Theater

There’s lots of Fresno theater this weekend. Here are some highlights, including ‘Fade’ and ‘Clue.’

By Donald Munro

March 14, 2026

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By Donald Munro

There’s so much theater this weekend that you could clone yourself and not be able to see it all. Here’s a rundown:

‘FADE’ AT FRESNO STATE

Opening: Fresno State’s University Theatre opens “Fade,” by Tanya Saracho and directed by Gina Sandí-Díaz.

Here’s a description of the show from the university:

When Lucia, a Mexican-born novelist, gets her first TV writing job, she feels a bit out of place on the white male-dominated set. Lucia quickly becomes friends with the only other Latino around, a janitor named Abel. As Abel shares his stories with Lucia, similar plots begin to find their way into the TV scripts that Lucia writes.

‘Fade’ is a play about class and race within the Latinx community, as well as at large, and how status does not change who you are at your core.

Playwright Tanya Saracho delves into race and class differences through the relationship of our two characters,” says director Sandí-Díaz. “She unveils how presumption and prejudice sneak into even the most well-intentioned interactions and suggesting race and class are indeed the driving forces of American inequality.”

For more on the production, don’t miss this post from one of my favorite Fresno theater groups, The Fools Collaborative.

After this weekend’s performances (7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 14, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 15), the play continues 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, through Saturday, March 21.

‘CLUE: THE MUSICAL’

Opening: Broadway in Fresno continues to tinker with its Fresno production schedule by opening a show on a Saturday night and playing matinee and evening performances on Sunday. “Clue: The Musical” will end up playing those three shows in total. If you’ll recall, “Beetlejuice” played a similar weekend run, with opening night on a Friday and two shows on Saturday. This is definitely a step-up from our past two- and three-night stands, which almost always involved Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Are we coming up in the world?

“Clue” is an interesting title for the series because it doesn’t come directly from a Broadway run. An Off-Broadway version played in 1997. The title has been kept alive by amateur productions across the country. This national tour started in 2024 and is scheduled through next year.

Here’s a description of the show from the website:

Murder and blackmail are on the menu when six mysterious guests assemble at Boddy Manor for a night they’ll never forget! Was it Mrs. Peacock in the study with the knife? Or was it Colonel Mustard in the library with the wrench? Based on the fan-favorite 1985 Paramount Pictures movie and inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, Clue is the ultimate whodunit that will leave you dying of laughter and keep you guessing until the final twist.

And a twist, courtesy of Wikipedia:

The script includes an interactive feature in which audience members randomly select cards that determine which suspect committed the murder, which weapon was used, and in what room the murder took place. Based on the cards drawn, the mystery has 216 possible endings, for which the script provides appropriate selections of dialogue to be delivered at the show’s conclusion.

Check out details at Broadway in Fresno.

‘THE COMEUPPANCE’

Closing: This Fresno City College production boasts a strong cast that includes several veteran performers, including Claudio Laso. The show is directed by Summer Session. The final performance is 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 14.

Here’s a synopsis from Concord Theatricals:

When a group of old classmates meet to pregame their 20th high school reunion, everyone is nervous for the night ahead. As alcohol and pot help the self-declared “Multi-Ethnic Reject Group” let their guards down, they begin to reminisce about their teenage selves and reveal how their lives have unfolded since graduation. Did their friendships stand the test of time, or will they realize they don’t have as much in common as they thought they did? Brilliantly witty, theatrical and moving, ‘The Comeuppance’ focuses on millennials and their reckoning with the world they will soon inherit.

Again, I turn to the Fools Collaborative for this interview with Claudio Laso.

‘CYRANO DE BERGERAC’

Ongoing: This Good Company Players production at the 2nd Space Theatre opened Feb. 27 and continues through April 19. Ted Nunes plays the title role, and, yes, he’s got the nose.

TMR’s Heather Parish will be weighing in with a review soon.

‘MARY POPPINS’

Ongoing: This Good Company Players production of “Disney’s and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins” at Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theater opened in January and continues through next weekend (Sunday, March 21). You can read the review by TMR’s Doug Hoagland.