A Fatal StepJill ViceThe MarshJill ViceMaybe the archetype goes all the way back to Eve and the apple. Ancient models can be traced to Jezebel, Delilah, and Salome in the biblical era or Aphrodite, Helen of Troy, or Medea from the Greek and Roman myths. Jumping millennia ahead into the 1930s and ‘40s Hollywood, the great femme fatales – “fatal women,” sometimes … [Read more...] about “A Fatal Step”
“F*ck Tinder: a love story
F*ck Tinder: a love storyDavid RodwinPianoFightWhen a show begins with the invitation for the San Francisco, mostly thirty-something audience to yell “Fuck Tinder” so loud that they can be heard in Oakland -- and they do -- it is clear that we are in for a wild and wooly ride. After all, the nearly fifty-year-old guy before us declares that following a sudden, surprise … [Read more...] about “F*ck Tinder: a love story
“The Bridges of Madison County”
The Bridges of Madison CountyMarsha Norman (Book); Jason Robert Brown (Music & Lyrics)Based on the Novel by Robert James WallerTheatreWorks Silicon Valley Rob Robertson & Joan HessAnyone coming to TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s The Bridges of Madison County fearing the evening could drip with sappiness certainly left thinking anything but. … [Read more...] about “The Bridges of Madison County”
“Timon of Athens”
Timon of AthensWilliam ShakespeareCutting Ball TheaterDavid Sinaiko & Cast Members of Timon of AthensIn the heart of the troubled Tenderloin with its camped-out homeless and strewn needles and not far from the world headquarters of Twitter with its techy, invading Millennials with pocketbooks often bulging, Cutting Ball Theater opens a tragic tale written over four hundred … [Read more...] about “Timon of Athens”
“Saturday Night”
Saturday NightJulius J. Epstein (Book); Stephen Sondheim (Music & Lyrics)42nd Street MoonThe Cast of Saturday NightWhile it is not that unusual to hear about a first-born baby arriving late, forty-three years is probably some kind of a Guinness world record. That is exactly how long it took Stephen Sondheim’s first musical, Saturday Night, to receive its first … [Read more...] about “Saturday Night”
“The Effect”
The EffectLucy PrebbleSan Francisco PlayhouseJoe Estlack & Ayelet FirstenbergA few too many drinks leads to a wild and sensuous night in bed together leads to follow-up dates and eventually leads to a wedding, children, and celebration of a fiftieth anniversary. While not the way every couple begins their life together, who among us has not heard of such from someone … [Read more...] about “The Effect”
“Heisenberg”
HeisenbergSimon StephensAmerican Conservatory TheatreJames Carpenter & Sarah Grace Wilson“If you watch something close enough, you never knew where it’s going or how fast you’re getting there.”That observation made by one of the two principles in Simon Stephens’ 2015 play, Heisenberg, describes the inability to predict something, even and perhaps especially if one closely … [Read more...] about “Heisenberg”
“The Wolves”
The WolvesSarah DeLappeMarin Theatre CompanyThe Cast of The WolvesI arrived really wanting to like this show. Pre-publicity that I had read sounded intriguing and exciting as the show was described as nine teenage girls going about their pre-game, soccer warm-ups just talking about life in the way teen girls do everywhere. I already knew that Sarah DeLappe’s The … [Read more...] about “The Wolves”
“The Music Man”
The Music ManMeredith Wilson (Book, Music & Lyrics)Broadway by the Bay As many times as I have personally seen the show, I experienced a week’s build-up of excitement to see Broadway by the Bay’s latest staging of the ever-popular tale of the huckster Hill, The Music Man. I am happy to report that the Broadway by the Bay production has the all brassiness, the … [Read more...] about “The Music Man”
“Cowboy Versus Samurai”
Cowboy Versus SamuraiMichael GolamcoPear TheatreChuck Lacson A delightfully entertaining, laugh-out-loud funny, and altogether sweet Cowboy Versus Samurai by Michael Golamco, is now receiving a staging at Pear Theatre. Four twenty-somethings are all in search of their true identities; and their journeys’ bumpy routes are full of racial, personal, and … [Read more...] about “Cowboy Versus Samurai”
“Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies”
Hooded, or Being Black for DummiesTearrance Arvelle ChisholmCustom Made TheatreTre'Vonne Bell & Jesse VaughnTwo, mid-teen guys chat about their aspirations and dreams:- “So you don’t want to be a vet any more?”- “No.”- “What do you want to be?”- “Alive.”Even though “Laugh” signs light up to prompt us as an audience to take this as a joke, there is mostly silence as the … [Read more...] about “Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies”
“OUT of Site”
OUT of SiteSeth EisenEye Zen PresentsCast Members of OUT of Site“We have been here, laying the stones, paving the way for you.”The ghosts of LGBTQ heroes of the past 150 years come to life in the very back alleys, neighborhood bars, and hidden basements where they lived in both flair and fear in what we now know as North Beach, San Francisco. Twenty or so of us are led on a … [Read more...] about “OUT of Site”
“Love Never Dies”
Love Never DiesAndrew Lloyd Webber (Music); Glenn Slater (Lyrics); Ben Elton (Book)Charles Hart (Additional Lyrics); David Cullen & Andrew Lloyd Webber (Orchestration)Broadway San JoseGarder Thor Cortes & Meghan PicernoSince the longest running show in Broadway history opened in 1988 and after its six-year, record-breaking run in San Francisco (1993-1999), I must admit … [Read more...] about “Love Never Dies”
“It’s Only a Play”
It’s Only a PlayTerrence McNallyNew Conservatory Theatre CenterThe Cast of It's Only a Play“The party of the year for the play of the century” is getting louder and louder on the floor below, with celebrities galore in attendance for the opening night’s post-play celebration (Al Pacino, Rosie O’Donnell, Barack Obama, the Pope -- just to name-drop a few). The casts of The … [Read more...] about “It’s Only a Play”
“Vietgone”
VietgoneQui NguyenAmerican Conservatory TheatreJames Seol & Stephen HuA romantic comedy? A musical? A sex-filled, expletive-packed, action play? A parody about immigrants views of America or their love story for their new home in America? A tale set in the mid-‘70s or one that is actually contemporary? Starkly realistic or wildly fantastic, … [Read more...] about “Vietgone”
