Sutter Street Theatre in Historic Folsom launches two productions Saturday, Oct. 10, giving families two live shows on the same stage in a single afternoon.
The theater's Old Tyme Radio Show series presents "The War of the Worlds" at 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, and Sunday, Oct. 11. The production recreates Orson Welles' landmark 1938 CBS broadcast with costumed actors and a live Foley artist producing sound effects in front of the audience, as the Folsom Times reported. Tickets are $13, including fees, with open seating and available in advance or at the door.
The same weekend marks the opening of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," a 60-minute, G-rated Family Series production adapted by Kathryn Schultz Miller from Washington Irving's 1820 short story. Longtime resident director Allen Schmeltz directs a cast led by Jerold McFatter as Ichabod Crane, Cattaryna Tekin as Katrina Van Tassel and Scott Howard as Brom Bones. A group of storytellers carries the action through the tale's mix of humor and suspense before the nighttime encounter with the Headless Horseman.
"Sleepy Hollow" runs Saturdays and Sundays at 1 p.m. through Sunday, Nov. 8, at 717 Sutter St. Family Series performances include a post-show meet-and-greet with the cast for autographs and photos, according to the theater.
Both shows land during the theater's 20th season, led by Artistic Director Connie Mockenhaupt and Managing Director Mike Jimena.
The Old Tyme Radio Show is a monthly series, typically held on the second Saturday of each month, that stages classic radio programs from the 1940s and '50s with live Foley work and period costumes. The original "War of the Worlds" aired Oct. 30, 1938. Welles, then 23, and the Mercury Theatre on the Air used simulated news bulletins, remote reports and stretches of dead air to make a fictional Martian invasion sound like breaking news. Writer Howard Koch had adapted H.G. Wells' 1898 novel, relocating the story from England to New Jersey and New York.
Saturday, Oct. 10, theatergoers can catch both shows back to back: "Sleepy Hollow" at 1 p.m. and "War of the Worlds" at 4 p.m.
Tickets and information are available at SutterStreetTheatre.com or by calling (916) 353-1001.
Upcoming at Sutter Street Theatre
- "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" — Saturdays and Sundays at 1 p.m. through Sunday, Nov. 8
- "The War of the Worlds" Old Tyme Radio Show — Sunday, Oct. 11, at 4 p.m.
