Bill Cain's very smart and moving historical drama "Equivocation" closes this weekend at B Street Theatre.
The play's set in 1606 London, and the thrust of the moody but occasionally funny plot lies in a no-win commission offered to popular playwright William Shagspeare (the spelling of Shakespeare preferred by Cain) by King James I.
Remi Sandri's circumspect Shag finds himself in the uncomfortable position of having to lie or die. And he says "I don't want to do either."
The excellent cast includes Brittni Barger as Judith, Shag's daughter and emotional conscience, and an outstanding ensemble of Matt K. Miller, Kurt Johnson, James Leo Ryan and John Lamb, all playing multiple roles.
Information: 7 p.m. Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday (last show). In B2 at the B Street Theatre, 2711 B St.
Tickets are $18-$30, $5 for student rush. (916) 443-5300, www.bstreettheatre.org
Opening on the riverboat
This weekend's opening of "Or," by Capital Stage at the Delta King, presents both a beginning and an ending. The new production will be the company's last on the riverboat docked in Old Sacramento.
This fall Capital Stage slips into its new midtown digs on J Street. While there's still substantial heavy lifting to be done before the new theater debuts, Cap Stage seems to have everything under control.
Liz Duffy Adams' satire follows the adventures of playwright and former spy Aphra Behn, who needs to finish a play but keeps getting interrupted by her various lovers, actress Nell Gwynne, King Charles II and spy William Scott.
Appropriately for the final production, co-founders Stephanie Gularte, Peter Mohrmann and Jonathan Rhys Williams will work together creatively for the first time since "Boy Gets Girl" in 2006.
Mohrmann directs Gularte as playwright Behn with Williams portraying Charles and Scott. Jessica Bates also joins the cast, making her Capital Stage debut as Restoration theater star Gwynne and others.
At the Delta King Theatre, 1000 Front St. Information: $15 previews begin this weekend. The show opens at 8 p.m. next Friday, and performances continue at 7 p.m. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 7 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays, through July 17. Tickets are $26-$33, $12 for student rush. (916) 995-5464, www.capstage.org
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Call The Bee's Marcus Crowder, (916) 321-1120.
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