1. 3/24/15 10:50 AMBlue Man Group & The Grapes of Wrath + Romeo and Juliet in Jersey
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Home Inside Outword GLBT News Blue Man Group & The Grapes of Wrath + Romeo and
Juliet in Jersey
Blue Man Group & The Grapes of Wrath + Romeo and Juliet in
Jersey
Blue Man Group & The Grapes of Wrath + Romeo and Juliet in Jersey
by Chris Narloch
There is so much terrific theatre being produced right now in and around the
Sacramento area that one could easily spend their entire weekend play-hopping.
Whether your taste runs to Shakespeare, Steinbeck or something slightly less cerebral
– like Blue Man Group – this weekend is a great time to attend the theater.
Romeo and Juliet
I love it when somebody shakes up Shakespeare.
Not that “The Bard” needs to be shaken up, but for
those of us who have endured one too many overly-
earnest, traditional takes on his plays, a different
setting or time period can sometimes make you see
his work in a whole new light.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) in Ashland is
famous for doing this – sometimes the results are
wonderful and other times merely wacky. The
current production of “Romeo and Juliet” at Sacramento Theatre Company, which moves the playʼs action to
1930ʼs New Jersey, is mostly pretty wonderful.
I was skeptical at first when I learned of the productionʼs mob setting, and I will admit to a double take when
Romeo arrived on stage sporting a yarmulke. And yet the conceits work surprisingly well, with the friar now a
rabbi and the feuding Capulet and Montague families on different sides of the religious fence.
It seems that there really was a Jewish mafia in Jersey in the ʻ30s, which gives the playʼs fight scenes an
interesting tension and also allows for stylish costumes by McKayla Butym that include fashionable fedoras and
double-breasted suits.
The cast is the thing with productions of Shakespeare, however, and luckily this “R & J” has a solid ensemble
that does the play proud. I especially admired Kristine David and Kirk Blackinton, both very strong as Julietʼs
unyielding parents.
And you couldnʼt ask for a more attractive pair of “star crossʼd lovers” than Denver Skye Vaughn and Andrew
Perez, who give Juliet and her Romeo the correct combination of sweetness and sex appeal, while making their
tragic impulsiveness completely believable.
Director Ed Claudio, who gets excellent work from most of the cast, allows one or two of the actors to overdo the
low comic bawdiness in their lines, but other than that I found this “Romeo and Juliet” to be off-beat (in a good
way) and very entertaining.
“Romeo and Juliet” plays through March 23 at STC. For more information, go to www.sactheatre.org.
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2. 3/24/15 10:50 AMBlue Man Group & The Grapes of Wrath + Romeo and Juliet in Jersey
Page 2 of 3http://www.outwordmagazine.com/inside-outword/glbt-news/1481-blue-man-group-a-the-grapes-of-wrath--romeo-and-juliet-in-jersey-
The Grapes of Wrath
This weekend is your last chance to see UCDʼs
donʼt-miss stage version of John Steinbeckʼs classic
novel about tenant farmers fleeing the Dust Bowl
during the Great Depression in pursuit of jobs,
dignity and a future.
Presented by the UC Davis Department of Theatre
and Dance, this staging, with both original and
traditional American music, commemorates the 75th
anniversary year since the publication of
Steinbeckʼs epic novel.
With the help of music director and doctoral student Alex Stalarow, director (and Granada Artist-in-Residence)
Miles Anderson employs folk idiomatic music and spiritual hymns to support the characters, themes and
emotions of Steinbeckʼs drama. Additionally, the use of 1930ʼs popular music aims to transport audiences into
the Great Depression era.
Stalarow leads four musicians who play guitar, banjo, fiddle, mouth organ, jaw harp and mandolin. Their music
winds through the entire production including new blue-grass-inspired compositions and arrangements, and
traditional songs and spirituals sung by the ensemble, such as “Wayfaring Stranger” and “O Sinner Man.”
“The Grapes of Wrath” plays through Sunday, March 16 at the Main Theatre inside Wright Hall on the UC Davis
campus. Please visit www.arts.ucdavis.edu.
Blue Man Group
The Blue Men have invaded Sacramento,
and the Community Center Theater may
never be the same again. If youʼve never
seen this crazy, multi-media sensation,
you have until this Sunday, March 16
only, to experience their show locally.
But be forewarned. Almost anything can
happen at a Blue Man Group show.
When I saw their act in Vegas, the folks
in the front were given ponchos to keep
them from being splattered with paint and
other flying liquids coming from the stage.
Audience participation, whether willing or
unwilling, is a distinct possibility.
Blue Man Group began as an experimental theater piece in New York City circa 1987, and their concerts grew in
size as they caught on with fans. Their onstage antics involve lots of percussion using bizarre instruments made
of pipe and other unusual materials.
Looking and acting like aliens with baldheads and blue makeup, Blue Man Group is the closest thing to
performance art that the Community Center Theater will probably ever see.
Please visit www.broadwaysacramento.com.
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