The Monster-BuilderAmy FreedAurora Theatre CompanyDanny Scheie & Tracy HazasSometimes, no matter the play, seeing one particular actor’s performance is well worth the price of the ticket and the effort of the outing. And while there is much to like in the total cast and production of Aurora Theatre Company’s The Monster-Builder, the absolutely wicked architect … [Read more...] about “The Monster-Builder”
Archives for November 2015
“In Love and Warcraft”
In Love and WarcraftMadhuri ShekarThe Custom Made Theatre Company Ed Berkeley & Monica HoHormones are racing; hearts are pumping; and bodies are gyrating up and down with sweat dripping freely from head to toe as four SoCal college types (two men, two women) go at it. But these four are not having a raging sex party in some campus frat or dorm (at least not at this … [Read more...] about “In Love and Warcraft”
“Handle with Care”
Handle with CareJason Odell Williams (Hebrew Written by Charlotte Cohn)City Lights Theater Company Roneet Aliza Rahamim and Max Tachis A snowy Christmas Eve, a nondescript motel room in tiny Goodview, Virginia, and It’s a Wonderful Life marathons on every TV channel can only mean one thing: a miracle is about to happen. But before … [Read more...] about “Handle with Care”
“Steve Cuiffo Is Lenny Bruce”
Steve Cuiffo Is Lenny BruceSteve Cuiffo, Arranger & PerformerCurran: Under Construction Steve Cuiffo As part of the ongoing Curran: Under Construction series, the Curran’s owner and producer extraordinaire, Carole Shorenstein, offers Steve Cuiffo Is Lenny Bruce for just three nights in an intimate, nightclub setting on the main stage, complete with open bar … [Read more...] about “Steve Cuiffo Is Lenny Bruce”
“Death Takes a Holiday”
Death Takes a HolidayMaury Yeston (Music & Lyrics)Peter Stone & Thomas Meehan (Book)The Tabard Theatre Company Jessica Whittemore and Stephen BoisvertPhoto by Edmond KwongFor one weekend in Summer, 1922, Death decides to take a vacation, choosing a lovely villa in Italy and multiple Tony Award winners Maury Yeston, Peter Stone, and Thomas … [Read more...] about “Death Takes a Holiday”
“Mother’s Milk: A Blues Riff in Three Acts”
Mother’s Milk: A Blues Riff in Three ActsWayne Harris (Book); Randy Craig (Music)The MarshWayne HarrisInterspersed with soulful snippets of blues and gospel, Wayne Harris lovingly and humorously tells the life story of his mother, Ruth, a woman “when she smiled, her cheeks rose up like pop-up biscuits.” With his own dimpled cheeks, winning smile, and eyes that pop and … [Read more...] about “Mother’s Milk: A Blues Riff in Three Acts”
“The Kid Thing”
The Kid ThingSarah GubbinsNew Conservatory Theatre CenterDesiree Rogers, Sarah Coykendall, Jaq Nguyen Victor & Kimberley RidgewaySometimes it is the unsaid more than the said that speaks the loudest. We arrive in the midst of an increasingly heated, even vicious argument between two African American women -- one chugging alternatively Scotch and wine and the … [Read more...] about “The Kid Thing”
“Tribes”
TribesNina RainePear TheatreMorgan Dayley & Greg AndersonA returning adult son is welcomed at the dinner table by his Dad: “Welcome back … Join in and have an argument.” So starts Pear Theatre’s current production of the 2012 Drams Desk Outstanding Play winner, Tribes, by Nina Raine; and so begins an often riveting, sometimes hilarious, always … [Read more...] about “Tribes”
“Shakespeare Goes to War”
"Shakespeare Goes to War"John FisherTheatre RhinocerosJesse F. Vaughn, Gabriel A. Ross, John Fisher & Sean KeehanSubtitled “Everything I needed to know about Shakespeare I learned from my high school English teacher,” John Fisher’s latest play, "Shakespeare Goes to War," is clearly his personal homage to one or more teachers who pointed him toward his career in … [Read more...] about “Shakespeare Goes to War”
“My Mañana Comes”
"My Mañana Comes"Elizabeth IrwinMarin Theatre CompanyThe Cast of My Mañana ComesThey are all around us, silently hustling and bustling, every time we go to our favorite eatery. Water appears, hot bread is replenished, and plates are delivered to the right person while we continue our conversations (or flip through our IPhone messages). What does happen behind … [Read more...] about “My Mañana Comes”
“Awake and Sing”
Awake and SingClifford OdetsSanta Clara University Theatre DepartmentThree generations of a working-class Jewish family are crammed into a Bronx flat where a suitcase can serve as a combined bureau and closet, Yiddish-rich accents from Eastern Europe fill the air, and escape from Depression-era struggles is variously sought via Caruso recordings, frequent visits to the silver … [Read more...] about “Awake and Sing”
“Clybourne Park”
Clybourne ParkBruce NorrisPalo Alto Players The Cast of Clybourne ParkClybourne Park lands on the suburban stage of Palo Alto Players, where its story line of ethnically changing neighborhoods, disputes over remodels, and petitions over historical significance of vintage buildings quickly hits home in this tony town. Add its underlying themes of racial … [Read more...] about “Clybourne Park”
“Kiss Me, Kate”
Kiss Me, KateCole Porter (Music & Lyrics); Sam & Bella Spewack (Book)Broadway by the BayThe Cast of Kiss Me, KateFor anyone with even a mild interest in American Musical Theatre, walking into a production of Kiss Me, Kate has to be close to a dream come true. Broadway by the Bay ends their 50th anniversary year reviving Cole Porter’s … [Read more...] about “Kiss Me, Kate”
“Sail Away”
Sail AwayNoel Coward42nd Street Moon Theatre Nathaniel Rothrock, Khalia Davis, Allison F. Rich, Jordan Martin & Darlene PopovicLooking for love in the next ten days? Or, do you just want to have a merry ol’ time with people you’ll probably never want to see again? Got your bags all packed? Then head to 42nd … [Read more...] about “Sail Away”
“Ah Wilderness”
Ah, Wilderness!Eugene O’NeillAmerican Conservatory TheatreCan a coming-of-age story of a sixteen-year-old boy in 1906 Waterbury, Connecticut still speak to a 21st Century audience? When it is Ah, Wilderness, the only comedy and still most-widely produced and loved of all Eugene O’Neill’s plays, as being currently excellently and imaginatively revived by American … [Read more...] about “Ah Wilderness”
