For Matt Castle, a New York-based jack of all musical trades whose work can currently be heard in Sacramento Theatre Company’s lauded world-premiere production of “A Little Princess” (extended through the evening of May 19), taking on the task of orchestrating Eric Rockwell’s score was a multi-layered labor of love. Not only did it allow Castle, a Sacramento native now living in New York, the opportunity to participate in the gifting of his hometown with an original musical adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved novel, but it provided yet another project on which he and husband Frank Galgano could collaborate – further establishing the duo’s reputation as go-to guys for musical t

A major theatrical event took place in Sacramento on Saturday night, April 27, with the Sacramento Theater Company’s world premiere of “A Little Princess.” It is a musical with close creative ties to Sacramento, a show with a potential to reach a huge audiences, given its launch in a Sacramento Theater Company production that could not be more pitch perfect in any way. William J. Brooke has created a wonderful playbook based on popular English-American writer Frances Hodgson Burnett’s children’s novel of the same name. Burnett is best known for her children’s books published just before and after the turn of the 19th century, “Little Lord Fauntleroy,” “The Little Princess” and “A Secret G

photographs by Barry Wisdom / If you've consistently heard good things about Sacramento Theatre Company's almost-annual musical production of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," but have just never made it down to the company's main stage at 1419 H St., you may want to make an extra-special effort to catch this year's 25th anniversary mounting. After the current run, which officially kicks off Saturday, Dec. 1, and closes Dec. 23, STC will be pulling a "Disney" and locking away playwright Richard Hellesen's adaptation (with music by the late David DeBerry) for five years. The next opportunity local audiences will have to enjoy the show that's become an STC tradition is 2017. Returnin

photographs by Barry Wisdom / Jerry Lee said his personal experience with romantic relationships wasn’t the most-likely reason that California Musical Theatre Artistic Director Glenn Casale cast him in CMT’s current production of “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.” The 1996 Jimmy Roberts-Joe DiPietro Off-Broadway hit, which plays the Cosmopolitan Cabaret Sept. 28 through Nov. 18, takes a look at the trials and tribulations of hooking up, from first dates to marriage vows, from in-law interference to home-buying via a series of musical vignettes. But like so many up-and-coming theater professionals, the Sacramento native’s days and nights have not been all about those meet-cutes,

Sacramento Theatre Company opened its 15 Cabaret production “Music of the Night: The Musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber” Thursday night to a cheering capacity crowd. The popularity of the STC Cabaret productions combined with the huge popularity of Lloyd Webber has led STC to offer a second weekend the show. Lloyd Webber, along with his original lyricist Tim Rice, turned concept album concerts into mega hit shows around the world. In his opening remarks, STC producing director Michael Laun spoke about the cast having no shortage of favorite Lloyd Webber songs to the point of being able to do another whole show. The show runs chronologically from “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Cosmopolitan Cabaret opened with the September 2008 to September 2009 run of “Forever Plaid,” which remains the biggest success as a show. “Forbidden Broadway,” which opened Friday night, may just rival “Plaid.” There are lots of similarities. Both have talented creators, lots of hysterically funny scenes, songs, costuming, props and more. "Forbidden Broadway" creator and continuing writer, Garrard Alessandrini, aims his sharp pen at mostly easy targets but in incredibly funny ways. You may never have seen “Annie,” “Les Miserables” or “Lion King,” but are still very aware of them and lots of other Broadway shows through popular culture. Both have four very talented actors, who understa

William Selby remembers well when he first heard about a little cabaret show that was generating buzz among New York theater fans. “I was a full-time actor at the time, and I had a roommate who was a waiter at this place – Palsson’s (Supper Club) on West 72nd Street,” Selby said. “He came home one night raving about something called ‘Forbidden Broadway’ and did a number for me. “I fell off the bed laughing – I knew I loved it right then and there.” Selby wasn’t the only one who embraced Gerard Alessandrini’s concept of a satiric revue that both celebrated and skewered musical theater. Since its opening 30 years ago this month, “Forbidden Broadway” played almost continuously in New Yor

Performer photos by Barry Wisdom "How Long Has This Been Going On?-A Tribute to George and Ira Gershwin" opened the fifth season of cabaret at Sacramento Theatre Company Thursday evening to an enthusiastic audience. Although the Gershwin's music goes back to the 1930s and George died tragically in 1937 at the age of 38 the music they created endures as some of the best examples of the Great American Songbook. Ira Gershwin went on to compose with several other lyricists living to the age of 87. STC producing director, Michael Laun who created the cabaret series, enlisted Jerry Lee ("Musical of Musicals the Musical!!," "Frankenstein"-recently closed at STC) one of Sacramento's best youn

Sacramento Theatre Company opened its 2011-2012 season this weekend with one of the most classic horror stories ever told, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. While Shelley’s work is well known and countless screen and stage adaptations have been made of the story the one being told here is from little different angle. The play is by a prolific playwright Tim Kelly who wrote dramatizations to several Mary Shelley stories as well as stories of other writers. All the basic elements are here. The brilliant young scientist who literally stitches together a creature out of graveyard spare parts. The creature who then escapes and wreaks havoc all over the countryside. There is the doctor’s best friend

On sporadic Sundays an audience gathers in the cosy Geary Theater in Midtown for an evening of songs performed by some of Sacramento’s best actor/singers at a cabaret event known as Graham-A-Rama, named after its’ founder and musical director Graham Sobelman. In June Graham-A-Rama did something different. They devoted a weekend to three performances of William Finn’s one act musical play “In Trousers” in concert. “In Trousers” which Finn wrote the book, lyrics and music is the first of what became trilogy of three one act plays. Finn joined with James Lapine to create two more one act plays “March of the Falsettos” and “Falsettoland.” The second two shows were combined to create a two act

Currently in its second weekend (of four), New Helvetia Theatre’s production of “They’re Playing Our Song” is another winner from the young company. Founded two years ago, NHT has received high praise for productions that have included “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” “tick…tick…BOOM!” and “[title of show].” “They’re Playing Our Song” should appeal to fans of both musicals and plays, as a musical that probably has more distinctive dialog than production numbers. It’s not that the songs are weak, it’s just that the rest of the material comes from the pen of Neil Simon, and so it has that tone that makes it somewhat like watching a Woody Allen movie with musical interludes. The songs themselve

A crazy-eyed landlord struts around his apartment, plotting the death of whichever of his emotionally unstable tenants mistook his artistic masterpiece for common garbage, when a loud screech pierces the intimate theater. The audience jumps. The landlord rears in apparent surprise. The screech lasts for over five seconds. Finally, it stops. The landlord peers over his shoulder, toward the door and proclaims, "The doorbell!" The audiences erupts in laughter. This is just one of several hilarious moments in the Sacramento Theatre Company's production of “The Musical of Musicals: The Musical!” Written by Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart, “The Musical of Musicals” takes a single plot and appl

All photos: Barry Wisdom In my recent review of Sacramento Theatre Company’s “A Christmas Carol,” I mentioned Caleb Salmon, who plays the young Ebenezer, the tailor and the second suitor (at Fezziwig’s party.) I’d like to elaborate on the program that Salmon has gone through to get where he is now. Salmon has gone through the Sacramento Theatre Company’s Young Professionals Conservatory. He is now attending college and is an Equity Membership Candidate.  Caleb Salmon as Ebenezer Scrooge and Ella Isaguirre as Belle Actor’s Equity Association, commonly known as Equity, is the union of actors and associated theatre trades. Having an Equity card is the doorway to a professional acting car

All Photos: Barry Wisdom Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” is possibly the most popular Christmas story ever written, with the exception of the Nativity story itself. Long before radio, television and the multimedia assault we have today, live theatres – from professional to the smallest community – were producing adaptations of Dickens’ novel. For decades the theatre-going public has continued to embrace “A Christmas Carol,” giving the theatres producing it a nearly surefire hit. Many theatre companies depend on their holiday classics the way retail stores depend on the holiday shopping season.  Sacramento Theatre Company now alternates “A Christmas Carol” with its other popular ho

The 2010-2011 Season of the Sacramento Theatre Company Cabaret Season opened with “You’re the Top: A Tribute to Cole Porter.” STC producing director Michael Laun, who created and directed the show, opened with “Let’s Misbehave” from an early Cole Porter show.” After welcoming the near capacity audience Laun explained that the first half of the show would consist of Cole Porter tunes from the 1920s and 30s. This was a period before Porter became well known and met major success. This is surprising to a contemporary audience since all but a couple of the songs are well known to most adult listeners and were hits for various singers over the years. Laun also promised the show would be “a l