The show went on.

Despite all the drama off stage -- an ongoing strike by local union musicians, along with the replacement just four days ago of three principal performers after the national actors' union supported the striking musicians -- Fresno Grand Opera steamed on schedule into the Saroyan Theatre Friday night with "Show Boat."

There are wonderful moments in this show -- and some uneven and bland ones, too. (And on Friday a few too many opening-night jitters.) But overall this "Show Boat" is a nice production of an important piece of theater history. The play might seem a little creaky at times in terms of narrative and structure, but it offers glorious music and lyrics by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II. Strong performances from some of the principal performers (who came from both the opera and musical-theater worlds) add a nice polish to the show, and it's fun to watch hard working and talented community-theater actors get to do their thing as members of the ensemble on the big Saroyan stage.

There's one additional performance of "Show Boat" 2 p.m. today (Saturday).

"Geez," the woman sitting behind me says in a half whisper/half gasp, as Giuseppe Zangara, the attempted assassin of Franklin D. Roosevelt, jerks and wiggles in the electric chair onstage.

"Assassins" sparks a variety of reactions from audience members -- some that you don't normally associate with musical theater. Shock comes to mind. So does consternation. A musical that pushes you into an intimate acquaintance with nine successful and would-be presidential assassins is a surprising experience to absorb -- especially for those walking into the show oblivious of the subject matter. And even for those familiar with the premise and who cherish theater legend Stephen Sondheim, who wrote the score and lyrics, the musical is the kind of experience that slaps you around a little. It's disconcerting when you find yourself starting to bond with some of the most nefarious names from American history.

For all these reasons and more, I'm excited that Fresno State does the material proud with a terrific, taut production. (It continues through Saturday.)

Director Brad Myers has crafted an experience that is both aggressively cerebral and punch-to-the-gut visceral. Eloquently staged with a minimum of glitz and fuss, his interpretation of Stephen Sondheim's controversial title has a brisk, polished confidence. Even as the audience might feel a little unmoored by the subject matter -- it's quite creepy watching an entire cadre of past and future assassins ganging up on Lee Harvey Oswald and convincing him to kill JFK -- Myers doesn't let us flail. His careful treatment of the material gives us something solid to hold onto even as we muse about such esoteric issues as American individualism and the ease with which a gun can make a nobody into an historical figure.

Full of warmth and lots of pluck, the Good Company Players production of "Grace & Glorie" gives two local beloved community-theater veterans a chance to shine.

Mary Piona is Grace, an elderly woman living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She's dying and has checked herself out of the hospital to spend her last days in her modest cottage. Laurie Pessano is Gloria (immediately dubbed "Glorie" by Grace), the Hospice worker case worker who arrives on the scene.

The two women are radically different, which sets up a sentimental odd-couple scenario. Grace is illiterate and never saw the world, while the Harvard-educated Gloria is a self-assured career woman. Despite the gulf in their generations and backgrounds, however -- which offers a chance for some amusingly gruff banter and fish-out-of-water humor as the city-smart Gloria has to learn to light a stove -- there's a lot more binding the women together than is first evident.

In that sense, author Tom Ziegler delivers what you'd expect in a touching, opposites-attract experience such as this. While the direction of this production could have been stronger in some regards, there's a lot of heart and feeling on stage.

I've seen "Hamlet" many times on both stage and screen, but rarely have I felt as intimately connected to the material as I did opening night of The New Ensemble's scrappy and invigorating production of the classic at the Broken Leg Stage. (It continues through April 28.)

Looking for fancy sets, sumptuous costumes, breathtaking lighting design? You won't find any of that in this space, which is configured to seat just 35 audience members. We're talking about essentially a bare stage with a few minimalist trappings. (The curtain behind which Polonius meets his end is the most dominant bit of scenery.) But there's a happy trade-off. What you get in this tiny theater is a raw, claustrophobic view of Shakespeare's classic tale.

In that context, director Heather Parish's spiciest production decision -- casting local Shakespeare veteran Brooke Aiello as Hamlet, giving us the title character played by a woman as a woman -- takes on even greater prominence. While the second part of the play post-intermission loses a little of the tight, taut zing of the first, overall it's a sturdy and compelling ride.

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Pictured: Brooke Aiello and Haley White. (Bee photo by Craig Kohlruss)

On the agenda: a nostalgia ride back to the late 1980s. Would you like a nunchuck with that?

The second national tour of "Rock of Ages," which brought its gussied-up, goofy self to the Saroyan Theatre Monday for an evening of inspired glam-metal revelry, appeared to drive the older couple sitting in front of me out of the theater two-thirds of the way through the first act. Ah, the depravity of it all: the crashing guitar solos, the throbbing power-metal ballads, the lingerie-inspired stripper garb for the ladies, the big-hair moments for the gents -- all positively shocking, right?

Well, perhaps for those subscribers who bought the season package to see "My Fair Lady." But for all its bluster and bravado, the biggest "danger" in the amiable and witty "Rock of Ages" is choking with laughter at the gratuitous wine-cooler references scissored into the plot. (There is referential trauma associated with Mr. Bartles and Mr. Jaymes that stings to this day.) The music of the era -- lovingly represented in this jukebox musical by nearly two dozen offerings from such icons as Journey, White Snake, Poison and Pat Benatar -- might have driven parents crazy at the time. But for all the high-octane brashness of these rockers, there was something even back then that was sweet and silly about their studded belts, extravagantly teased tresses, endless guitar solos and slo-mo hair swishing. What "Rock of Ages" manages to do is poke loving fun at the genre in a slick package made up of equal parts camp, grit and adoration, along with a cheerful dose of mocking the musical-theater genre.

The show continues Tuesday for one more performance at the Saroyan.

In a preview interview last week with Gordon Moore about the new Good Company Players production of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," I asked the reader:

Would you buy a Broadway musical from this man?

After seeing Moore in action in the role of Lawrence Jameson, the smooth-tongued confidence man posing as a deposed prince on the French Riviera, my answer is: Yes, I think I would.

Strong casting makes all the difference in this amiable musical, which is more memorable for its slick comic shenanigans and clever contemporary lyrics than for the music. (David Yazbek of "Full Monty" fame wrote the music and lyrics; Jeffrey Lane adapted the book from the 1988 movie starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin.) Moore is a natural in the role of Jameson, who woos wealthy women at a small French seaside town. He's dashing without becoming a caricature of suave. In his smooth hands, women ply him with cash and jewels for the beleaguered "freedom fighters" in his conveniently unnamed tiny country.

Two other Good Company veterans complete a first-rate leading comic trio. The hard-working Peter Allwine puts an amusingly scuzzy sheen on Freddy "Buzz" Benson, a small-time huckster who shows up in town and is entranced by Jameson's sophisticated ways. And Danielle Jorn is a gem as an American "soap queen" who promptly becomes a target of both men's scamming ways -- and eventually their affections, too.

The show continues at Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater through May 20.

The song is called "Come to My Garden." How could I resist that call? It's no secret the College of the Sequoias theater department puts on fine musicals, so I made a point to zip to Visalia to catch "The Secret Garden," based on the classic tale by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

This big production features some sterling voices, impressive costumes, an ambitious scenic design and a tender fidelity to the haunting atmosphere demanded by an extremely complex storyline. While the show is not quite as polished as previous COS productions I've seen, there's a lot to recommend. It continues through Sunday at the College of the Sequoias Theatre. [Details]

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Pictured: Kaley McConnaughey, Ashley Taylor.
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The personal lives of artists have long been fertile grounds for drama. How did great artists -- writers, painters, musicians -- make their masterpieces? Can we begin to explain their accomplishments through sheer talent alone? How much did their environment and upbringing contribute or detract from their work?

Such issues are explored to intriguing effect in Fresno State's new production of Polly Teale's "Bronte," which puts the focus on literary giants Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte. Using quick biographical vignettes, historical tidbits and the insertion of characters from some of the women's novels (including "Wuthering Heights" and "Jane Eyre") into the mix, we're given a fascinating glimpse at the most celebrated sister act in literature.

While the production, directed with care and insight by Ruth Griffin, has some flaws, it deserves high commendation for tackling such an intellectually rigorous subject with such theatrical finesse. (It continues through Saturday at the Woods Theatre.)

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Pictured: Brianne Vogt as Charlotte Bronte.
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