Hasan Minhaj and Ronny Chieng (Courtesy of Thunder Valley Casino Resort) HASAN MINHAJ RONNY CHIENG Sept. 26 Putting the “punch” in punchline, Davis native Hasan Minhaj and former Daily Show  colleague Ronny Chieng will trade verbal jabs during their mock-feud performance at Thunder Valley in Lincoln. In Hasan Hates Ronny / Ronny Hates Hasan, a chaotic twist on a political debate, the two spar over everything from war and immigration to personal grievances (hint: Minhaj is Team South Asians while Chieng is Team East Asians). thundervalleyresort.com WOODY DE OTHELLO Through Dec. 5 The Oakland-based artist—whose work is in permanent collections of museums like SFMOMA and the Whitney—is perhaps best known for his anthropomorphized sculptures of everyday objects, such as clocks with human hands or jars with ears and feet. UC Davis’ Manetti Shrem Museum kicks off its 10th anniversary lineup with the exhibit Coming Forth by Day, featuring more than 60 pieces by De Othello that draw inspiration from African religion and culture. manettishremmuseum.ucdavis.edu GLADYS NILSSON Through Nov. 29 The Crocker Art Museum mounts a first-ever retrospective of works by influential Chicago figurative artist Gladys Nilsson, one of the first women to have a solo show at New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art. The new exhibit showcases more than 100 paintings, drawings and prints, including her signature comic-surreal watercolors, along with archival photos—such as images from her years living in Sacramento from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s—and a 1960s-style living room installation with books and magazines that inspired her. crockerart.org US THE REST OF ’EM Sept. 11–27 Raised by his mother and grandmother in south Sacramento, 12-year-old Danté Elem learns about the world through the generational struggles of both single moms in this hometown family drama. Celebration Arts stages the world premiere of Us the Rest of ’Em, written and directed by Sacramento native Anthony D’Juan. celebrationarts.net GHOSTBUSTERS IN CONCERT Sept. 23 Who you gonna call … to tell them about this new live-to-film concert at the Mondavi Center? A chamber orchestra will perform Ghostbusters’ score by the Oscar-winning composer Elmer Bernstein alongside a screening of the 1984 blockbuster comedy written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis (pictured below with their co-stars Ernie Hudson and Bill Murray). mondaviarts.org ©1984 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. JUST FOR US Sept. 23–Oct. 25 “You are in for a cheerful evening of laughs,” wrote The New York Times  in its Critic’s Pick review of this hit one-man show written by Alex Edelman. Which is unexpected, given the subject matter: Based on real-life events, Just for Us—to be mounted by Capital Stage this fall with San Francisco-based actor Jackson Goldberg in the starring role—centers on the time that Edelman, who was raised in an Orthodox Jewish household, covertly attended a white nationalist meeting after being the target of antisemitic tweets. The stand-up comedian blends humor with humanity in this autobiographical work that debuted on Broadway in 2023 (earning Edelman a Special Tony Award) and was released as an HBO special the following year. capstage.org LOOMIS FRUIT SHED FEST Oct. 3 Previously called the Loomis Eggplant Festival, this yearly gathering celebrates the area’s history as a fruit-packing hub. Stop by for a sweet dose of small-town charm, from musical performances at the old train depot to a rib cook-off to a baking competition and, yes, fresh fruit by way of locally grown apples from Machado Orchards. fruitshedfest.com PRIMARY TRUST Oct. 7–Nov 1 “Gentle medicine in a cruel world,” the San Francisco Chronicle  called Eboni Booth’s 2023 play. This poignant and ultimately hopeful story of a lonely man’s struggles after losing his bookstore job earned the Pulitzer Prize for drama and comes to the B Street Theatre, whose cast will include Law Order: Organized Crime  star Danielle Moné Truitt. bstreettheatre.org WATER FOR ELEPHANTS Oct. 13–18 After moving from page to screen in 2011 with a Robert Pattinson-led film of the same name, this story about a traveling circus was turned into a musical in 2024, nabbing seven Tony nods. Now on its first national tour, the stage adaptation of Water for Elephants—replete with high-flying acrobatics, life-size animal puppetry (shown below) and a forbidden love affair—heads to Broadway Sacramento at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center. broadwaysacramento.com Photo by Matthew Murphy for Murphymade, courtesy of Broadway Sacramento JUANES Oct. 15 Nearly four decades since hitting the music scene, Juanes has garnered a whopping 25 Latin Grammys—not to mention four Grammys—and counting. In support of his recently released album, JuanesTeban, the Colombian rock star stops by Hard Rock Live in Wheatland with new songs like “Una Noche Contigo,” and favorites such as “A Dios le Pido.” hardrockhotelsacramento.com BLUEY’S BIG PLAY Oct. 20 Like the Peabody-winning television series that won over both kids and their parents, this 2020 stage adaptation “knows how to tap into every emotion,” says The Guardian. The titular Australian puppy and her family come to the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center, with larger-than-life puppets, an original story by Bluey  creator Joe Brumm and new music by the series’ lead composer Joff Bush in tow. ticketmaster.com DOJA CAT Oct. 20 “When Doja Cat decides to go eighties, she doesn’t mess around,” Rolling Stone  said about Vie, the Queen of Pop-Rap’s synth-filled 2025 album. Now in the final stretch of her world tour, Doja Cat headlines the Golden 1 Center with hits like “Paint the Town Red,” “Say So,” “Jealous Type” and “Kiss Me More.” golden1center.com Photo courtesy of Live Nation LONG AND WINDING ROAD Oct. 23–25 The Sacramento Ballet goes pop in its season opener—its first under the leadership of new artistic director Tiit Helimets—with the Beatles-inspired Long and Winding Road  by Stanton Welch, featuring dancers in costumes inspired by Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band performing to orchestral renditions of classics like “She Loves You” and “Here Comes the Sun.” The program, which will be presented at The Sofia, will also include Balanchine’s 1946 The Four Temperaments  and Bolero  choreographed by the company’s late artistic director Ron Cunningham. sacballet.org SHABOOZEY Oct. 24 Pour up a double shot of whiskey, because this multi-genre talent is riding into midtown. Shaboozey brings his signature mix of hip-hop and country—including his record-breaking Billboard smash “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”—to Channel 24 following the release of his new album, The Outlaw Cherie Lee Other Western Tales, in July. channel24sac.com VERDI’S IL TROVATORE Nov. 21 More than 90 musicians and chorus members of the Sacramento Philharmonic Opera will join the drama onstage at downtown’s SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center in this concert version of Giuseppe Verdi’s 1853 love-triangle tragedy. Sung in Italian, the production features English supertitles to help theatergoers follow this story about a troubadour and a count locked in a deadly romantic rivalry. sacphilopera.org ...read more read less