Or,

If you have been complaining lately that there is too much sex on TV and in the movies, that we have gone way too far with what is and is not acceptable when it comes to sex in our entertainment, and rolled your eyes about these kids today, then you probably have never heard of Aphra Behn.

Behn was the very first professional English female playwright, in the middle of the 17th century, the period of the Restoration. She was one of the most prolific dramatists of her time (she was also a spy for the court of Charles II).

And she was wonderfully scandalous, even by modern-day standards. She was famous not only for being a pioneer female writer in a male-dominated profession, but also for addressing issues of gender and sexuality. Her forte was comedy and she created strong, independent female characters who made their own choices.

Behn is the subject of a very funny play, “Or,” (the comma is part of the title), written by Liz Duffy Adams and directed by Peter Mohrmann, which is being presented at Capital Stage to close out the company’s life on the Delta King. (The new season will inaugurate Capital Stage’s new home in midtown Sacramento in October.)

Director Mohrmann could not have chosen a more fun way to say goodbye to the company’s riverboat home. It is a play rife with delicious wordplay, cross-dressing, amorous liaisons in many interesting combinations, and is a marvelous celebration of the birth of feminism.

There is a cast of three — Stephanie Gularte, who plays the ambitious, sensual Behn; Jonathan Rys Williams, playing the double role of Charles and Behn’s husband William; and, in her Capital Stage debut, the amazing Jessica Bates, who plays everybody else. Incredible quick costume changes take place throughout the 90 minute, one-act play.

The action begins in debtor’s prison, with Behn composing a letter to the king, who has not paid her for her services. She writes her note in rhyme:

Here in debtor’s prison I do lie
For lack of funds promised me as your spy.
To nag and scold my own adored king
Believe me, pains me more than anything.
But justice to myself demands no less
Than princely favor and full recompense.

Before she can finish her note, she is visited by a masked stranger with whom she apparently has had a previous intimate relationship. The visitor is revealed as the king, who informs her that her debts have been paid and she is free to leave. He wants her as his mistress, an idea about which she is less than enthusiastic. But she needs a place to write, so they strike a bargain, with Behn dictating the terms (which include intimacies that do not extend to the bed).

What follows takes place in a boarding house the king has found for Behn and the play becomes a regular bedroom farce, with two doors and an armoire to go in and out of as Williams and Bates change characters.

Bates first appears as the actress Nell Gwynne, England’s first leading lady of the stage. (Women had not been permitted to act before. In Shakespeare’s time, all female roles were played by men.) Gwynne is dressed as a man and is eager for a relationship with Behn, not only professionally but physically as well.

The fun is when Behn’s husband William returns, presumably from the dead, and the actors begin to switch back and forth as various characters, while Behn interacts with them, and then gets an idea and rushes to her desk to write it down.

Bates is particularly amazing as Lady Davenant, the widowed proprietor of an acting company, who rattles off a monologue that runs the better part of two solid pages of dialogue, sounding like Julia Child speaking a mile a minute. It’s a performance that stops the show with applause.

Virginia Woolf once wrote, “All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn, which is, most scandalously but rather appropriately, in Westminster Abbey, for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds.”

In “Or,” Liz Adams has sprinkled the grave of Aphra Behn liberally with flowers and given us a wonderful, if not quite historically accurate, picture of a remarkable woman.

Peter Pan

The little boy in front of me looked to be about 4 years old and he was absolutely mesmerized by the antics of the pirates on stage at the Davis Musical Theatre Company’s sparkling new production of “Peter Pan,” directed by Steve Isaacson.

There is something for all ages in this funny, colorful production, which was fortunate because DMTC had a near sell-out house for the opening. There were patrons of all ages, every one of them enjoying the show.

The role of Peter Pan, the boy who refuses to grow up, is traditionally played by a female and this was no exception. McKinley Carlisle is a high school junior but with a professional adult stage presence. She is a gymnast in school, which helped her make all of Peter’s flying sequences beautifully realistic.

She was endearing trying to attach her shadow with soap, wistful in her comments about wanting someone to read stories, and chivalrous in saving Tiger Lily and Wendy from the evil pirates.

The Darling children, while somewhat tall for the roles (especially John, Noah Papagni) were all wonderful. Wendy (Amanda Jane Melhuish) moved seamlessly into her mother role and Michael (William Chan) was just adorable, carrying his teddy bear around with him.

The Darling parents are played by Jenny Plasse and Michael Cross (who later appears as Captain Hook). Cross, in particular, was effective in his role. Plasse was very sweet.

Levi Fuentes was one of the more believable nursemaids, as Nana the dog.

There was some problem with Tinkerbell, who appears as a ball of light darting about the stage, thanks to the operation of Karay Himo, who seemed to have some problem operating the light. Rarely was Tinkerbell where a character was speaking to her.

Wendy would look in one place, but Tink was on the wall behind her. But it really didn’t matter. When Tink begins to “die,” it was very poignant and we all clapped enthusiastically to show that we did believe in fairies.

Michael Cross as Captain Hook was simply wonderful. His performance was strong and intimidating without being over the top, as he leads his bumbling band of pirates in an attempt to capture the Lost Boys in general, and Peter Pan in particlar. His sidekick Smee was appropriately deferential.

This is not a production that has been rendered politically correct by changing the portrayal of the Indians, and Emily Jo Seminoff is fun as Tiger Lily, doing several Indian dances with her cohorts — Danielle Debow, Isabel Machado, Monica Parisi, Jenny Plasse, Madelyn Robinson, Anissa Smith, Lydia Smith and Hannah Wallace.

Thomas Eredia is very funny as the crocodile who hungers for the rest of Captain Hook, having had a taste of one hand years before

Others in the cast include Monica Parisi as the maid Liza, Kimmi Kuanto as the grown-up Wendy’s daughter Jane, and a multitude of actors of all ages as Lost Boys, Pirates, Indians, Trees, Animals and Shadow Dancers.

Choreography is by Cyndi Mitterholzer and is lively and appropriate for the abilities of the dancers.

Costumes by Jean Henderson, are wonderful, as always, and in this case, very colorful as befits the cartoonesque story.

Steve Isaacson’s sets are better than many DMTC sets and deserve kudos.

This is a cast of dozens, combining adults and children, and it all comes together beautifully.

Before the show began, DMTC awarded its annual scholarship to Ashley Hickman and Rebecca Rudy, alumnae of DMTC’s youth program. This is one way DMTC gives back to the community and supports young people as they begin their college studies. The girls received engraved boxes and checks to go toward their tuition.

There is never a slow spot in this production. It is appropriate for children of all ages — by all means, do take your little ones. They, like the little boy in front of me, will be on the edge of their seats throughout the show.

Mary Poppins

It was no ill wind that blew in with the weekend rain. It was a very friendly wind that brought the world’s best nanny, Mary Poppins, to the Sacramento Convention Center.

The stage show, directed by Richard Eyre, is not a recreation of the movie, but takes bits of the movie and merges them with bits from the book series by P.L. Travers. (I wondered how they were going to get the penguins in … and they did, though subtly.)

In truth, I went to the show as a jaded critic — ho-hum, another Disney movie transferred over to the stage. I didn’t expect to be blown away … but I was.

Our seats happened to be next to the parents of Nicolas Dromard, who plays the role of Bert, the chimney sweep, in this production. The proud stage parents cheered and whooped and talked audibly to each other throughout the production, which at first was quite annoying but then didn’t matter because he was so good, the cheering was well earned.

Dromard, who has played the role on Broadway, is quite endearing, has a more convincing British accent than Dick Van Dyke, and is so continually active on stage that he has his own dresser whose primary task is to follow him around backstage with a water bottle.

Steffanie Leigh may be new to the cast but she’s a delightful Mary Poppins, with a winning smile and ability to command the stage, whether she’s riding up a banister or sailing out over the audience under her ubiquitous umbrella.

The obstreperous Banks children, who have driven away all former nannies, are double-cast. Camille Mancuso and Tyler Merna played Jane and Michael on opening night and were wonderful. Merna in particular has a face that you find it difficult not to watch.

Playing their parents, George and Winifred, are Laird Mackintosh and Blythe Wilson. Each has his or her moment to shine. George is the staid, stuffy banker through most of the story, but when he begins to let go in the “Spoonful of Sugar” reprise, he reveals a carefree father that we never thought possible.

Winifred steps into the spotlight with “Being Mrs. Banks,” which makes her more of a “person” than we had seen up to this point.

Q. Smith grabs the stage as the evil nanny, Miss Andrew. She does justice to just about every Disney villainess with a voice that fills the Community Center and probably several nearby buildings as well.

Choreography is by co-director Matthew Bourne and is outstanding. The frenetic “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” is so complicated that the actors spend several hours per day during their first week of rehearsal to learn the complicated hand, foot and arm movements.

But it is “Step in Time,” the dance of the chimney sweeps, that steals the show and brings down the house, earning all those whoops and hollers from Mr. and Mrs. Dromard.

As wonderful as the acting, dancing and special effects are, it is the set that may be the biggest star in this show — and, at 11,000 pounds, I mean that literally. It’s a three-story house that opens like a child’s doll house, with a nursery that moves up to the top of the house, or down to the stage as a stand-alone scene.

In combination with some of the 250 different props, it performs surprising tricks, and when the lights dim, the mechanics behind the Disney magic is mostly invisible.

“Mary Poppins” is the winner of 25 major theater awards around the globe, including the Tony, Olivier and Evening Standard awards.

Every single one of them is well deserved.

The Moby Dick Variations

We met someone headed into the Mondavi Theater on Thursday night to see a concert. I told him we were on our way to see “The Moby Dick Variations” in the Vanderhoef Studio theater. “Good luck with that,” he said, rolling his eyes.

As I entered the theater, someone spotted me and said “I can hardly wait to read your review of this.”

Half an hour into the piece, when I was comparing it to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” meets “The Snake Pit,” I was wondering how I was going to handle it myself.

In an interview with the Cal Aggie earlier this week, director John Zibell described his work, saying “...it’s not a play, it’s 135 little theatrical events inspired by ‘Moby Dick.’” His comment gave me the perfect inspiration for trying to describe this piece...remarking on the “little theatrical events” that I personally took away from the evening.

As promised, this piece (I am reluctant to call it a “play”) “breaks every expectation that the audience has when they walk into the show.”

For one thing, there is no “audience” section. There are no seats (though a few small, uncomfortable wooden benches line two walls and can accommodate maybe a dozen people). There is a lengthy description of the director’s concept for this work in the program, but it is written in tiny print, in one long paragraph and there is not sufficient lighting in the theater to read it. The audience is expected to mill about and mingle with the performers throughout the two hour performance.

The program lists the twenty-two actors in the production, but there is no indication as to who is playing which role. And it probably doesn’t really matter because there is no real plot that follows any logical linear progression. (I only know that Will Klundt plays Ishmael because he is mentioned in the Aggie article. As to who played Ahab, or Queegqueg, or any other character, it doesn’t really seem to matter since most of the work didn’t really seem to be about Moby Dick anyway.)

At one point I wondered if things would be more clear if I had actually read Moby Dick at some point in my life, but I suspect that would not have helped at all.

For example, I don’t really think a lecture on basketball was written by Herman Melville. And while the scene of a young girl saying goodbye to her dying grandfather was touching, it didn’t have much to do with a white whale.

There was the feel of a frat party about it. Most of the people in the audience seemed to know all the performers and the noise level rose throughout the evening, accompanied by mostly cacophonous instruments playing music written especially for this work by Dylan Bolles and the Thingamajigs Performance Group.

I’m not sure what the girl in the pink lace dress and Superman undershorts was doing on roller skates being pulled through the crowd by someone hanging onto a rope.

Nor am I sure why the woman in the diaphanous gown was hanging from the door frame and then climbing down the outside of a staircase.

It seemed that whenever someone got hold of a microphone and began to say something you could actually understand, three other people in three other parts of the room also began to speak and you couldn’t understand anybody.

At an hour into it, I had a splitting headache, and I was counting down the last minutes of the two hours so I could escape. I hoped that maybe something worth mentioning would happen. But, no.

I finally decided that maybe I’m just too old to appreciate a show like this. Maybe avant garde theater is for the young. But I wasn’t alone. The best overheard quote of the night came from a group leaving the theater whispering to each other “We won’t say ANYTHING until we get to the car, OK?”

They were lucky they didn’t have to go home and write a review.

Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure

Now we know what Sacramento Theatre Company’s Mrs. Badden-Rotten (Cinderella) looks like when she gets out of drag and off those impossibly high heels. Underneath, she’s … Sherlock Holmes!

Director Michael Laun has successfully reunited two of STC’s most beloved performers, William Elsman and Michael RJ Campbell, as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, respectively, in a delightful adaptation of Stephen Dietz’s “Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure,” based on the original 1899 play by William Gillette and Arthur Conan Doyle.

The opening-night performance was particularly delightful because of the large number of audience members who dressed in traditional Victorian costumes, with tall hats and day coats for the men and feathered hats and long, layered skirts for the women. It was like stepping back into the 19th century.

It’s difficult to know quite how to classify this play, which is both a tribute to the Conan Doyle mysteries and a parody of those mysteries. In the end, it probably doesn’t matter because, whether homage or parody, it was just downright fun.

Elsman is a delight to watch as Holmes, drawing conclusions about a person’s life and change of habits from clues (such as which side of the face is more poorly shaved), as does television’s “The Mentalist.” He is totally in command at all times, striding about the stage puffing on his calabash pipe and issuing orders.

It was, then, a bit of a surprise to discover that Holmes has his Achilles heel, a crush on Irene Adler (Michele Hillen), an American opera star whose career the detective has been tracking. Hillen is lovely and conniving and is that rare person who can match wits with Holmes.

Michael RJ Campbell is a perfect Watson, Holmes’ ever-obedient sidekick and best friend, with just enough bluster and always somewhat befuddled by the things Holmes is asking him to do.

The plot, which combines two original short stories (“A Scandal in Bohemia” and “The Final Problem”) involves the King of Bohemia (Justin Munoz), about to be married but with the little matter of an affair with Ms. Adler hanging over his head. She has a photo of them that could derail his wedding plans and he enlists the help of Holmes to retrieve the photo.

Holmes’ attempts to retrieve the photo bring him into contact with the infamous Professor Moriarty (Troy Thomas) and carry the plot into areas we never expected. Thomas is deliciously malevolent, as befits one of the most famous villains in history.

Jake Murphy delivers a delightful performance as the would-be safe cracker, Sid Prince. Murphy’s performance is electric and makes him the person to watch in each of his brief scenes.

Brian Watson is James Larrabee, who marries Ms. Adler before his connections to Moriarty are uncovered.

Kristen Majetich is an energetic Madge Larrabee, who is either the maid or James’ wife. (There are so many cross-overs in amorous liaisons that it’s difficult to follow the players without a scorecard!)

The scenic design of Morgan McCarthy and Jarrod Bodensteiner (also the lighting designer) is nicely arranged so that a change of scene involves only a change in position on the stage and a change of lighting, and thus allows for a brisk progression through the story without having to wait for set changes.

Once again, Sacramento Theatre Company has given us a polished, intelligent, fast-paced production that will delight any theatergoer. And if you really want to get into the fun, try dressing to fit the period.

How to Succeed in Business...

The Davis Musical Theatre Company has a solid hit on its hands, if the sparkling premier performance of “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying” is any indication.

Despite a utilitarian set, which sometimes had a mind of its own, this production, directed and choreographed by Rand Martin (who also designed the set), boasts a strong cast and a good-sounding orchestra and hits all the important points spot on.

The book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, is based on the book of the same name by Shepherd Mead. The original show, which opened in 1961, was a big hit for Robert Morse, won seven Tony awards, the New York Drama Circle award and the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for drama.

A film was made in 1967 and the show was revived on Broadway in 1995, starring Matthew Broderick. It is currently in a new Broadway revision, starring Daniel Radcliffe of “Harry Potter” fame.

It is the story of an ambitious young window washer, J. Pierrepont Finch, who is convinced he can quickly rise in the corporate world with the help of a book called “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying.” Throughout the play we hear the unseen voice of the author of the book (the voice of Don Geronimo).

Director Martin explained that he went looking for the original Mead book, hoping to get a better cultural understanding of corporate America in the middle of the last century, and was immediately struck by the fact that he could have been reading a book written in 2011.

Except for women having a slightly bigger role in running America’s corporations and more of an attempt to control sexism in the workplace today, much of the advice by the author still holds true, and everyone still strives to do things “The Company Way.”

Integral to the success of a production like “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” is a likeable Finch, and David Holmes, reprising his 2003 performance, certainly fits that bill. Despite his conniving to get to the top of the World Wide Wicket Company, Holmes remains a guy we can relate to.

Thanks to a chance meeting with WWW President J.B. Biggley (Paul Fearn, in one of his best roles), Finch gets a position in the mail room, where he encounters Biggley’s nephew, the whining, lazy Bud Frump (Clocky McDowell), who has his own ideas about how to climb the corporate ladder, and it has everything to do with nepotism. McDowell succeeds in making Frump the guy you’d most like to root against.

Finch also gets a hand from secretary Rosemary Pilkington (Kay Hight), who immediately sets her hat for him and reveals that her only real goal in life is to find a husband for whom she will be “Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm,” as he rises to the top.

Almost everyone in the cast gives a strong performance, particularly Eimi Taormina as Rosemary’s friend Smitty, and Andy Hyun, doing double duty as Mr. Twimble, the head of the mail room, and Wally Womper, the Chairman of the Board.

Gerald Shearman as the womanizing executive, Milton Gatch, and Scott Minor as the personnel manager, Bert Bratt, are particularly good in their roles.

Mary Young does not disappoint as Biggley’s secretary, Miss Jones, who takes a liking to Finch and helps him in his endeavors. Brittany Bickel does a wonderful job as Hedy LaRue, the femme fatale. (And you can buy a Hedy LaRue martini in the theater’s new bar in the lobby at intermission.)

There are wonderful production numbers such as “Coffee Break,” which most people probably can relate to, and “Brotherhood of Man.”

This is another hit for DMTC and is highly recommended.

Young Frankenstein

There is no mistaking a Mel Brooks musical. From the distinctive musical style to the off-color Catskill-esque humor (mostly involving male genitals), to the pompous soldier with the Hitler mustache to the leggy buxom blonds. It’s all there in “Young Frankenstein,” the current offering of the Broadway Sacramento series at the Community Center Theater.

“Young Frankenstein” is the musical which is based on the cult classic smash hit 1974 film of the same name. It reunites the production team of Mel Brooks (book, music and lyrics), Thomas Meehan (co-author of the book) and Susan Stroman (director and choreographer) who produced the wildly successful “The Producers,” also based on a movie by Brooks.

While “Young Frankenstein” does not match the cohesion of “The Producers” (which, at 12, won more Tony awards than any other show in history), and while much of its humor is lost to the muddle of the Community Center sound system, there is no denying that this show is a definite crowd pleaser.

The original Gene Wilder/Mel Brooks screenplay has been closely followed, and many of the songs are based on familiar lines from the movie (such as “Please Don’t Touch Me,” “Roll in the Hay” and “He Vas My Boyfriend”) and turned into full blown musical numbers. But the best musical number, by far, is by Irving Berlin: “Puttin’ on the Ritz” is done “straight” (or as straight as a duet between a scientist and a monster can be), and brings down the house when the duo are joined by the full cast, coming out in monster footwear and top hats, doing a kick-line, which never fails to win applause.

The corniness of the dialog is set early on when brilliant young scientist, Frederick Frankenstein (Franken-STEEN), having learned of the death of his famous relative, arrives by train on Track 29, and asks someone, “Pardon me, boy — is this the Transylvania station?” The tone is set for the rest of the show.

Christopher Ryan has the difficult task of making the iconic character of Frankenstein, so familiar to us from the Gene Wilder performance, his own. And he does. His Frankenstein is less of a mad scientist and more of an ordinary guy in unusual circumstances. He is likable more than zany, and his relationship with his assistant Inga (Synthia Link) is more that of two people in love than that of a lecherous man with an air-headed blonde. In fact, Inga herself is played more “straight” than off the wall, and her frisky foreplay in “Roll in the Hay” is very funny.

Frankenstein’s assistant, Igor (EYE-gore), is given a delicious portrayal by Cory English (who played the role on Broadway), who wants desperately to be scary, but who succeeds in just being cute.

Joanna Glushak is suitably creepy as Frau Blucher, the housekeeper of the elder Frankenstein’s castle, the very mention of whose name causes horses to shudder.

Janine Davita is deliciously over the top as Frederick’s narcissistic fiancee, who can’t be touched for fear of mussing her hair, make-up or freshly polished nails. All thoughts of untouchability, however, fly out the window when she meets the monster, who offers her “Deep Love” in the most suggestive song all evening.

As for the monster himself, Preston Truman Boyd is charming as he lurches his way around the stage trying to figure out who or what he is. He may be the most likable person in the cast. His scene with the blind hermit (David Benoit) displays his talent for physical comedy.

This is a show that seems to flow from corny joke to corny joke, many situations predictable, but that doesn’t detract from the enjoyment.

Costume designer William Ivey Long provides some of the most amazing costume changes you’ll ever see. Set Designer Robin Wagner manages to create the creepiness of a Transylvania castle with its dungeon of secrets.

“The Producers” it isn’t, but “Young Frankenstein” has its own appeal and is an enjoyable evening.

Sound of Music

“The Sound of Music,” currently at the Woodland Opera House, under the direction of Angela Frost Baltezore, may just be the best community theater production of this beloved classic that I have ever seen.

Everything from the actors to the orchestra under the direction of James C. Glica-Hernandez to the lovely costumes by Laurie Everly-Klassen, down to the sets by John Bowles and even the speed and efficiency of the backstage crew changing the scenes was first-rate.

And what’s not to like about “The Sound of Music”? This popular Rodgers and Hammerstein musical story of the von Trapp family has more familiar tunes than most musicals. Nearly every single one of them is familiar to everyone in the audience, including ”Do Re Mi,” “My Favorite Things,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Edelweiss” and, of course, the title song. If you don’t leave the theater humming at least one of them, you must have slept through it all.

The audience could tell from the very first scene, with nuns gathered on the stairs to the stage singing in bell-clear Gregorian chant, that we were in for something special.

Crissi Cairns Kessler is the earnest young postulant, wanting so much to become a nun; the loving governess who teaches her young charges how to sing, and reminds them about having fun; the woman learning about love for the first time, melting the heart of a military man. Kessler’s winsome personality and beautiful voice are just the frosting on the cake.

Michael Maples is a stern and distant Georg von Trapp, using brusqueness to mask the pain of losing his wife. His children must answer to whistle calls and their only exercise is marching. As Maria works her magic on him, he softens and allows himself to love his children as they are.

The children themselves are wonderful. Director Baltezore has found a group of seven professional young actors, each of whom was talented and disciplined, down to adorable little 5-year-old Anneli Spieler (Gretl), who squirmed a bit toward the end, but who never missed a cue or failed to sing with her siblings.

Emily Jo Seminoff was a lovely Liesl and Christian Salmon as Friedrich hits a high note that was nothing short of amazing. Abby Miles (Louisa), Campbell Salmon (Kurt), Hayley Harrison (Brigitta) and Casey Wathen (Marta) also were perfect in their roles.

Rodger McDonald owns the stage whenever he appears and his Max Detweiler was strong and memorable. He’s a fabulous asset to any production.

Elizabeth Nilsen is sufficiently “upper crust” as Elsa Schraeder, a woman who has her cap set for Georg, but who isn’t sure she’s ready to be mother to seven children. She’s not the most likable character in the story and Nilsen effectively manages to be both beautiful and icy.

But the most memorable character of the evening had to be Nancy Agee as the Mother Abbess, whose guidance helps Maria discover God’s plan for her. Agee has a professional voice and could easily play this role in a professional production. Her “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” was the high point of the evening and when she hit that last high note, it truly sent chills down my spine.

Though this entire production is wonderful, it would be worth seeing if only to hear Agee.

Others in the cast included Mollie Smith as Sister Berthe, Ryan Wathen as Sister Margaretta, Stephanie Blackwell as Sister Sophia and Matthew Kohrt as Rolf, the telegram delivery boy in love with Liesl.

Melissa Dahlberg makes the most of her tiny role as the second-prize winner at the music festival.

Everly-Klassen’s costumes were beautiful, particularly the children’s concert costumes and Maria’s honeymoon dress (as well as her wedding dress).

John Bowles’ set works wonders on the tiny Opera House stage, and including the aisle of the house itself was a wonderful idea. The abbey’s stained-glass windows were beautiful and the painted backdrop of the Alps gave the perfect setting to the outdoor scenes.

This is a not-to-be-missed production, if you are fan of “Sound of Music.” Even if you think you have already seen it, this production makes it worth seeing again.

Master Class

Actress Janis Stevens is a rare gem, and how lucky we are that she chooses to share her talent with us in this area.

Stevens opened in “Master Class,” which is essentially a one-woman show (though there are actually six people in the cast) at Capital Stage on Friday night. Anyone who saw that show, or who will see the show during its run through April 10, will long remember it.

Directed by Jonathan Williams, “Master Class” is based loosely on a series of 12 master classes held by Maria Callas at the Juilliard School in 1971. Callas, you will recall, was the controversial American-born Greek soprano, the lover of Aristotle Onassis and perhaps the definitive operatic diva of the 20th century.

The experience of this marvelous play begins the minute one enters the theater to see the sumptuous set design of Stephen Jones, with the grand piano on a stage surrounded by rich red and brown draperies. The lighting design of Ron Madonia will later add a magical element to the deep folds of those draperies in scenes where Callas goes through flashback moments.

Stevens is in control of the class from the moment she makes her entrance. She is funny, cruel, sardonic, abrasive and sad all at once. In her performance we see the fat, awkward, “ugly” young girl she once was and the beautiful woman she became, as well as the heartache and sheer guts it took to transform one into the other.

There is no real plot to the show. Three aspiring singers come to be critiqued by the diva. With each she is uncompromising, accepting nothing less than perfection.

Wendolyn Cooper, the first soprano, barely gets a note out before she is interrupted. Callas stresses the importance of listening to the music, of hearing the composer’s instructions in the music. Several times Callas interrupts Cooper before she has a chance to get to the second note. She can tell from her body language that Cooper hasn’t listened to the music thoroughly enough to really understand her character.

She stresses that “trying” is never good enough. A singer must “be,” must “do.”

“It’s not a note we have to hear,” she says. “It is a stab of pain.”

“It’s all there in the music,” she tells the singers over and over again.

As the students struggle to understand, we see the emotion Stevens brings to her character. We see the wisdom and the vanity of Callas, the cattiness as she speaks of other singers (particularly Renata Tebaldi, with whom she had a renowned feud).

Ian Cullity is the tenor, Tony, who saunters onto the stage like he is God’s gift to women. He knows he’s good and he’s there to sing songs, not really interested in studying a character in depth. Callas is intrigued by the handsome man but her withering critique soon knocks the swagger out of him.

Laura Pyper is the second soprano, who is sent off in tears by Callas’ remarks about her choice of clothing, but she wins the diva’s respect when she returns in spite of her bruised ego and even has the chutzpah to stand up to the singer.

As she sings her aria, the student fades into the background as Callas remember her own performances and heartaches. It’s an unforgettable moment.

“Tears will get you nowhere,” she says. “Not in the theater, not in real life. Certainly not with me. No one cares how many nights I cried myself to sleep.”

Through all of the class there is Michael Wiles at the piano, sitting ramrod straight and looking like a young Peter Sellers, bringing a slight bit of humor to the proceedings, but in awe of the great singer and eager to cater to her every whim.

Rounding out the class is Andrew J. Perez, the jaded stagehand for whom Callas is just another temperamental singer there to make his day more difficult.

But the night is all Stevens and all Callas, and in the end it reveals the heart of the singer behind her brittle exterior. As she reads a card on some flowers that have been delivered, she remarks, with a sad irony, “It’s always ‘we love you,’ never ‘I love you.’ ”

9 to 5

“9 to 5, the Musical,” this week’s production at the Sacramento Community Center, is a pleasant piece of fluff, without the heart or the intensity of the 1980 movie and, except for the title song, without any songs that you will remember once the curtain goes down.

But it has fun, it has frenetic dance numbers, it has a great, innovative movable set, and it has most of the plot points and dialog from the movie. (The script was written by screenwriter Patricia Resnick, who wrote the film’s script, though this being the less restrictive 21st century, there were a few more risque references in the stage show).

The audience applauded enthusiastically.

The original movie was a wonderful vehicle for songwriter/lyricist Dolly Parton, who played Doralee Rhodes, the buxom secretary whom everyone assumes is the office slut. Parton also wrote the title song. And so it just wouldn’t be “9 to 5″ without Dolly.

This problem is solved by Parton appearing at the start of the show as a huge projection over the stage, setting up the scene and asking the audience to envision 1979, a world of cheap gas, electric typewriters and sexual harassment in the workplace. She then introduces the characters and the story begins.

Basically, this is a story of female empowerment and the women who find they really can get it. It follows three women, the aforementioned Doralee (Diana DeGarmo); Violet Newstead (Dee Hoty), the boss’ private secretary, waiting for her shot at management, which she can never attain because she’s a woman; and newly divorced Judy Bernly (Mamie Parris), who has never held a job in her life and whose whole purpose disappeared when her husband drove off with his secretary.

Director Jeff Calhoun, with the assistance of casting office of Telsey & Co. has done a good job of recreating the movie. DeGarmo looks, talks and walks like Dolly Parton, and Hoty bears a resemblance to Lily Tomlin, who played the role in the movie, only without Tomlin’s level of acerbic wit.

Parris is not quite recognizable as a Jane Fonda look-alike, but the character of Judy was perhaps the least strong of the three. The resemblances helps the audience get into the story right away.

Joseph Mahowald plays the misogynistic Franklin Hart Jr., who objectifies all of the women under his control until a little mishap turns the tables and the three women are able to kidnap and hold the boss captive in his own home while they attempt get the goods on a little double-entry bookkeeping at the office.

Since nobody likes him to begin with, nobody seems to notice that the boss isn’t around except the office snitch Roz Keith (Kristine Zbornik), who is easily distracted by sending her off to a language school to learn French. This frees the women to establish all the nice touches that Hart has refused to consider — personal items on the desks, job-sharing, an in-office nursery, flex time.

But what happens when Hart finally manages to extricate himself from his prison and return to the office?

The plot is often interrupted for big dance numbers, choreographed by Calhoun and Lisa Stevens. The opening number, showing people waking up and going to work, is particularly clever, with all those moving set pieces.

And in the end, Dolly is back to lead a singalong of “9 to 5″ again.

I’m not a big fan of taking perfectly good comedy films and turning them into stage musicals. But Broadway seems to have done it successfully with the likes of shows like “Legally Blonde,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and “The Wedding Singer.” But the musicals are long on glitz and short on substance, and “9 to 5″ follows suit.

However, there’s no denying that it’s a crowd pleaser and it was nominated for four Tony and 15 Drama Desk awards.

The Mystery Spot

What do Santa Cruz’s Mystery Spot and Sylvia Plath have in common?

They are both part of playwright Steve Lyons’ new play, “The Mystery Spot,” now at California Stage in Sacramento, directed by Ray Tatar.

Lyons, whose plays have won multiple awards and been produced in London, Edinburgh, New York City, Boulder, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and elsewhere always knew that he wanted to write a play that used the setting of The Mystery Spot, a tourist attraction in Santa Cruz which refers to itself as a “gravitational anomaly.”

The play was one of four selected for the Ashland New Plays Festival in 2008 and had a staged reading at City Lights Books in San Francisco. It won first prize in a playwriting contest by Actors’ Theatre of Santa Cruz County in 2010.

A great part of the appeal of this staged production is actor Nick Koehler’s interpretation of the principal character Dingo. Dingo is from Oroville and has come to UC Santa Cruz for the women. He has discovered that by sitting on the quad with a cup of Starbucks coffee and an IKEA catalog, and pretending to read Sylvia Plath he can catch the attention of the ladies.

Koehler is just so darn engaging. He’s hormone infused without being either offensive or cloying.

The trick works and Dingo catches the eye of Liz, a Women’s Studies major (Emily Kentta), who actually questions him about his thoughts about Plath (nobody has ever done that before and he tries, successfully, to bluff his way through her questioning).

Kentta gives a solid performance, especially as she learns the truth about her relationship with her mother.

On learning that there is a whole department for studying women, Dingo declares himself a Women’s Studies major, though is disappointed because there is a lot of reading and not a lot of hands on projects involved.

In the meantime, to pay the bills, Dingo gets a job as a tour guide at The Mystery Spot which just, coincidentally, happens to be owned by Liz’s mother Shirley (Michele Koehler), who has a rocky relationship with her daughter.

Into the picture comes the spirit of Sylvia Plath (poet Bonnie Antonini) and the Angel Celestine (Mahlon Hall), who is sending her back to earth to learn something (which is not made clear to her–she has to figure it out for herself).

Antonini sparkles in this role, at times both moody and sultry as she plots for a way to remain on earth rather than return to the afterlife.

Also part of the cast is Mr. Williams (William A. Bergen), who takes several tours of The Mystery Spot trying to convince others that everything is just an optical illusion, and intent on suing Shirley for perpetuating a falsehood.

If the plot sounds a bit convoluted, that’s because it is. The pace is somewhat slow and not all of the actors were secure in their lines (particularly Bergen, who made a better attorney in 2007's “Patriot Act” than he does a skeptic in this play, where he seemed to suffer from opening night jitters.)

Set designer Lynn Perry has attempted to recreate the sorts of optical illusions one would find at the Mystery Spot. It is more effective in some areas than in others.

“The Mystery Spot” is an entertaining, unusual play which runs through April 10 at the California Stage’s main stage.

Guys and Dolls

The popularity of and enduring affection for Frank Loesser’s “Guys and Dolls” is easily seen in its award history. It swept the Tonys in 1951, the year it opened on Broadway (where it ran for 1,200 performances), winning not only “Best Musical,” but also awards for Best Actor, Actress, Director and Choreographer.

It had nominations again for Best Actor (Jerry Orbach) in 1965, and was nominated in 1977 for Best Revival of a Musical.

In 1992 it again won an award for Best Revival of a Musical, as well as awards for Director, Choreographer and Actress, with four additional nominations for the revival. In 2009 it was again nominated for Best Revival.

Various productions also hold Drama Desk awards, Olivier awards and Helpmann awards.

Often called “the perfect Broadway Musical,” “Guys and Dolls” is a perennial favorite for community theater. The Davis Musical Theatre Company last presented the musical in 2004 and is now reviving it for a limited run at the Hoblit Performing Arts Center under the direction of Jan Isaacson.

The book, by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, is based on two short stories by Damon Runyon, “The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown” and “Blood Pressure,” and also borrows characters from other Runyon stories.

Burrows’ book actually won the Pulitzer Prize in letters in 1951, but because of the author’s problems with the House Un-American Activities committee, the prize was never awarded and instead no prize for letters was given that year.

It is the story of good and evil clashing in the bustling streets of New York City, only the good isn’t always completely likable and the evil is often endearing.

Steve Isaacson is reprising his 2004 role as Nathan Detroit, who runs the “oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York.” Giving Isaacson the role of a wise-cracking New Yorker is like casting Stallone as a not-too-bright fighter. Isaacson fits the role perfectly and you know you’re in good hands whenever he is on stage.

At the start of the show, Detroit is looking for a place to hold his nightly game because Lt Brannigan (Mike Ball) is hot on his tail and all of his usual locations have refused to let him set up there. This game is particularly important because Harry the Horse (Giorgio Selvaggio) is in town and has brought high roller “Big Jule” (Spencer Johnson), who has lots of big bucks and is eager to earn more.

In the meantime, Detroit’s fiancée of 14 years, Miss Adelaide (Brittany Bickel), a dancer at the Hotsy Totsy Club, is getting tired of waiting for Nathan to set the date (“Adelaide’s Lament”).

Nathan learns he can use the Biltmore Garage for his game, but must pay $1,000, which he does not have. He tries to borrow the money from Skye Masterson (Travis Nagler), a gambler known to bet on anything. Nathan bets that Skye can’t convince Salvation Army missionary Sarah Brown (Laura Wardrip) to accompany him to Cuba.

While lacking the pizzazz of Isaason’s performance, Nagler looks every bit what one would expect from a New York gambler. And while Wardrip, despite being sabotaged by a terrible wig, had some vocal problems early in the show, she managed to come into her own in her duet with Adelaide (“Marry the Man Today”).

A very sweet moment was the song Sarah’s father (Dave Isaacson — no relation to Steve) sang to his daughter (“More I Cannot Wish You”).

Masterson delivers a group of sinners to the mission in an effort to help save it, as “General Cartwright” (Mary Young) feels that it has been a dismal failure and is ready to shut it down. The song “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat” from that service is always the high point of the show, and Kyle Hadley as Nicely-Nicely Johnson continued the tradition and did not disappoint.

“Guys and Dolls” is a big, brassy musical that suffers a bit in this production from the muffled sound of the DMTC orchestra, but it still manages to persevere and left the audience applauding enthusiastically at the end.

It's a Grand Night for Singing

If you want a good-looking, Broadway-worthy cabaret show, get someone with Broadway experience to create it for you.

Mindy Cooper - director for Sacramento's Cosmopolitan Cabaret's 'It's a Grand Night for Singing' - has brought her Broadway experience to Sacramento.

Cooper choreographed Broadway's 'Dracula: The Musical,' and 'Wrong Mountain,' and also directed the Mondavi Center's beautiful 'Oklahoma!' a few years back.

'A Grand Night for Singing' has a classy feel to it.

The simple set, designed by Jamie Kumpf, has enough pillars and platforms combined with cool-colored lighting by Sally Slocum and a winsome cast. Add Chris Schlagel at a grand piano, and you have a production that's undeniably appealing.

The show is a melange of songs from 11 Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, from the very well-known ('Oklahoma!,' 'The King and I' and 'Sound of Music') to the lesser known ('Flower Drum Song' and 'State Fair') to the rarely heard ('Cinderella,' 'Me and Juliet' and 'Pipe Dream'). If you are a Rodgers and Hammerstein fan, 'It's a Grand Night' is your cup of tea.

The songs are presented in random order - there must have been a scheme in the mind of Walter Bobbie, who conceived the program back in 1993, for putting songs together in a certain format. But for the audience, that reason must have escaped them in the enjoyment of the rhyme (while all the while scrambling about in your brain trying to place the current song with a certain show).

(Fans of the Citizens Who Care annual concert - this year a tribute to Peggy Lee - probably will miss Stephen Peithman's narration, which helps put songs in perspective and gives interesting background information.)

Lisa Ferris, Ryan Drummond, Melissa Wolfklain, Justin Michael Duval and Jill Van Velzer did a generally good job, with some outstanding moments, such as Wolfklain's 'I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy,' which was adorable, and Duval's emotional 'Love Look Away.'

Some songs gave a bit of a shock to see presented in a totally different setting, such as 'Maria' from 'Sound of Music,' which we know as the song the nuns sing about a difficult postulant becoming, instead, the frustrations of a lover about his girlfriend.

Or 'Honey Bun' - originally a camp song sung by soldiers putting on a funny play for each other - turned into a sensual spoof with a girl actually playing the girl part instead of a guy in drag. The air band which accompanied it was very funny.

The three women also give a strange turn to 'Many a New Day' and 'Wash that Man Right Out of My Hair,' that we are accustomed to being bright cheery upbeat numbers, but in this production become more sensual.

The show ends with gorgeous harmonies in 'I Have Dreamed.'

I suspect this is a show that will appeal more to those of us 'of a certain age.' In fact, at the matinee performance we attended, you could count on the fingers of one hand those who did not have gray hair (or no hair). But if you enjoy Rodgers and Hammerstein's music and want to spend a pleasant couple of hours listening to it, this is a good place to do it.

Spring Awakening

Written 26 years before, Frank Wedekind's controversial play 'Spring Awakening, a Tragedy of Childhood' closed after one night in New York in 1917...

Amid charges of obscenity and public outrage, the play was rarely seen for the better part of the 20th century - until the musical by Duncan Sheik and Steven Slater took Broadway by storm in 2007, won eight Tony awards, and gave new life to Wedekind's work.

Now the UC Davis student-run Studio 301 is bringing the original play to the Wyatt Pavilion on campus.

Studio 301 shows that its subject matter - teenage desire, suicide, abortion, incest and homosexuality - is as explosive and important today as it was a century ago.

When asked at the talk-back following opening night last week what the relevance to today's world was, director Mitchell VanLandingham listed things like Columbine, Proposition 8 and the escalation of bullying and teen suicide as examples that show, perhaps, we have not advanced as far as we think.

'Spring Awakening,' which is set in Germany in the 1890s, follows the lives of three teenagers - Melchior (Michael Lutheran), Moritz (Ryan Geraghty), and Wendla (Elizabeth Tremaine) - as they struggle with their entry into sexual awareness. In their community, sex is not spoken about between parents and children.

For example, when 14-year-old Wendla asks her mother to tell her where babies come from, the mother tells her daughter that women have children when they are married and in love. She gives no further explanation of sex and changes the subject. It is not surprising, therefore, that when she and Melchior become friends things get out of hand, setting the scene for one of the play's tragedies.

Extreme corporal punishment is the accepted method of dealing with children.

Martha (Stephanie Moore) confesses that her father beats her over trivial things, and also sexually abuses her.

Melchior seems to know more about life and sexual activity than any of his friends and his thesis explaining things for Moritz (complete with illustrations) becomes the catalyst for another tragedy.

The nine actors in this production (others are Skylar Collins, Gillian Heitman, Matt Kronzer, Ulysses Morazan and Rachel Wagner) all take multiple roles and all are very strong.

Lutheran makes an impression since he projects best and there is never a problem understanding him.

Geraghty's character is maybe the most complex and the actor handles it adroitly. Morazan may have the most memorable scene in the play.

Costume designer Esteban Gonzalez has chosen a monochromatic scheme for his costumes, with everyone in black, white or shades of gray, which neatly reflects the society in which the characters live and provides a stark contrast from the occasional red used to indicate violence or trauma.

Unlike so many works that claim to tell the truth of adolescence, 'Spring Awakening' offers no easy answers - or redemption. It is a difficult story and definitely not for younger children, but it has a great impact on its audience and leaves us with much to ponder.

'Spring Awakening' continues Thursday through Sunday.

All performances are at 8 p.m. with the exception of Sunday's 2 p.m. matinee.

reasons to be pretty

Beauty may be only skin deep, but according to playwright Neil LaBute, author of 'reasons to be pretty' (lower case letters his), now playing at Capital Stage in Sacramento, that may be enough.

'reasons to be pretty' - directed by Janis Stevens -is a very black comedy that tells the story of four rather plain people. Steph (Stephanie Altholz) is a hairdresser, while her boyfriend Greg (Cole Alexander Smith), Kent (Chad Deverman) and his wife Carly (Allison Rich) are in go-nowhere jobs in a box factory. Greg is really the good guy and if there is a bad guy it would be Kent, who sees himself as a stud and who is proud of having hooked the beautiful Carly.

The whole play revolves around something slightly negative that Greg said to Kent about Steph's appearance. He called her appearance 'regular.' Carly reported the incident back to Steph and as Act 1 begins, Steph is in a blind rage, using more f-words per minute than an episode of 'The Sopranos.'

Through of all Steph's rage, Greg is clueless about why this is such a the big deal and why he's in so much trouble. Steph sees Greg's remark as indicative of everything that is wrong with their relationship. She feels that if he loved her he would consider her beautiful, even if she wasn't - she should be beautiful to him. Feeling she is only 'regular' compared to other women is the unkindest cut of all, though Greg continues to plead that he loves her looks.

As Steph's anger intensifies, she is throwing clothes into a suitcase, ultimately declares an end to their four-year relationship and storms out.

Unlike men in other LaBute plays, Greg actually acknowledges his weaknesses and is wracked with remorse over the fact that he has hurt Steph so much. In fact, he spends most of the play trying to get back in her good graces, though she feels he has committed an unforgivable sin.

As time passes, Greg, a voracious readeer who reads Poe and Hawthorne during his breaks, has to learn not only to live with Steph's decision, but to tolerate the increasingly boorish behavior of the muscular Kent.

Though married to Carly, Kent is also not above getting a little something on the side, if ya know what I mean (wink-wink, nudge-nudge). He brags about his affair with the new office hottie and asks Greg to keep his secret.

Carly is pregnant and Kent believes she should get herself to the gym the day after giving birth so she can keep her good looks. ('Carly's getting kinda rubby now, but that's sort of cute, too. Never seen her with an ass like that before. ... I'll put up with it, though. For now. Long as she hits the gym like the day after the delivery, we're all fine.')

He expects Greg to keep quiet about his affair, which, initially, Greg does.

The two come to bloody blows, however, when Greg finally declares he'll no longer provide an alibi for his friend.

The four actors in this piece know their characters well. Smith's Greg is the guy you want to like. He's an ordinary, decent man who is trying to do the right thing, and trying to learn from his past mistakes.

Deverman is the perfect blue-collar worker who thinks he's God's gift to women. He swaggers around the stage, preening, convinced he is every woman's dream.

Altholz deftly shows Steph's anger, her humiliation and the difficulty she has with her continuing love for Greg, though she's unable to forgive him for his remark.

Rich shows the insecure, vulnerable side of Carly, as she confronts her suspicions about her husband's infidelity.

Jonathan Williams has designed an ingenious set that is able to convert from bedroom to office break room through the use of various openings set in the back wall.

Though 'reasons to be pretty' may not itself be pretty, it's a fine performance by four talented actors and another interesting, thought-provoking show for Capital Stage.

The Wizard of Oz

It's a brave thing to take an iconic movie such as “The Wizard of Oz” and put it on the stage, especially when the script is almost verbatim what people know from the movie.

But the Woodland Opera House has created a delightfully enchanting production, directed and choreographed by Jason Hammond (who also designed the sets), with musical direction by Jeff Poppings.

Danielle Hansen is not only a wonderful actress and singer, but she managed to stay in character, and not miss a note or a word of dialog while all the while dealing with a Toto who was determined to upstage everyone, and even attack a couple of the other actors.

Hansen handled Bella the pup skillfully, taking her offstage when her barking threatened to drown out everyone else, and still gave us a Dorothy who was sweet, innocent and full of hope and wonder. Congratulations, Danielle — it was a memorable performance.

Dorothy's companions on her travels around the land of Oz could not have been better cast. Matthew Kohrt as the Scarecrow is thin and floppy and his dancing was every bit as delightful as Ray Bolger's in the film.

Eric Alley, in his “dream role,” is a noble Tin Man, with a big voice and a big heart in his empty chest.

Erik Catalan, sharing the stage with his daughter, Munchkin Naomi, is just plain fun as the Cowardly Lion.

Angela Frost Baltezore is returning to the Opera House stage after a 35-year hiatus (during which time she managed to win 15 Elly awards for performances elsewhere) to play both Aunt Em and Glinda, both roles played well.

Patricia Glass, last seen in Woodland's “Noises Off,” is the Wicked Witch of the West and has great fun chewing up the scenery, though her performance is not enough to scare the little children in the audience.

Dennis Updegraff does an OK job as Uncle Henry, but he really pulls out all the stops as the Oz Guard.

James C. Glica-Hernandez emerged from the orchestra pit to play only his second on-stage role in 20 years, yet acquits himself well as Professor Marvel and The Wizard of Oz.

Members of Woodland's Young People theater program do an outstanding job as Munchkins and those who have larger roles, particularly Riley Spieler as the Munchkin Mayor and Bailey Robinson-Bermester as the Coroner, give highly polished performances.

Hammond's choreography is perfect, especially in “Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead” and “The Jitterbug.”

The scenery is brightly colored and cleverly designed to give the impression of magical entrances and costume changes ... and it worked beautifully, particularly in transforming an overalls-clad farm girl to a pinafore-wearing Oz girl.

Not surprisingly, Laurie Everly-Klassen's costumes were wonderful. It must be such fun to design a show that has so much fantasy about it.

There are a few special effects that work better on film (such as the exposition of the Wizard), but basically most come off quite well. I loved the departure of the balloon.

Small children in the opening night audience loved the show. Adults loved the show. For those familiar with the movie, it will be fun to hear the songs as they were originally written, complete with the verse that precedes the better known choruses. It was also fun to have “The Jitterbug,” cut from the movie, included.

If Bella learns to stop attacking her fellow actors and to listen instead of barking all the time (or leaping up on Dorothy to get a treat) this will be a much more enjoyable show, but kudos to the cast and crew for dealing with her in such a professional way.

Granny Muffin or The Widow Chambers?

It's not quite 'Little House on the Prairie,' but Davis resident Ruth Chambers has penned a family-friendly book, 'The Weight of Gold,' an adventure that takes readers through the excitement of the California Gold Rush with the Widow Chambers.

It's not surprising that her first effort is steeped in history, since the former Granny Muffin of Davis Community Television fame volunteers in Old Sacramento, helping visitors relive what life was like around here 161 years ago.

Chambers arrived in Davis from Los Angeles in 1994, after the death of her father, for whom she had been the only caretaker - day and night - for more than two years following his stroke. Before her dad's setback, Chambers was in civic theater, producing shows while working as a newspaper photographer.

Following her father's death, she had to ask herself what she was going to do now...

'My friends were leaving Los Angeles. They were middle-aged people who were leaving for a better life somewhere else. So I started going to where they had gone.'

Her travels took her first to San Luis Obispo, which she decided was too upscale. Next, she pushed on to Davis.

"I got here at midnight and I looked around, like an L.A. person does. I cased the joint in 15 minutes. It had trees. It was quiet. I liked it. So I wrote down the name of a Realtor, went home, called her the next day and said 'Find me a place to live.' She did ... I put my stuff in a van and I moved."

Chambers lost no time in making a name for herself. The name was Granny Muffin.

A woman of indeterminate age, with bright red hair, Granny wandered around Davis in her bib overalls, put on puppet shows at the Farmers Market, drove a car covered with Astroturf (dozens of tiny figurines decorating the dashboard), and hosting 'Granny Muffin Reads' in the early days of Davis Community Television (DCTV).

'Ruth is a lively woman who puts her full heart into all that she does,' says Kari Peterson former executive director of DCTV.

'(Community television) was the perfect platform for her talents. She produced shows, she helped others with their shows, and she was out on the street with a camera to cover anything, any time. She had a ball. She's generous, funny, very multi-talented and has crazy, unbounded energy.'

Her unbounded energy led her to Old Sacramento and the Living History Program.

'I thought I could do a little street thing somewhere on a corner, a puppet show of some kind because I was already doing puppet shows here in Davis. I went to Old Sacramento because I knew they had street entertainers. But you have to wear something evocative of the period, so I had a dress made by someone who knew what she was doing and then I heard about the Living History program. I started going to the meetings and there were all these people dressed up like 1849 people and I just kind of got into it. It was wonderful.

'Sometimes there's a path for you and you don't know it until you're actually on it. It's just interesting that way. I now do a Gold Rush puppet show. I do it anywhere, but mostly out of the Sacramento History Museum (on I Street, adjacent the Sacramento River).

'I cover the Gold Rush period all the way through the Transcontinental Railroad, so it's not your usual puppet show - it's history.'

As she got into her role, she became even more authentic and made her own dress - by hand - without the use of a sewing machine.

'I started with an apron, no pattern (the women of that period had no patterns). It took me six hours. I thought well, that's not that bad. I can make a dress. I have time. It took me 32 hours to do the dress and the apron...'

Now she's working on her third dress - 'Because I'm an idiot,' she laughs - though she points out that most women of the era only had two dresses.

'Can you imagine only having two things to wear? That's smelly. But they were smelly people.'

Her work with the Living History Program has now led Chambers to write her first book, 'The Weight of Gold,' which is available at the Sacramento History Museum and locally at The Avid Reader.

The heroine of her story is the Widow Chambers, who travels to California from New York with her husband - only to endure his death en route. Cholera was the culprit: 'It was very typical of the time. (Cholera took) forty percent of the people who died on their way to California,' she explains.

'That leaves me a widow who (had) to support herself. When I get to Sacramento it's mostly young men between 18 and 24, very few women, and of course I'm too old to be marriageable.

'I already have grown children back east, so I start gathering berries in the foothills and making fruit pies and selling them on the street, which is one of the ways women could make a living back then."

Chambers explained that women could not own property during that period, so a woman couldn't buy a farm.

'If you were a widow you could be a housekeeper, you could be a cook, you could run a boarding house - but you couldn't own the boarding house.

'You'd have to get a man to own it and then you'd rent it from him. So then I come up with this pie thing because I didn't want to do the other things, and probably because I was kind of feisty because of my life with Mr. Chambers.

'The women back then were supposed to shrink back, but because Mr. Chambers and I supported ourselves together with the Chambers Street Theater, I was used to maneuvering a bit. So I started this pie business, building my own outdoor oven.'

As she discusses the book, the line between Ruth Chambers, author, and The Widow Chambers sometimes blurs. But her enthusiasm for bringing back stories about the Gold Rush folks who didn't go searching for the percious metal but supported the rush back in Sacramento, is strong and her book is replete with bits of homespun information rarely found elsewhere.

Unable to find a publisher for her book, Chambers self-published the effort and has been its one-woman marketing firm.

'I wanted my book to be a family book (like) all of my TV and radio stuff was,' Chambers says, adding she's distressed by what she sees when families fall apart. Her book is something parents and kids can read together.

'Everything I've been doing for the last 20 years is trying to get families together. Here's an opportunity to read together."

She is now working on a sequel, still excited about sharing tidbits with her audience.

'Ruth enters your life in a big way, and smiles and laughs all the way through. What's not to love?' Peterson says.

Twelfth Night

I questioned the wisdom of the Davis Shakespeare Ensemble scheduling its new production 'Twelfth Night' at the UCD Arboretum's gazebo, fearing the audience would freeze outdoors on these cold winter nights.

But the company has encased the gazebo in tarps, installed heaters and the resulting intimacy of the 'theater' was so warm, I even removed my jacket before the end of the evening.

The company's very first production, last summer's 'Romeo and Juliet' had only four members in the cast. They have now expanded to 11 actors and three musicians.

'Romeo and Juliet' had no sets and only the most minimal of costumes. This production has, while not exactly a 'set,' at least a hint of one and a couple of more complicated costumes.

And so the quality of the Davis Shakespeare Ensemble is growing, and the strong performances exhibited across all roles in 'Romeo and Juliet' continue in this joyous new production of one of Shakespeare's funniest comedies, which relies on gender-bending, mistaken identities, and love at first sight - over and over again. The production is again under the direction of Rob Salas, who has acquitted himself well.

The heroine of 'Twelfth Night' is Viola (Gia Battista), a shipwreck survivor mourning her brother Sebastian (Matthew Canty), whom she believes was lost at sea.

For some reason - which is not made clear - sight-unseen, she decides she loves Duke Orsino (Will Klundt). To get closer to him, Viola pulls her hair back, puts on men's clothing, declares she's a eunuch named Cesario and becomes the Duke's servant, in the hope of winning his love.

But Orsino is in love with the fair Olivia (Alison Sundstrom), also mourning a dead brother and father and rejecting all thoughts of love for seven years.

Orsino sends Viola/Cesario to woo her for him. Complications arise when Olivia decides instantly that Cesario is the man of her dreams and forgets all about her self-imposed period of mourning.

This sets up the scenario where Orsino loves Olivia, Olivia loves Cesario/Viola, and Viola loves Orsino.

And then there is the perpetually besotted Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Brendan Ward), also in love with Olivia, who seems to spend a lot of time drinking with his buddy, Olivia's uncle, Sir Toby Belch (Robert Williamson) and the fool Feste (Esteban Gonzalez), who plot to play tricks on Olivia's steward Malvolio (Kristopher Ide).

Battista is a cute Viola (who could pass as a rather feminine boy) and, thanks to costumer Caitlin Cisek, she bears enough of a resemblance to her brother Sebastian (albeit a great height difference) that the confusion between the two at the end of the play is kinda-sorta plausible.

Sundstrom plays the sex-deprived Olivia to the hilt, and is very funny swooning over Cesario. She was a delight to watch when she sees what she perceives as two Cesarios, first shock and then delight as she contemplates the possibility of two lovers.

Stephanie Hankinson gives a solid performance as the earthy Maria, who conspires with the men against Malvolio and who herself is attracted to Sir Toby. She has a hearty, robust laugh and dominates any scene in which she appears.

As for the Malvolio of Kristopher Ide, it is just delicious. It is so much fun to watch his ramrod prim and proper demeanor melt as he believes Olivia loves him and he becomes willing to make a fool of himself to please her.

Gonzalez is a commanding Feste, taking liberties as the clown, and singing all of the original rock/blues/folk music written for the production by Richard Chowenhill. His is a very physical interpretation and he is literally all over the stage - including the rafters - in his performance.

Gabriel Rosa is Olivia's servant Valentine, and Mark Curtis Ferrando is Antonio, the captain of the ship and Sebastian's friend.

'Twelfth Night' continues through Jan. 23 at the Arboretum Gazebo and is a delightful way to pass an evening.

Musical of Musicals, the Musical

Any fan of Broadway musicals is going to love Sacramento Theater company’s new show, “The Musical of Musicals: the Musical!” by Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart, directed by Michael Luan.

In just a little more than an hour and a half, five musicals are presented. Each show follows the old melodrama plot, “I can’t play the rent” and shows how the problem would be solved following five very different styles – Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Kander and Ebb. The focus is on these men's best known shows, with others thrown into the mix.

It all works on so many levels that it’s like opening a Russian matriushka doll. You open one beautiful doll and inside is another one, and another one, and another one.

There is the fun of the scripts themselves, somewhat recognizable as a well-known show, the songs that sound familiar, but not quite, and then suddenly a familiar character, situation, or line from another show appears, like when in the opening send-up of “Oklahoma” (named “Corn”) the setting is described as “Kansas in August” (a line from “South Pacific”), and a character describing his physique refers to “belly high.”

There are countless delicious throw away lines like “don’t throw OKs at me” and “Specific Overtures,” and even musical interludes that pop up unexpectedly. Music director and accompanist Eric Daniels told me after the show that even after the weeks of rehearsal, he is still discovering little bits of musical humor in the score of the show.

The cast for this show could not be more perfect representations of the ubiquitous characters in most musicals.

There’s the ingenue, who can’t pay the rent and needs a hero to save her (Jessica Goldman). She becomes either June or Junie Faye, or Junita, or Juny, depending on the “show.”

The hero (Jerry Lee) is either Big Willy, Billy, William, or Bill.

The villain (Michael RJ Campbell) is Jitter, Mr. Jitters, Phantom Jitter or Jütter.

And the wise woman who will offer sage advice to everyone(Martha O. Kight) is Mother Abby, Abby, Auntie Abby, Abigail Von Schtarr of Fraulein Abby.

What makes it all work is that the writers of this show not only understand each of the genres they are parodying, but they obviously both respect them and love poking fun at them.

In addition to “Corn,” the cast takes us through the music of Sondheim in “A Little Complex,” in which the dark forest of “Into the Woods” becomes an apartment complex called “The Woods” and the vicious landlord bears a striking resemblance to Sweeny Todd.

Jerry Herman’s “Mame” gives the basic structure of “Dear Abby,” which includes all of the grand entrances and show-stopping numbers which are so much a part of Herman’s shows, including a wonderful “Sunset Boulevard”-ish number which gives Kight a chance to chew the scenery with great relish.

“Aspects of Junita” marries “Evita” with “Phantom of the Opera” and many other Lloyd Webber shows, hung together with “I’ve heard that song before.”

The show ends with a salute to Kander and Ebb by combining shows like “Cabaret” with “Chicago,” among others. Michael RJ Campbell does a wonderful send-up of Joel Grey’s MC and the song “Round and Round” has brilliant lyrics that give the whole story of Cabaret in less than 3 minutes.

Devotees of musicals will get the most enjoyment from this show, but even if you don’t get all the “in jokes” the show itself is very funny on its own and well worth checking out.

Chess

The Davis Musical Theatre Company has hit one out of the ballpark with its wonderful new production of 'Chess,' directed by Steve Isaacson, with musical direction by Isaacson and Jonathan Rothman, and choreography by Pamela Lourentzos.

The cast is outstanding, the set, in places, breathtaking .. .and where in the world do they fit a 19-piece orchestra in that little understage pit?

The story may be a little confusing to follow, as much of the plot seems to take place between scenes and you gradually come to realize what is going on. Fortunately, unlike the last production of this show that I saw, the actors' diction was quite good, which made it easier to catch up.

But if the music occasionally sounds vaguely familiar, and you can't quite place it, it may be because it was written by ABBA musicians Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Anderson (lyrics by Tim Rice and book by Richard Nelson).

The action begins in 1956 Budapest, where Gregor Vassy (Jason Markel), is hiding with other refugees, and teaching his young daughter Florence (the adorable Naomi Debello) to play chess. During the course of the lessons he tells 'The Story of Chess.'

Her father arranges for Florence to be sent to safety in America, but before they part, he breaks a chess piece in two, giving her half and keeping half for himself, as his promise that they will one day be reunited. His 'Father's Lullaby' was very touching.

Nearly 30 years later we discover that Florence is now playing 'second' to the petulant, overindulged (and overindulgent) American chess master, Freddie Trumper (David Holmes), who has come to Bangkok, Thailand, for an international competition against Russian master Anatoly Sergievsky (Tevye Ditter).

Holmes is marvelous as the boorish Trumper while Ditter, in addition to bringing a wonderful voice to the role, also adds a quiet dignity to the proceedings.

Repeating the role she played in 2000, Andrea Eve Thorpe is wonderful as the adult Florence Vassy. Her voice has the proper brassy tone to bring the right sound to the Ulvaeus/Anderson music. Her duet with Anatoly's wife Svetlana (Eimi Taormina), 'I Know Him So Well,' is a show-stopper. It's a painful acknowledgment by a wife and a lover that neither of them can give their man all he needs.

(It was nice to see the talented Taormina in such a meaty role.)

Other excellent performances are given by Roger Clark, as the perfect KGB agent, Ivan Molokov. Jeffrey Lloyd Heatherly is Walter Anderson, the American opportunist who finds a way to manipulate both sides to his own advantage. Elio Gutierrez is memorable in the short role of the arbiter.

The story concerns Freddie's tantrum when he feels that somehow Anatoly is cheating at their chess game because he eats yogurt during the game, and Anatoly's ultimate decision to defect to the West, singing the beautiful and emotional 'Anthem.'

In Act 2 there is a rematch set in Budapest and we learn the repercussions for Anatoly's family following his decision to defect, and the painful decisions everyone will have to make.

John Ewing's scenic design was simple, but beautiful. The floor is painted a black-and-white checkerboard and the pattern is repeated on the back wall. The wall is occasionally lit in various shades of red (lighting design by Steve Isaacson), providing an effective mood change.

However, the most impressive effect was at the start of the scene in a Bangkok nightclub, which begins with a breathtaking figure standing tall with draped gold fabric. Definitely one of the most memorable moments of the evening.

This production of 'Chess' is a winner.

Don't miss it.

Anon(ymous)

The rudeness of the Veterans' Memorial Theater audience at opening night's performance of Acme Theatre Company's 'Anon(ymous)' distracted from the quality of the production.

Many in the audience had obviously come to see their friends and laughed loudly in many parts of the drama. The students sitting in the row in front of me used their electronic gadgets to check e-mail, check Facebook statuses and write messages throughout the entire one-act performance. Shame on them.

But other than that, the performances of this rather odd play, directed by Emily Henderson and Maddy Ryen, were quite good. I was especially pleased to note that for the first time in a long time, I had no complaints about projection in any of the actors. Even from the back row, I could clearly hear every single word.

This contemporary production by award-winning California playwright Naomi Iizuka was inspired by Homer's 'Odyssey' and tells the story of Anon, separated from his mother while fleeing his war-torn homeland.

After a boat wreck, he is swept ashore on the margins of America and embarks on an epic journey to find a place he can call home.

It is a gritty, off-the-wall adaptation of 'The Odyssey,' which reframes 'the journey home' within the refugee experience and present-day immigration in the United States. This becomes quite clear in the striking opening scene where Anon, who calls himself 'Nobody' (Nick Mead) stands in a pool of light and begins to tell his story ('Where I come from there was a war that lasted so long people forgot what they were fighting for...')

Behind him, behind sheer curtains, we see silhouettes of other people telling their own stories.

'Where I come from is high up in the mountains and the sound of thunder is so loud it sounds like the end of the world.'

'Where I come from is the edge of an ocean so blue you can see straight to the bottom...'

'Where I come from giant birds circle overhead, so many you can't count them...'

Set designer Will Delacorte deserves high praise for the beautiful tableau.

From Dumpster diving, to talking with ghosts, to fighting a one-eyed butcher (reminiscent of the man-eating Cyclops in 'The Odyssey'), Anon ricochets from one chaotic adventure to the next. At the heart of his quest is his mother Nemasani (Gigi Gilbert-Iglesrud), the one person whom he loves. The two became separated attempting to escape the war in their country by leaving on a ship, which ultimately sank. Unbeknownst to each, both survived and Anon's search for 'home' has lasted for more than 20 years.

In the meantime, his mother has been working in the sweat shop of Mr. Mackus (Antonio deLoera-Brust) who is determined to marry her, against her wishes.

In his travels, Anon meets a variety of people like Calista (Sam Ramos), a rather empty-headed spoiled girl whose father owns the island on which Anon is washed up, so she feels she owns him and needs him to stay and be her personal plaything.

There is the lovely Pascal (Alix Miller), who disappears in a most distressful manner.

Jon Dycaico and Amber Bianchi are Senator Laius and his wife, who visit the sweat shop and have a rather condescending chat with Nemasani (with whom they have a surprising secret in common).

Dycaico also appears as the evil Mr. Zyclo while Roxanne McNally does a fine job of strutting about as Zyclo's pet bird.

Tomas Eredi is memorable for his short performance as Strygal, the truck driver.

Dashiell Menard is quite convincing as the blind man, Ali, while Margaret Starbuck and Kashmir Kravitz play his wife and daughter, respectively.

Others in the cast include Holly Buhlman as the goddess Naja, Katy Zaragoza-Smith, Emma Kurtz, Casey Marr and Neal Rock. Everyone gives a solid performance.

Although the story of Odysseus is the epic journey of a single hero, 'Anon(ymous)' incorporates stories of anonymous, marginalized people - the individuals Anon meets along the way who are unable tell their own stories.

Despite their voicelessness, the aptly named Anon becomes a mouthpiece for their anonymity through his remembrance of their experiences.

Cirque Dreams: Holidaze

Ed Sullivan would be so pleased with 'Cirque Dreams Holidaze,' the current offering of the California Musical Theatre.

The spectacle - created and directed by Neil Goldberg - has twirling plates, people tossing other people up in the air (and catching them), balancing acts, unicycles and, my personal favorite, quick-change artists. And more glitter than you'll find on a Las Vegas stage.

It was The Ed Sullivan Show on steroids ... and continues through Sunday.

It's a self-described 'wonderland of fantasy and disbelief,' a rock opera, circus, musical, and holiday show all rolled into one, which scores with almost every act and then spoils it by ending with an amazingly offensive finale.

The stage opens on a Christmas set with gigantic, oversized tree, nutcracker and candy canes. The idea is that we are looking at the toys' view of the Christmas room, and we are to be given a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on when all the humans go to bed.

Three characters - Dickens (Matthew Conti), the Ice Queen (Denise Nicole Estrada) and the Angel (Julie Wacksman) - guide the audience, with song (ear-splitting levels and speaker distortion making it almost impossible to appreciate the music), through the various scenes, performed by amazing athletes representing seven countries (USA, Russia, China, Ukraine, Brazil, Latvia and Ethiopia).

Some of the more memorable bits include 'Twirling Around,' a group of girls who twirl 'baubles' on ropes, tossing them high into the air and back and forth to each other. A bit which started out calmly, that turned out to be extraordinary.

A man balances a series of plates, crystal glasses and lighted candles on his chin as he walks up and down a ladder, ending with dismantling the stack piece by piece.

An adorable little girl has an interaction with Santa Claus that includes balance and rigidity and amazing control by the little girl.

A gingerbread house is constructed while gingerbread men dance around and a child is tossed up and in circles over and over by (his father's?) feet.

The Bell Conductor (Peterson Jardim from Brazil) has a long audience participation segment that ends the first half of the show.

It is very funny and involves five randomly selected audience members scattered throughout the theater. The husband of radio host Mary Jane Popp was one of those chosen to play the bells and gave it his all, to much applause.

The second half of the show brings bicyclists, more gymnasts and a flock of people in penguin suits who tumble, skate and march around the stage while the principal penguin (who might have been the balancing guy from Act 1 ... most performers are not named in the program) balanced on an assortment of tiny, movable objects.

A controversial piece, 'Angels in Flight,' is actually quite beautiful, if you don't think about what is going on. Two long silk pieces float down from the skies while cut out angels with more chiffon are lowered and the cloth spread out. Flying angels Dmytro Deyneko and Svitlana Guranchyk begin a very sensuous, very physically demanding aerial dance, where their bodies intertwine with one another and with the material.

The only problem with this otherwise beautiful number is that the theater is filled with the glorious voices singing 'O Holy Night.' As the choir sings 'this is the night of the dear Savior's birth' it was looking more like it was the night of our dear Savior's conception. After the show ended, a woman walking next to me was saying that she is not a religious person, but even she found the number offensive.

'Cirque Dreams Holidaze' is well worth seeing, especially if you miss acrobats on television!