Murder, manipulation, miracles, musicals \u2013 all of these are taking to Sacramento area stages this April as theater companies bring classic tales to life. For the murder-curious, two beloved stories from yesteryear are sure to thrill: Chautauqua Playhouse\u2019s \u201cDial M for Murder\u201d opens soon, while Sutter Street Theatre is extending its run of \u201cMurder on the Orient Express\u201d due to popular demand. If a less bloodstained throwback is more appealing, Big Idea Theatre is set to tackle the Henrik Ibsen masterpiece \u201cHedda Gabler,\u201d while B Street Theatre is heading back to the 1700s with \u201cFranklinland.\u201d Musical lovers are sure to rejoice at the chance to see \u201cRent\u201d or \u201cGodspell\u201d (or both, depending on their preferences).\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cRent<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n What is there to be said about \u201cRent\u201d that hasn\u2019t been said thousands of times since it first hit the stage? For some theater types, this is an all-time classic. A 1980s New York City reimagining of \u201cLa Boh\u00e8me,\u201d the story follows a band of young artists and musicians in the midst of the AIDS crisis as they live on the margins and bear the emotional and physical burden of being overlooked and ignored during a pandemic.<\/p>\n Venue: The Ooley Theatre, 2007 28th St., Sacramento<\/p>\n Dates: April 10 through May 3<\/p>\n Cost: $25-30<\/p>\n Tickets: The Ooley Theatre Presents: RENT by Jonathan Larson \u2013 Events<\/a><\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n \u201cDial M for Murder<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n Chautauqua Playhouse is bringing out a new version of the murder mystery that served as the inspiration for one of Alfred Hitchcock\u2019s most-loved films. Tony is convinced his wife Margot is cheating on him. Although the affair seems to be over, Tony\u2019s jealousy leads to a mess of lies and deceptions that end in murder.<\/p>\n Venue: Chautauqua Playhouse, 5325 Engle Rd., Ste. #110, Carmichael<\/p>\n Dates: April 17 through May 10<\/p>\n Cost: $21-23<\/p>\n Tickets: Dial M For Murder via ThunderTix<\/a><\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n \u201cGodspell<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n Falcon\u2019s Eye Theatre is bringing the Gospel of Matthew to Folsom this month with the classic 70s musical \u201cGodspell,\u201d a joyous and vibrant reimagining of the story of Jesus. An energetic ensemble of non-biblical characters join J-town himself to bring parables to life with games, inventive storytelling and generous doses of humor. The score is eclectic, jumping from pop to folk and even Vaudeville as the story moves toward its affecting conclusion.<\/p>\n Venue: Harris Center Stage One, 10 College Pkwy., Folsom<\/p>\n Dates: April 17-26<\/p>\n Cost: $20-49<\/p>\n Tickets: Harris Center | Godspell<\/a><\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n \u201cAgatha Christie\u2019s Murder on the Orient Express<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n Sutter Street Theatre\u2019s production comes back for a limited time to satiate the demand from theatergoers. Ken Ludwig\u2019s adaptation of one of Agatha Christie\u2019s all-time best mysteries brings intrigue and suspense aplenty, with a dose of humor to keep the pace up. A midnight murder on a snow-stopped train leads Detective Hercule Poirot to try to find the killer aboard \u2014 but every passenger could be a suspect.<\/p>\n Venue: Sutter Street Theatre, 717 Sutter St., Folsom<\/p>\n Dates: April 17-26<\/p>\n Cost: $21-30<\/p>\n Tickets: Tix \u2013 Ticket Sales<\/a><\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n \u201cHedda Gabler<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n Considered a masterpiece of literary realism, \u201cHedda Gabler\u201d was first staged in 1891. It is the story of the titular Hedda, the daughter of a general trapped in a marriage and life she does not want. Returning from her honeymoon, Hedda begins to crave the sinister thrill of manipulating the lives of those around her.\u00a0<\/p>\n Venue: Big Idea Theatre, 1616 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento<\/p>\n Dates: April 24 through May 16<\/p>\n Cost: $15-20<\/p>\n Tickets: Ludus \u2013 Big Idea Theatre<\/a><\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n \u201cFranklinland<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n Benjamin Franklin may have been an eminent statesman, writer and publisher, but was he any good as a father? William Franklin has had a hard life, stuck in his dad\u2019s shadow \u2014 hard not to be, when the man leaves a trail of scientific advancement and political development in his wake. The decades-long relationship between William and Benjamin is explored to hilarious effect in this new comedy coming to The Sofia at the end of the month.<\/p>\n Venue: The Sofia, 2700 Capitol Ave., Sacramento<\/p>\n Dates: April 29 through May 24<\/p>\n Cost: $33-37<\/p>\n Tickets: FRANKLINLAND \u2013 The Sofia Home of B Street!<\/a><\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n This story is part of the Solving Sacramento <\/a>journalism collaborative. This story was funded by the City of Sacramento\u2019s Arts and Creative Economy Journalism Grant to Solving Sacramento<\/a>. Following our journalism code of ethics, the city had no editorial influence over this story. Our partners include Capital Public Radio, Hmong Daily News, Russian America Media, Sacramento Business Journal, Sacramento News & Review and Sacramento Observer. Sign up for our \u201cSac Art Pulse\u201d newsletter here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Murder, manipulation, miracles, musicals \u2013 all of these are taking to Sacramento area stages this April as theater…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":258497,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122,1058],"class_list":["post-258496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news","tag-theater"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258496"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258496\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/258497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}