The Millionth Production of A Christmas CarolJames KoppPear TheatreThe Cast of The Millionth Production of A Christmas Carol Entitled The Millionth Production of A Christmas Carol, the play by James Kopp receiving its world premiere at Pear Theatre is a love story to local, struggling theatre companies. By the thousands across America in towns … [Read more...] about “The Millionth Production of A Christmas Carol”
“The Golden Girls: The Christmas Episodes 2017”
The Golden Girls: The Christmas Episodes 2017D’Arcy Drollinger & Matthew Martin, DirectorsVictoria TheatreMatthew Martin, Heklina, D'Arcy Drollinger & (in front) Holotta TymesThere are many ‘only-in-SF’ traditions all year round, including during the holidays. The Embarcadero buildings light up to be seen from Marin County to Oakland. SantaCon (which … [Read more...] about “The Golden Girls: The Christmas Episodes 2017”
“Bright Star”
Bright StarSteve Martin (Music, Book, Story) & Edie Brickell (Music, Lyrics, Story)Curran TheatreCarmen CusackUpfront, let’s just admit that some of the lyrics are full of more corn and clichés than a barn’s loft and that the story’s twists and turns are so unbelievably fantastical that even the audience laughed when the story’s dramatic ‘big reveal’ was reenacted. … [Read more...] about “Bright Star”
“Shakespeare in Love”
Shakespeare in LoveBased on the Screenplay by Tom Stoppard and Marc NormanAdapted for the Stage by Lee Hall, Marin Theatre CompanyAdam Magill and Kenny Toll“Shall I compare … compare … compare thee … to a mourner’s play?”A young Will Shakespeare struggles to find the word -- any word -- to start his latest sonnet. Only after a whispered “summer’s day” comes from his best … [Read more...] about “Shakespeare in Love”
“Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley”
Miss Bennet: Christmas at PemberleyLauren Gunderson & Margot MelconCity Lights Theatre Company James Lewis & Melinda MarksThere is so much to like in the script by Laura Gunderson and Margot Melcon if one is looking for a light, pre-holiday diversion. The director and cast of this City Lights production sparkle and glow in their evident joy in … [Read more...] about “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley”
“Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets”
Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic BulletsWilliam S. Burroughs (Book); Tom Waits (Music & Lyrics)Shotgun PlayersThe Cast of Black RiderWhat kind of play will be penned by a writer who, as a young man, shoots and kills his wife while playing with her a drinking game of “William Tell”? Imagine his then discovering an old German folktale where an unsuccessful suitor makes a … [Read more...] about “Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets”
“Le Switch”
Le SwitchPhilip DawkinsNew Conservatory Theatre CenterRyan Vásquez & Steve Rhyne“Welcome to Library School. When you leave this program you will be able to classify everything.”And with that, David in his trademark cardigan of questionable colors and accompanying bowtie begins his first lecture of the new term. When he goes on to tell the librarian novitiates, … [Read more...] about “Le Switch”
“Singing in the Rain”
Singin’ in the RainBetty Comden & Adolph Green (Book); Arthur Freed (Lyrics); Nacio Herb Brown (Music)Broadway by the BayThe Cast of Singin' in the RainAs the orchestra ticks through well-known number after number during the “Overture,” the music swells until the one everyone knows is coming begins its familiar float of notes. And at that moment, a man in hat and with … [Read more...] about “Singing in the Rain”
“Aladdin”
AladdinAlan Menkin (Music); Howard Ashman, Tim Rice & Chad Beguelin (Lyrics); Chad Beguelin (Book)SHNThe Cast of AladdinWith exotic, kaleidoscopic colors of every hue imaginable, Disney’s Aladdin bursts onto the SHN Orpheum stage in a touring version that has more elaborate scene changes, more dazzling costumes, and more jumping tumbling, and even flying cast members than … [Read more...] about “Aladdin”
“The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler”
The Further Adventures of Hedda GablerJeff WhittyDragon Productions TheatreCaitlin Papp & Juanita HarrisIn a wonderfully directed and acted production at Dragon Productions Theatre, The Further Adventures of Hedda Gableris a hilarious, Vaudevillian-like glimpse of the afterlife of fictional characters. This is a first-class, must-see outing that will … [Read more...] about “The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler”
“The Eva Trilogy”
The Eva TrilogyBarbara HammondMagic TheatreJulia McNealWith ocean waves crashing somewhere in an unseen nearby and invisible sea gulls noisily swooping overhead, she sits on the stage’s lone brick doorstep. Forehead furrowed deep for someone only in midlife, cheeks alternating between long and pooched but always with cheerful dimples, and red hair giving away her Irish heritage … [Read more...] about “The Eva Trilogy”
“Small Mouth Sounds”
Small Mouth SoundsBess WohlAmerican Conservatory Theatre The Cast of Small Mouth SoundsWhat happens if we allow silence to dominate our world – at least the silence of our own voices? What might we hear if words no longer clutter our day-to-day lives? In Bess Wohl’s 2016 Off-Broadway hit, Small Mouth Sounds, six seekers of needed solace arrive for a week of forested … [Read more...] about “Small Mouth Sounds”
“An Enemy of the People”
An Enemy of the PeopleHenrik Ibsen, Adapted by Rebecca LenkiewiczPear TheatreThe Cast of An Enemy of the People Rebecca Lenkiewicz has stripped Ibsen’s original play of some of its extraneous moralizing and sidetracks for a slimmer version of An Enemy of the People that brings the nineteenth century story right into 2017 relevance. Pear Theatre is now staging this 2008 … [Read more...] about “An Enemy of the People”
“La Muerte Baila”
La Muerte BailaRebecca Martinez Teatro Visíon There is palpable excitement stirring as the curtain rises on a darkened underworld as all skeletal souls wait to hear the bells on earth begin to chime to announce el día de los muertos (the Day of the Dead). Those bells are their invitation to cross over for one day and re-enact a favorite memory, to visit a missed … [Read more...] about “La Muerte Baila”
“Barbecue”
BarbecueRobert O’HaraSan Francisco PlayhouseTeri Whipple, Clive Worsley, Anne Darragh & Jennie BrickWe are here “to encircle with truth and love today in the open air ... Today, we step in.” So says a sister to three of her adult siblings gathered together in a city park setting where the main features are a chain-link fence, a picnic table next to the public … [Read more...] about “Barbecue”
