Capital Stage is kicking off its 22nd season with the Sacramento premiere of Alex Edelman’s “Just for Us,” a solo show that has already won a Special Tony Award and earned praise as a New York Times Critics’ Pick before landing in Midtown. The 90-minute production, based on true events from Edelman’s own life, opens Sept. 23 and runs through Oct. 25 at the theater’s intimate space on J Street.
According to the Mountain Democrat, the show follows Edelman after an antisemitic tweet leads him to an unexpected encounter with a meeting of white nationalists in Queens, New York. The one-man production, which has no intermission, explores religion, cultural identity, assimilation, and empathy while also — improbably — touching on gorillas that speak sign language. It addresses what it means to confront hatred, a theme that has carried the show through acclaimed runs well beyond Sacramento.
Before its Broadway debut, “Just for Us” logged more than 500 live performances internationally, including sold-out and award-nominated runs in Edinburgh, London, Melbourne, and Off-Broadway in New York, according to New York City Center. The show’s pedigree only grew from there: Edelman earned a 2024 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special after HBO adapted a recording of the show, filmed at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre in August 2023, into a television special that premiered in April 2024, per Bell Media. The Washington Post has called the production “superb!” and described it as “chiseled to diamond-cut perfection” and a “joyous, uproarious 90-minute show,” per the Mountain Democrat.
A Sacramento Director With Deep Local Roots
Directing the Sacramento production is Amy Resnick, who has previously directed “Eureka Day” and “Bad Jews” at Capital Stage and has also directed productions at Sacramento’s B Street Theatre, according to BroadwayWorld. Resnick’s ties to B Street Theatre place her within a Midtown theater scene that Hoodline has covered closely, including that company’s extended run of a mainstage production earlier this month.
Taking on Edelman’s semi-autobiographical role is Jack Greenberg, who makes his Capital Stage debut and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association, per the Mountain Democrat. Greenberg holds a BFA from Boston University and has previously appeared in regional productions of “The Hills of California” at Berkeley Repertory Theatre and The Huntington, according to the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company.
An Intimate, Un-Amplified Space in Midtown
Audiences will experience the solo performance in close quarters. Capital Stage was founded in 2005 aboard the Delta King riverboat in Old Sacramento before moving to its current home at 2215 J St. in Midtown Sacramento, per the theater’s own account documented on YouTube. The theater has operated under the artistic direction of Michael Stevenson since 2015, running a seven-show mainstage season alongside educational programs held in partnership with Midtown’s CLARA creative incubator, according to the Midtown Association. Capital Stage’s residency at CLARA has come up before in Hoodline’s coverage of a festival relocated to CLARA after its original venue fell through.
“Just for Us” isn’t the first solo civic-minded show scheduled at Capital Stage this year. The theater is scheduled to host Dan Hoyle’s solo documentary piece “Takes All Kinds: Stories of American Democracy” on June 28, a production examining civic division across the country through interview-based theater, according to BroadwayWorld’s earlier coverage of the venue’s programming.
A Story About Confronting Hatred
Edelman’s account of stumbling into a white nationalist meeting resonates as a story about confronting hatred. The production explores antisemitism, white nationalism, cultural identity, assimilation, and empathy.
Capital Stage has also partnered with Visit Sacramento to offer $10 ticket discounts tied to major city events, including the annual IRONMAN California triathlon, according to Visit Sacramento. The promotion ties the discounts to the listed events. Tickets and subscriptions for “Just for Us” are available through capstage.org, per the Mountain Democrat.
