HomeGeoff SobelleBerkeley Repertory TheatreThe Cast of HomeSay the word “home;” and for most of us a flood of both current realities and long-past memories come to mind along with a host of trite but true phrases we oft hear repeated in our own heads: “Home is where the heart is;” “Home sweet home;” “Oh Auntie Em, there’s no place like home.” Pictures of family members … [Read more...] about “Home”
Archives for March 2019
“Falsettos”
FalsettosWilliam Finn (Music & Lyrics); William Finn & James Lapine (Book)SHNThe Cast of "Falsettos"Facing us on the other wise dark, blank stage is one of the four corners of a large, light-gray cube consisting of many large, various shaped pieces fit tightly together like a puzzle. From that incredibly fascinating Rubiks-like cube will emerge living rooms, … [Read more...] about “Falsettos”
“Yoga Play”
Yoga PlayDipika GuhaSan Francisco PlayhouseRyan Morales, Bobak Cyrus Bakhitiari, Craig Marker (on screen) & Susi DamilanoWho wouldn’t want to run out and buy a pair of soft, stretchy pants with “slow-release, organic lavender activated by water” that has made focus group participants “want to hold on to their clothes even after a sweaty yoga class”? The executive team … [Read more...] about “Yoga Play”
“Sojourn”
SojournEvan Kokkila-SchumacherPear Theatre Drew Benjamin Jones and Laura DomingoFor both science-fiction lovers and for anyone who likes a play that mixes mystery, philosophical debates, and political realities with a story that has a very human component, Pear Theatre’s wonderfully acted and inventively conceived Sojourn is a ticket for a rocket ride … [Read more...] about “Sojourn”
“The Speakeasy: Age of Scofflaws”
The Speakeasy: Age of ScofflawsBennett Fisher & Nick A. OliveroDavid Gluck, Geoffrey N. Libby & Nick A. Olivero, ProducersThe Speakeasy, In Association with Boxcar TheatreEm Lee ReavesThe year has advanced from 1923 to 1927. Lucky Lindy flying in his Spirit of St. Louis is thirty-three hours into his heroic conquering of the skies over the Atlantic; skirts and … [Read more...] about “The Speakeasy: Age of Scofflaws”
“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamcoatAndrew Lloyd Webber (Music); Tim Rice (Lyrics)Broadway by the Bay Matt Ott & Cast MembersIts crazy mixture of musical genres, its clever lyrics that span the millennia in references, and its story of biblical proportions about a boy’s dreams that save a nation and his family all combine to make Joseph and the … [Read more...] about “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”
“Steve”
SteveMark GerrardNew Conservatory Theatre CenterGreg Ayers, Clove Galilee, Joey Alvarado, Shawnj West & Daniel RedmondFive long-term friends – two gay couples and their mutual lesbian BFF, Carrie – are meeting for drinks to celebrate Steven’s birthday. Steven arrives in a grouchy mood, snapping with a snarl every time his partner of sixteen years opens his mouth and … [Read more...] about “Steve”
“The Great Leap”
The Great LeapLauren YeeAmerican Conservatory TheaterBD Wong, TIm Liu, Arye Gross & Ruibo Qian“I am quick, I am relentless. I am the most relentless person you have ever met and if you have met someone more relentless than me, tell me, tell me and I will meet them and I will find a way to become even more relentless than them!” He may be still a senior in high school; he … [Read more...] about “The Great Leap”
“Her Portmanteau”
Her PortmanteauMfoniso UdofiaAmerican Conservatory TheatreEunice Woods & Kimberly Scott“In God’s time, my Iniabasi, hello.” First translating her daughter’s Nigerian name into English before saying the name in its native language, Abasiama welcomes a daughter whom she has not seen in over two decades to the New York apartment of another daughter, Adiaha, half-sister … [Read more...] about “Her Portmanteau”
“Transfers”
TransfersLucy ThurberCrowded Fire TheaterVictor D. Ragsdale & Caleb CabreraWho is let in the gate to reside inside the ivy-covered walls of Hared University? Who is left only looking in from the outside? What set of qualifications wins out in the end when two candidates – one African American, one Latino -- have both beaten all odds over the daily hunger, … [Read more...] about “Transfers”
“American Hero”
American HeroBess WohlThe Custom Made Theatre Co.Paul Stout, Devon deGroot & Laura EspinoDay-by-day, the slices of turkey, pastrami, and cheddar dwindle away. Already there are no more chips and no more Dr. Pepper. But at Toasty Subs that just recently celebrated its grand opening, the three “sandwich artists” continue to spread what mustard is left on the few … [Read more...] about “American Hero”
“Marie and Rosetta”
Marie and RosettaGeorge BrantTheatreWorks Silicon ValleyMichelle E Jordan and Marissa RuddGeorge Brant’s Marie and Rosetta receives its foot-tapping, spirit-arousing, and raise-the-roof production at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, returning to its birthplace of sorts where in 2015 the musical was first featured in the company’s annual New Works Festival. The music and … [Read more...] about “Marie and Rosetta”
“Leading Ladies”
Leading LadiesKen LudwigHillbarn TheatreSamantha Ricci, Adrienne Kaori Walters & Monica CappucciniWhile the Shakespeare-mimicking situations in Ken Ludwig’s Leading Ladiesare overall amusing, it is Director James Knipple’s gender-fluid, casting decisions that make Hillbarn Theatre's Leading Ladies well worth a night of forgetting all the day’s troubles and letting … [Read more...] about “Leading Ladies”
“Fiorello!”
Fiorello!Jerome Weidman and George Abbott (Book); Jerry Bock (Music); Sheldon Harnick (Lyrics)42nd Street Moon Colin Thomson & Cast MembersIn an age when daily we are hit with news about politicians at all levels who are racked with scandals, how refreshing it is to open the pages of history and discover there was once a lawyer-turned-mayor whose career was one of seeking … [Read more...] about “Fiorello!”
“The Who and The What”
The Who and The WhatAyad AkhtarMarin Theatre CompanyDenmo Ibrahim & Alfredo HuerecaAfzal has about all a man could want in life, save his precious wife whom he lost to cancer a few years ago. As a Pakistani immigrant and now U.S. citizen, he owns a commanding thirty per cent of the Atlanta, taxi industry. He has two beautiful, grown daughters who adore … [Read more...] about “The Who and The What”
