When the popular Broadway musical “Grease” rolled into Sacramento’s Music Circus for opening night Tuesday, the costumes were spot-on and the music was right, but it was the supporting cast that revved up the audience and stole the show. The ensemble cast of 15 veteran stage actors, whose collective credits include everything from “Thoroughly Modern Millie” in regional theater to “Book of Mormon" on Broadway, took full advantage of every inch of the stage and walkways leading to and from the wings. Scenes were played in a variety of places in the theater – sometimes all at once. For those unfamiliar with the Music Circus, it is a stage “in the round,” which means the audience encircles t

Welcome to the beta-test of the Sac Press news blog, where we tell you about articles that we're working on, found interesting, or otherwise thought you might want to know about today. As is always the case here at Sac Press, suggestions are welcome. [Update: 1:16 p.m] Magpie Cafe is opening a new location at 14th at O streets and Owners Janel Inouye and Ed Roehr tell Sac Bee the spot will be an "annex." Details are scant, and the owners are tight-lipped about their plans, but suggested we follow-up in a month. We will. The Beat record store at 1700 J St. is nearing the end of its lease and may have to move, according to the Business Journal. Nothing has really happened yet in this stor

Cindy starts her work day at the laundromat. It’s her birthday. It’s going to be a great day. Then the mailman arrives. Letter one is from the IRS. Her aunt has died, and somehow Cindy is on the hook for back taxes. Letter two is from her pen pal boyfriend saying he has fallen in love with someone with better handwriting and is leaving her. Letter three informs her that her cat is sick. Cindy’s response: tie one leg of a pair of leggings to her neck and the other around an agitator. Suicide by washing machine. So begins “Suds, The Rocking ’60s Musical Soap Opera.” The play is well into its run at California Musical Theater’s Cosmopolitan Cabaret. As with most Cosmo Cabaret productions, t

 Monty Python’s Spamalot opened the 60th season of the California Musical Theater Music Circus on Friday. This, the 500th show produced by Music Circus, makes it is easy to see why the theater has not only survived but thrived for 60 years. The book and lyrics by Eric Idle take the best of the popular Monty Python movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail to another level. While much of Spamalot spoofs the Broadway Musical genre, Idle has created a great Broadway Musical. The Music by John Du Prez and Idle is classic Broadway Musical style and in this case it is a very good thing. Everything in this Music Circus production shines, starting with Glenn Casale’s direction. Much is made in theat