September marks the opening of the new artistic season for many North Bay theater companies. Here’s some of what they have in store for local audiences:
Petaluma’s Cinnabar Theater (cinnabartheater.org) transforms itself into Berlin’s Kit Kat Club and bids you willkommen, bienvenue, and welcome to the classic John Kander and Fred Ebb musical Cabaret. Broadway veteran Michael McGurk and Petaluma native Alia Beeton take on the roles that won Joel Grey and Liza Minnelli their Oscars.
The Spreckels Theatre Company of Rohnert Park (spreckelsonline.com) opens its season with the multiple Tony Award–winning Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Fans of the Mark Haddon novel about a young boy on the autism spectrum investigating the death of a neighborhood dog will find that it’s been somewhat reworked for the stage, but Tony voters liked it enough to name it 2015’s Best Play.
Sebastopol’s Main Stage West (mainstagewest.com) opens its season with the world premiere of an original comedy by local playwright Bob Duxbury. Savage Wealth examines the impact of the sale of a Lake Tahoe home and the vacant lot next to it on a pair of brothers and their childhood friend. John Shillington directs.
Dancing and singing New York “wiseguys” take over Santa Rosa’s 6th Street Playhouse (6thstreetplayhouse.com) as it presents Guys and Dolls. Summer Repertory Theatre artistic director James Newman moves to Railroad Square to helm what has been called “the greatest of all American musicals.”
Santa Rosa’s Left Edge Theatre (leftedgetheatre.com) continues to provide North Bay audiences with recently written plays never before seen in the area with the U.S. premiere of a hit British comedy. Dave Simpson’s The Naked Truth involves charity fundraising, female empowerment and pole dancing. Argo Thompson directs a cast that includes former Bohemian theater critic David Templeton.
In Guerneville, the Pegasus Theatre Company (pegasustheater.com) presents its 12th annual Tapas: New Short Play Festival. The seven short plays by Northern California playwrights will be the first production overseen by new artistic director Rich Rubin.
Healdsburg’s Raven Players (raventheater.org) open with two contemporary dramas that deal with a host of complex issues including war, PTSD, gun violence, politics and religion. Time Stands Still and Church & State will run in repertory.
Napa’s Lucky Penny Productions (luckypennynapa.com) invites you Into the Woods, where director James Sasser has apparently added another layer of fun to the musical fairy tale mashup.
Plenty of options for the avid theatregoer.
