Five theater outings for your Valentine’s Day weekend and beyond in Sacramento

From left: Fatemeh Mehraban, Dena Martinez and Leda Rasooli in Capital Stage’s production of the Pulitzer-winning play “English.” (Photo courtesy of Capital Stage

By Dave Kempa

At long last, the holiday season is over, the days grow longer and Sacramento’s theater scene is ramping up for the spring season. If you’re not up-to-date on the happenings in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania, it appears that our friend Punxsutawney Phil did indeed see his shadow on Feb. 2, portending six more weeks of winter.

But that’s not bad news for those of us who like to nestle into a theater seat on a cold weekend evening. This month’s got some great options around the region. From one widely acclaimed recent Pulitzer winner (“English”), and a 1985 recipient examining baseball in the era of “Dream Deferred” (“Fences”), to a child-friendly tale of science’s most venerated woman trailblazer (“Marie Curie and the Sisterhood of Science”), you’ve got plenty of opportunities to shake off the last of those winter doldrums.

“English”

Capital Stage brings an incredible treat to Sacramento with this production of “English,” the 2023 Pulitzer winner for Best Drama. Written by 33-year-old playwright Sanaz Toossi, this venerated play follows four Iranians as they meet three times a week for TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) classes in Karaj, Iran.

If you’ve taken an immersive language class, you may remember being forbidden from speaking your mother tongue in the classroom, struggling over the lyrics of bad pop songs — get ready for some Ricky Martin — and slowly learning how to wield humor as your skills improve. Under the stress of their instructor’s strict English-only rule, each student’s personal and cultural conflicts rise to the surface as “the class slowly devolves into a linguistic mess.”

Venue: Capital Stage, 2215 J St., SacramentoDates: Jan. 29 – March 2

Cost: $41-$56

Tickets: https://capstage.org/the-plays/english/

“The Spitfire Grill”

Our peripatetic friends at Green Valley Theatre Company have found a home for a heartwarming production of “The Spitfire Grill” over at CalCap Studios Black Box Theatre. Based on the film by Lee David Zlotoff, we join a troubled young parolee, Percy, as she follows her dream for a new life to rural Wisconsin; guided only by a page from an old travel book.

She finds work at a restaurant called The Spitfire Grill — having grown up in Wisconsin, I can assure you there are many such places in my homeland — and soon comes to truly understand the power of community, as she helps her neighbors rediscover their capacity for rebirth, forgiveness and hope. Get ready for some folk-inspired tunes in this production directed by the company’s Artistic Director and President Christopher Cook and enjoy this “joyous celebration of human kindness.” (Note: parents and guardians considering bringing children under 16 should thoroughly review the material prior to permitting them to attend.)

Venue: CalCap Studios Black Box Theatre, 9845 Horn Road, Suite 100, Sacramento, 

Dates: Feb. 7 – March 2

Cost: $25

Tickets: https://greenvalleytheatre.com/tickets/p/spitfire-grill

Annie”

Speaking of musicals, who could possibly say no to a romantic Valentine’s weekend trip to Folsom’s Harris Center for the Arts to experience the timeless “Annie?” There’s a reason this won seven Tony Awards after its 1977 release. With classic tunes like “Tomorrow,” “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” and (my favorite) “Dumb Dog,” you’ll be biting your tongue to stop yourself from singing along to lines like, “No one cares for you a smidge / when you’re in an orphanage.”

More frequently in our modern era it is clear that millionaires like Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks aren’t going to save us from our growing problems. But suspend your disbelief for one night, dear theatregoer, for one of the most celebrated plays in the last 50 years. 

Venue: Harris Center for the Arts, 10 College Parkway, FolsomDates: Feb. 14-16

Cost: $85-$135

Tickets: https://www.harriscenter.net/annie

“Fences”

Celebrate Black History Month by going down to Sacramento’s premiere Black theater to see their 39th season launch with August Wilson’s incredible Pulitzer-winning masterpiece, “Fences.” Local playwright and director Anthony D’Juan takes the helm for this tale of a father and son’s strained relationship as they navigate life in 1950s Pittsburgh, the era of Langston Hughes’ “Dream Deferred.” There are few things as special as experiencing a venerated Pulitzer and Tony-winning play in an intimate 100-seat theater. Don’t miss this one.

Venue: Celebration Arts, 2727 B St., Sacramento

Dates: Feb. 14 – March 2, 2025

Cost: $15-$25

Tickets: https://celebrationarts.vbotickets.com/event/FENCES/143207

“Marie Curie and the Sisterhood of Science”

Looking for a kid-friendly production that celebrates one of the biggest trailblazers for women in science? B Street Theatre’s got just the thing with “Marie Curie and the Sisterhood of Science,” “a mesmerizing, radioactive adventure in scientific discovery” for all ages.

If you caught “Radium Girls” at The Ooley Theatre last fall, you got a darker, more complicated read of Marie Curie’s history in the field of radium research. This production takes a brighter tone, noting her greatest accomplishments — such as saving thousands of lives in World War I (and millions thereafter) with her new X-ray technology. 

So many women in STEM see Curie for the trailblazer she is, and her story is worth celebrating. Bring your kids out for this celebration of science, selflessness and the shattering of glass ceilings.

Venue: The Sofia, Home of B Street Theatre, 2700 Capitol Ave., Sacramento 

Dates: Feb. 15-23

Cost: $22-$27

Tickets: https://bstreettheatre.org/family/marie-curie-and-the-sisterhood-of-science/

This story was funded by the City of Sacramento’s Arts and Creative Economy Journalism Grant to Solving Sacramento. Following our journalism code of ethics and protocols, the city had no editorial influence over this story and no city official reviewed this story before it was published. Our partners include California Groundbreakers, Capital Public Radio, Outword, Russian America Media, Sacramento Business Journal, Sacramento News & Review, Sacramento Observer and Univision 19. Sign up for our “Sac Art Pulse” newsletter here.

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