Frozen

Jan. 4-15 If the cold never bothered you anyway, feel free to step out into the winter air to catch Broadway Sacramento’s production of Frozen at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center. Adapted for the theater by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez—the Oscar-winning husband-wife duo who wrote the songs for the same-named Disney movie—the musical includes faves like “Let It Go” and “In Summer” alongside new songs like “Monster” and “True Love.” broadwaysacramento.com

Frozen (Photo by Deen van Meer, courtesy of Broadway Sacramento)

Dorothea Puente Tells All

Jan. 12-15 Over three decades since dead bodies were found in the backyard of her boarding house at 1426 F Street, the story of the River City’s most notorious female serial killer lives on in a steady stream of true crime podcasts and documentaries. The Sacramento Theatre Company takes her tale to the stage with Dorothea Puente Tells All by playwright Mark Loewenstern, which stars Drama Desk Award-nominated actress Janis Stevens in the title role. sactheatre.org

The Simon and Garfunkel Story

Jan. 19 Those looking for a hazy shade of winter will find it in The Simon & Garfunkel Story—which played a sold-out run in London’s West End in 2015—when it comes to the Harris Center in January. Featuring hits spanning the duo’s entire legendary career like “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Mrs. Robinson” and “Sound of Silence,” the concert-slash-theater-show will provide narration and footage of events like the Vietnam War. harriscenter.net

The Chinese Lady  (Courtesy of Capital Stage)

The Chinese Lady 

Jan. 25-Feb. 26 Called “piercing and intimate” by The New York Times after its Off-Broadway premiere in 2018, The Chinese Lady by Asian American playwright Lloyd Suh mixes dark comedy and historical drama while chronicling the journey of Afong Moy, who rose to fame in the 1800s as the first documented Chinese woman in America. capstage.org

Cécile McLorin Salvant

Jan. 27 Named “one of the greatest jazz singers of her generation” by Rolling Stone, the Grammy-winning Cécile McLorin Salvant is set to sprinkle her vocal pixie dust at the Mondavi Center. She will perform music from her newest release, Ghost Song, which is nominated for a 2023 Grammy for best jazz vocal album and includes covers of songs like Sting’s “Until,” as well as originals like its poignant title track. mondaviarts.org

Cecile McLorin Salvant (Photo by Shawn Michael, courtesy of the Mondavi Center)

Tig Notaro

Feb.11 Unless you’ve been living “under a rock” (the title of her uncommonly funny web series), you know writer-director-actress-comedian Tig Notaro from her many forays into film and television like Army of the Dead, Star Trek: Discovery and One Mississippi. The multi-hyphenate brings her signature deadpan humor to the Mondavi Center during a stop on her stand-up tour “Hello Again,” her first since the onset of the pandemic. mondaviarts.org

The Eagles, Santana, and Bruno Mars

Feb. 17-19 With more than 30 Grammys between them, these musical juggernauts make a fitting trio of acts headlining the opening weekend concerts for The Venue, Thunder Valley’s new 4,500-seat indoor event space. If these shows sell out, fret not: Other marquee acts like The Beach Boys, comic Gabriel Iglesias and The King of Queens Kevin James will also stop by in February and March. thundervalleyresort.com

Carlos Santana (Photo by Roberto Finizio)

Pagliacci

Feb. 25 Last year’s production of The Barber of Seville by the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera ended the city’s nearly decade-long opera drought. The organization continues the art form’s comeback with Pagliacci at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center, boasting live orchestral accompaniment helmed by Grammy-winning maestro Michael Christie. sacphilopera.org

Bill Mayer

Feb. 25 Politically incorrect and proud of it. The provocative comedian heads to Hard Rock Live on the heels of the 20th anniversary of his HBO program Real Time with Bill Maher. With his 2022 stand-up special #Adulting taking aim at everyone from Lindsey Graham to Bernie Sanders, expect Maher to ruffle the feathers and tickle the funny bones of conservatives and liberals alike. hardrockhotelsacramento.com

California Hall of Fame

Through Oct. 31 Launched in December, this new California Museum exhibition celebrates the achievements of the latest class inducted into the California Hall of Fame. Artifacts on display include figure skater Peggy Fleming’s gold medal from the 1968 Olympics, astronaut Barbara Morgan’s NASA Space Flight Medal and artist Ed Ruscha’s accordion-folded photography book, Every Building on the Sunset Strip. californiamuseum.org