Love, Isadora

Love, Isadora has all the elements that make a one-person show work: a fascinating subject in a life that lends itself to drama, a director who knows how to build that drama and an actress with the range and depth to pull it all off. Lori Russo takes on the life of manic, tragic genius Isadora Duncan without a trace of reservation in Rick Foster’s original play, while Janis Stevens deftly directs the lithe and poetic performance. In spite of the tragedies that punctuated Duncan’s life, the real message in this biographical play is of the power of art to make life worth living.
California Stage, 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays; $12-$20. 1723 25th Street, (916) 451-5822, www.calstage.org. Through June 15.