Around Town This Weekend and Beyond
From a balletic performance of a Midsummer Night’s Dream to symphonic concert for mini Mozarts, here are our top picks for what to do this weekend and how to start next week off with a bang.
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Love is in the air—not to mention miscommunication and mischief—this weekend as the celebration of Ron Cunningham’s 25th anniversary helming the Sacramento Ballet continues with his adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The lighthearted, light-footed romp features a cast of troublemaking fairies, nymphs, and sprites who manipulate and influence the romantic lives of the young lovers in a mythical forest. The program will also include a performance of George Balanchine’s Western Symphony, the famed choreographer’s ode to cowboys, outlaws and the Wild West set to American folk songs. $19-$70. Fri. & Sat. 7:30 p.m. Sun. 2 p.m. Community Center Theater. 1301 L St. 522-5800. sacballet.org
The Mountaintop
Praised by The Telegraph as a “beautiful and startling piece, beginning naturalistically before shifting gear into something magical, spiritual and touching,” The Mountaintop premiered this week and takes place in the infamous Lorraine Motel in 1968 on the eve of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination in Memphis. The fictional drama—which earned the 2010 Olivier award for best new play and debuted on Broadway in 2011 with Angela Bassett and Samuel L. Jackson—follows King, who returns to his room shortly after delivering his “Mountaintop” speech. There, he meets Camae, a feisty, mysterious young maid who both challenges and encourages him as they discuss the past, present and future of his quest for civil rights. Select performances (March 31, April 4 and April 14) will be followed by CAPchats, in which Capital Stage’s actors and artistic staff will field questions regarding the show. $22-$38. Fri. & Sat. 8 p.m. Sun. 2 p.m. Capital Stage. 2215 J St. 995-5464. capstage.org
Camellia Symphony Orchestra’s Family Concert
On Sunday, little ones will get their creative juices flowing at this final show of the Camellia Symphony Orchestra’s Family Concert Series. Young maestros-in-the-making can take the baton and try their hand at leading the orchestra during the concert, which will feature works like George Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F, Charles Ives’ Symphony No. 2 and selections from Leonard Bernstein’s operetta Candide. Preceding the performance, starting at 1 p.m., little ones can craft their own instruments like maracas and kazoos at stations manned by the arts nonprofit I Can Do That! and check out the instrument “petting zoo,” where they can test out Camellia’s cadre of instruments. Free. Sun. 2 p.m. Tsakopoulos Library Galleria. 828 I St. 929-6655. camelliasymphony.org
Traces by 7 Fingers
And this Monday and Tuesday, don’t miss the Montreal-based troupe 7 Fingers at Three Stages. They will present “Traces,” a high-energy, athletic fusion of street performance, dance and circus acrobatics that was ranked by Time magazine as one of the top 10 plays and musicals of 2011. The show exchanges the glamour and over-the-top sets of a big top circus for a mostly bare stage, as the casually dressed performers execute elements like parkour-style stunts, tumbling, hoop-jumping, and choreography with skateboards, all set to rock, techno and electronic music by groups like Radiohead, VAST and Blackalicious. Mon. & Tues. $29-$59. 7:30 p.m. Three Stages at Folsom Lake College. 10 College Pkwy. Folsom. 608-6888. threestages.net
