SeascapeEdward AlbeeAmerican Conservatory TheaterSean Gallagher, Ellen McLaughlin & James CarpenterEven before the grand, gold curtains of the Geary Theatre open, sounds of an ocean’s waves permeate around us, punctuated by the cries of sea gulls overhead. A beach and its sea grass spills into the laps of the first row of audience members – a beach that grows into … [Read more...] about “Seascape”
Archives for January 2019
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet StreetStephen Sondheim (Music & Lyrics); Hugh Wheeler (Book)Hillbarn TheatreHeather Orth & Keith PintoOne lone, frozen figure stares blankly forward, singing with almost no emotion those words so well-known to Sondheim lovers everywhere:“Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd.His skin was pale and his eye was odd.He shaved the faces of … [Read more...] about “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
“King of the Yees”
King of the YeesLauren YeeSan Francisco PlayhouseKrystle Piamonte & Francis Jue“I am Lauren Yee, and this is a story, a true story, about my dad, about dying Chinatowns, about how things fall apart and how to say goodbye.”But the “two-hander” play that Lauren Yee thinks she has written and is now in its opening minutes at San Francisco Playhouse (with one actor playing her … [Read more...] about “King of the Yees”
“Spending the End of the World on OK Cupid”
Spending the End of the World on OK CupidJeffrey LoPear Theatre Michelle Skinner and Tasi AlabastroA modern day prophet for the last six months has been screaming his prediction that the world would end last night; and in fact, half the world’s population suddenly evaporated. He now says that tonight at midnight, everyone else on earth will complete “The … [Read more...] about “Spending the End of the World on OK Cupid”
“Shakespeare in Love”
Shakespeare in LoveBased on the Screenplay by Tom Stoppard and Marc NormanAdapted for the Stage by Lee Hall, Palo Alto Players Drew Benjamin JonesLee Hall’s adaptation of the Norman/Stoppard screenplay, Shakespeare in Love, emphasizes even more than the original film the determination of one woman to forge a place on the world’s stage — or at least on … [Read more...] about “Shakespeare in Love”
“When We Were Young and Unafraid
When We Were Young and UnafraidSarah TreemCustom Made Theatre CompanyZoë Foulks & Stacy RossIt’s 1972; and the U.S. Senate has finally followed the House’s lead and passed the Equal Rights Amendment, sending it to state legislatures with the hopes of millions of women that the constitutional amendment first introduced in 1921 will soon finally become law. But not all … [Read more...] about “When We Were Young and Unafraid
“Frost/Nixon”
Frost/NixonPeter MorganTheatreWorks Silicon Valley Jeremy Webb, Allen McCullough & CastA sweaty upper lip that many believe helped sink his first presidential bid. A resignation announced in his West Wing office in order to avoid sure impeachment. Raised, waving arms with fingers of both hands in a “V” – in the past given in both victory and … [Read more...] about “Frost/Nixon”
“How I Learned What I Learned”
How I Learned What I LearnedAugust Wilson (Co-Conceived with Todd Kreidler)Marin Theatre (in co-production with Lorraine HansberryTheatre and Ubuntu Theatre Project)Steven Anthony JonesAs the elderly man walks across the stage carrying his aged limp with dignity and purpose, we are immediately struck by eyes that twinkle with humor and a face beautifully burrowed with a … [Read more...] about “How I Learned What I Learned”
“A History of WWII: THe D-Day Invasion to the Fall of Berlin”
A History of WWII: The D-Day Invasion to the Fall of BerlinJohn FisherThe MarshJohn FisherIs it because he was just an over-imaginative, hyper-active boy? Was it the fact his parents had a woods in the back yard that begged to be the site of grandiose war games with the neighborhood gang? Did he really see himself as a WASP-y kid who needed the thrill of play … [Read more...] about “A History of WWII: THe D-Day Invasion to the Fall of Berlin”
“Paradise Square: A New Musical”
Paradise Square: A New MusicalMarcus Gardley, Craig Lucas & Larry Kirwan (Book); Conceived by Larry Kirwan; Jason Howland & Larry Kirwan (Music); Nathan Tysen (Lyrics)Based on the Songs of Stephen FosterBerkeley Repertory TheatreThe Cast of Paradise Square: A New MusicalIn what is now regarded as the first inner-city slum in America -- one teeming by the early 1860s … [Read more...] about “Paradise Square: A New Musical”
“Come from Away”
Come from AwayIrene Sankoff & David Hein (Book, Music & Lyrics)SHNThe Cast of Come from Away“I’m sitting in my car.”“I’m in the library.”“I’m in the staff room.”“And I turned on the radio.”Like almost everyone worldwide and everyone in the opening night audience of SHN’s Golden Gate Theatre, citizens of Gander, Newfoundland remember where they were at 8:46 a.m. on … [Read more...] about “Come from Away”
