Out and About in November and December 2024
Nov 01, 2024
W. Kamau Bell (Courtesy of the Mondavi Center)
W. KAMAU BELL
Nov. 8 Comedian and activist W. Kamau Bell once explained his socially conscious work—which includes hosting the CNN series United Shades of America and directing the HBO documentary 1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed—by asking, “When has it ever helped to not talk about a problem?” Likewise, expect real talk about politics and culture in Bell’s appearance at the Mondavi Center in Davis. mondaviarts.org
PLACER ARTISTS TOUR
Nov. 8–17 For culture vultures seeking inspiration, there’s gold in them thar hills. This year’s Placer Artists Tour—spanning two weekends in November—will feature the works of more than 120 artists, including metal sculptor Jay Stargaard and Hollywood matte painter Frank Ordaz (E.T., Return of the Jedi, Star Trek II, III and IV). Among the dozens of regional venues participating in this annual showcase are Blue Line Arts in Roseville and the Auburn Old Town Gallery. placerartiststour.org
FRAMES OF MIND
Nov. 10–May 4 This Crocker Art Museum photography show is a globe- and century-spanning display gifted by Davis-based collectors Barry and Lois Ramer. Centered on the human experience, the exhibit spotlights such historic subjects as the Harlem Renaissance, post-WWII Europe and Soviet-controlled Czechoslovakia as captured by renowned photographers like James Van Der Zee, Dorothy Bohm and Viktor Kolář (whose 1977 image is pictured below). crockerart.org
Untitled (Coal Miners on Railway Track), 1977, by Viktor Kolář (Courtesy of the Crocker Art Museum, gift of Lois and Barry Ramer, M.D.)
MOUNTAIN MANDARIN FESTIVAL
Nov. 22–24 This supremely a-peel-ing citrus tradition will be even sweeter this year, thanks to a larger home at Roseville’s @the Grounds, a new Artist Village (hosting 45 local makers) and an expanded menu. Look for juicy additions like mandarin lumpia from Vacaville’s Sonoma Teriyaki alongside favorites like Old Town Pizza’s mandarin barbecue chicken pies. mandarinfestival.com
Illustration by Tatiana Liubimova/Shutterstock
THE BLACK CROWES
Nov. 30 These swaggering kingpins of ’90s blues rock—who reunited (for the third time) in 2019—are coming to Wheatland’s Hard Rock Live. Expect to hear new bangers from Happiness Bastards, the band’s first studio album in 15 years (declared “fun, energetic, and unmistakably not-crusty,” by Rolling Stone), as well as vintage favorites like “Jealous Again,” “Remedy” and “Hard to Handle.” hardrockhotelsacramento.com
The Black Crowes (Courtesy of Red Light Management)
GEORGIANA AND KITTY: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY
Dec. 4–Jan. 5 It’s a truth universally acknowledged that the holidays are better with Jane Austen at Capital Stage. Returning after last winter’s sold-out run at the midtown theater, Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon’s comedy-drama Georgiana and Kitty follows the seasonal adventures of the titular friends—portrayed again by local talents Megan Wicks and Fatemeh Mehraban—from Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. capstage.org
SACRAMENTO GAY MEN’S CHORUS
Dec. 6 & 7 After making the jump from the Pioneer Congregational Church to the Crest Theatre last year for its annual “Holiday Hits with a Splash of Sass!” show, the Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus will deck the even bigger concert halls of Memorial Auditorium this December for its signature seasonal performance. Listen for tunes both classic and contemporary, including “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and a Christmas-ified Britney Spears medley. sacgaymenschorus.com
SARAH BRIGHTMAN
Dec.13 This superstar soprano, who broke through in 1986 as the original leading lady of The Phantom of the Opera, brings her annual Christmas tour to Lincoln’s Thunder Valley Casino Resort. Count on holiday standards like “Ave Maria” and “Carol of the Bells,” backed by a choir and full symphony orchestra. thundervalleyresort.com
THE NUTCRACKER
Dec. 13–22 Get ready for visions of sugar plum fairies to dance in your head and before your eyes. The Sacramento Ballet returns to the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center to further refine its staging of Tchaikovsky’s classic, complete with enhanced lighting, multiple updated costumes and a new dance from denizens of the Land of Sweets. sacballet.org
KIMBERLY AKIMBO
Dec. 31–Jan. 5 The New York Times has said that this “profoundly funny and heartbreaking” musical about a 16-year-old girl suffering from a rapid aging disorder “earns its place among the behemoths of Broadway.” Now Broadway Sacramento brings the hit show by Pulitzer-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire and composer Jeanine Tesori—which won the Tony Award for best musical in 2023—to the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center this winter. broadwaysacramento.com
For even more end-of-year events, don’t miss our Fall Arts Preview 2024