 10-15. Both personal and opulent, the celebrated musical comedy includes extravagant Ziegfeld-style production numbers as well as intimate show-stopping songs like "People" as it follows Brice's career from ugly duckling to headliner. Artistic Director Glenn Casale, who directed the 1992 tent production starring Laurie Beechman, will direct the 2010 production. >more about "Funny Girl"


The original creative team of the recent New York hit "The Marvelous Wonderettes" will recreate the magic under the tent along with members of the original off-Broadway cast Aug. 17-22. This Music Circus premiere takes the audience back to the 1958 Springfield High School prom where they will meet the Wonderettes, four girls with hopes and dreams as big as their voices. Nearly every song from the era that was made famous by a girl group or female vocalist is highlighted in this cotton candy-colored blast from the past, including "Lollipop," "It's My Party" and "It's In His Kiss." Creator Roger Bean will direct. >more about "The Marvelous Wonderettes"


The season will close with "42nd Street" Aug. 24-29. The stage adaptation of the 1933 movie musical is being produced at Music Circus for the first time since 1999, and only the third time ever. The winner of the 1981 Tony Award for best musical, "42nd Street" is famous for its show-stopping precision tap dancing, its unforgettable Harry Warren songs like "We're in the Money," "Shuffle Off to Buffalo" and "Lullaby of Broadway," and for being the quintessential chorus-girl-becomes-a-star backstage musical. >more about "42nd Street"


Music Circus was founded in 1951 as the first professional musical theatre in the round west of the Mississippi. Until 2002, its first-class summer stock productions were presented under a canvas tent, the last of its kind in the country. In 2003, the company introduced its new, modern tent-theatre, the Wells Fargo Pavilion, which combines the traditional arena stage with improved audience comfort. Music Circus is the largest, continually operating musical theatre-in-the-round in the country, making it a landmark in the professional theatre community and a living museum of musical theatre history: Sacramento Music Circus is America's theatre-in-the-round. Music Circus operates under a contract with Actors Equity Association, the union for professional actors in the United States, and the majority of the principal and ensemble cast have extensive Broadway and national tour credits. The acting company will be announced in late spring.

Seven-show season subscriptions will be available at the Wells Fargo Pavilion box office at 1419 H Street beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday, January 25. Last year's subscribers will receive invitations to renew by mail and have priority to retain their seats or to upgrade. Piad season-ticket reservations can also be made by phone at (916) 557-1999. The seven-show packages are $299 for Friday and Saturday evenings, $235 for Thursday matinee and $285 for all other performances. >complete season ticket prices

Discounts are available for groups of 12 or more by calling the group sales department at (916) 557-1198. Groups can reserve seven-show or single-show packages beginning Monday, January 25.

Single-show tickets will be available for purchase beginning Monday, May 17, at 10 a.m. Single show tickets are $53 for Friday and Saturday evenings, $41 for Thursday matinee and $50 for all other performances. All ticket prices include a facility fee. >complete single ticket prices. Three-show Mini-Series ticket packages will go on sale on Monday, April 19. >more information on Mini-Series


For more information about the season, please visit www.SacramentoMusicCircus.com.

A tragi-comic “Fiction” anatomizes writers

Photo by Char Crail

Playwright Steven Dietz’ sophisticated analysis satirizes and sympathizes with the souls of writers. Adroitly directed by Peter Mohrmann,
“Fiction” features a cast of three. At the center are Linda (Janis Stevens) and her husband Michael (Eric Wheeler), both writers. She achieved fame from one literary novel; he made money from scripts for popular movies.

Most of the story comes from recollections from her diaries and his journals. Complications arise from her brain tumor, which may (or may not) be fatal and his affair with Abby (Stephanie Gularte), whom he met at a writers’ colony. The action, always compelling, swings back and forth in time, with an effete style that almost seems to mock itself. The play has a special appeal to a sophisticated audience.

For details and a review go to villagelife.com/story.php?id=692.

l-r: Ryan Adame, Stephanie Zito
Photo by Jeffrey Mason



The Musical I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change! Opens Friday, February 12 at Sutter Street Theatre, Historic Folsom.

This celebration of the mating game takes on the truths and myths behind dating and "the relationship." The first half of this play explores awkward dates, the lack of dates, meeting the parents (egad!), and wedding bells! And then Act II reveals the agonies and triumphs of in-laws and newborns, trips in the family car and pick-up techniques in unusual places....

"I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change!" will open on Valentine’s Day Weekend, Friday, Feb. 12 and run through Sunday, March 21 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 4:00 pm with an extra 7:00 pm performance on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14 at Sutter Street Theatre, 717 Sutter Street, Historic Folsom. Reservations are recommended, particularly for the Valentine’s Day Weekend and can be made by calling (916) 353-1001. Recommended for mature audiences.

Summary
• “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change!” book and lyrics by Joe Dipietro, music by Jimmy Roberts
• Directed by Susan Mason
• Run Dates: Feb. 12 – March 21
• Times: Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00 pm and Sunday Matinee at 4:00 pm (Extra 7:00 pm performance on Valentine’s Day Feb. 14)
• Tickets: $23 general, $21 seniors & SARTA, $18 children – Group Rates are available!
• Reservations: Call (916) 353-1001.
Photo by Jeffrey Mason

Sutter Street Theatre
717 Sutter Street
Historic Folsom 95630