Skip to content
Support local, fact-based journalism today and
you could win a $500 Green Acres gift card.
Support essential local journalism for your community.
2021 Spring News | Green Acres
Donate Now

Donate by 9 a.m. to triple your chances of winning.

View thank you gift options

CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • beats
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
    • California Dream
    • Videos
    • Photos
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Roots
    • Eclectic
    • Videos
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight
    • California State of Mind
    • The View From Here
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • Insight Music
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • CapRadio Travels
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support / Underwriting
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Volunteering
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 

Theatre Review: Tell Me On A Sunday

  •  Jeff Hudson 
Monday, October 21, 2013 | Sacramento, CA
Listen
/
download audio
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
  

The Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals we’ve seen over the past 30 years have come in three sizes – big, bigger, biggest.  They typically come with a huge cast, elaborate sets, and bombastic music.

But the Andrew Lloyd Webber show at New Helvetia Theater is a horse of a different color -- a deliberately compact affair with songs scored for a single voice in small theater:

Excerpt from show, Nanci Zoppi singing: “Now, no matter what I do, I see a face appearing, like an unexpected song, an unexpected song that only we are hearing…”

One actress, backed by piano and cello. The props consist of a few suitcases and costumes from an onstage rack. And the show has only one act – just enough songs to fill a vinyl LP, something that was clearly  the composer’s mind when he wrote this show in the late ‘70s.

“Tell Me On A Sunday” is a song cycle telling the story a plucky English girl who comes to America looking for romance as well as fame as a fashion designer… but in the end, she doesn’t find both. And love is the elusive ideal that always seems to slip away.

Excerpt from show Nanci Zoppi singing:

“You made me think you were in love

You made me think that I was all you'd need

You made me think you were in love

If they gave Oscars for deceit you would win

Plastic man, hear me if you can”

Actress Nanci Zoppi doesn’t necessarily convince you that she’s British. But she conveys the quandary of her character, eager for a steady relationship, but ultimately as opportunistic as some of the not-so-honest men she meets along the way.

This is a cozy little production by design, and the intimacy favors the material and adds to the charm. I also got a sense of “the road not taken” – the small setting displays Andrew Lloyd Webber’s melodic style better than many of his gaudier big-box shows. But the composer never wrote another chamber piece. Seeing this unpretentious little song cycle, you can’t help but sigh with a touch of regret, and think about what might have been.

“Tell Me On A Sunday” continues at the New Helvetia Theatre in Sacramento through October 27. 


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

    Related Stories

  • Insight: Initiative Reform / Office Politics / Kushman by the Bottle / "Tell Me on a Sunday"

    Wednesday, October 9, 2013
    We'll analyze three suggested initiative reforms from the PPIC with Kim Alexander. New book helps people play the office politics game. New research on wine tasting has some intersting results. Nanci Zoppi stars in New Helvetia Theatre production.

 theatretheatre

Jeff Hudson

Contributing Arts Reporter and Theatre Critic

Jeff Hudson has been contributing arts-related stories to Capital Public Radio since 1995, with an emphasis on theater and classical music. He attends over 100 performances annually, ranging from modern musicals to medieval masses.   Read Full Bio 

 Email Jeff Hudson

Coronavirus Newsletter

Get answers to your questions, the latest updates and easy access to the resources you need, delivered to your inbox.

 

Want to know what to expect? Here's a recent newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

We'll send you weekly emails so you can stay informed about the coronavirus in California.

Browse all newsletters

More Stories

AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

Blue Shield Of California Has Taken Over The State's Vaccine Roll-Out. Here’s What That Means.

April 9, 2021

Jared Jones/Sacramento History Museum

New Meets Old As Sacramento History Museum Gains Social Media Fame

April 13, 2021

Andrew Nixon / CapRadio

Despite Johnson & Johnson Vaccination Halt, California Officials Expect No Significant Impact

April 13, 2021

Most Viewed

California Coronavirus Updates: All California Schools Should Be Reopen In The Fall, Gov. Newsom Says

California Coronavirus Updates: Health Officials Say Not To Worry If You Got Johnson & Johnson Vaccine

Despite Johnson & Johnson Vaccination Halt, California Officials Expect No Significant Impact

When Can I Get A COVID-19 Vaccine? How Will I Find Out? Answers To Your California Vaccine Questions.

Signatures Are In. What You Need To Know About The Gavin Newsom Recall Effort.

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

California Coronavirus Updates: All California Schools Should Be Reopen In The Fall, Gov. Newsom Says

California Coronavirus Updates: Health Officials Say Not To Worry If You Got Johnson & Johnson Vaccine

Despite Johnson & Johnson Vaccination Halt, California Officials Expect No Significant Impact

When Can I Get A COVID-19 Vaccine? How Will I Find Out? Answers To Your California Vaccine Questions.

Signatures Are In. What You Need To Know About The Gavin Newsom Recall Effort.

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2021, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.