Beach Blanket BabylonSteve Silver, CreatorJo Shuman Silver, ProducerClub FugaziShawna Ferris McNulty as Snow WhiteFirst, I must make a confession. For over thirty-five years of its forty-two-and-counting-year history, I have been a Beach Blanket Babylon fanatic – some might say groupie. I can count at least twenty-five times I have toured the world with Snow White … [Read more...] about “Beach Blanket Babylon”
“The Invisible Hand”
The Invisible HandAyad AkhtarMarin Theatre CompanyCraig Marker, Jason Kapoor & Pomme KochFor many of the Popes of centuries past, the televangelists of the late twentieth century, or the ISIS leaders in Iraq and Syria of 2016, dogmatic and self-righteous religious zealousness appears often to lead to great accumulations of wealth at the expense of others. The … [Read more...] about “The Invisible Hand”
“Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and SpikeChristopher DurangPalo Alto Players Patricia Tyler, Walter M. Mayes, Judith Miller & Jimmy MasonThe 2013 Tony winner for Best Play, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, has been produced coast-to-coast and now lands on the stage of Palo Alto Players as the final installation of the company’s 85th Anniversary, “Toniest … [Read more...] about “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”
“The Velocity of Autumn”
The Velocity of AutumnEric CobleTheatreWorks Silicon ValleyMark Anderson Philips & Susan Greenhill TheatreWorks Silicon Valley is staging a truly uplifting and heart-warming production of Eric Coble’s The Velocity of Autumn that does not dwell on decline and death as much as on the freedom to act and to be as one feels compelled during whatever amount … [Read more...] about “The Velocity of Autumn”
“The Village Bike”
The Village BikePenelope SkinnerShotgun PlayersEliss Stebbins as Becky & Nick Medina as JohnWhen one spouse makes amorous moves in bed for some late-night hanky-panky and the other spouse responds to each approach, “Not tonight ... I’ve got an early start... I’ve got to make lasagna tomorrow... It’s a bit hot ... It’s the weather,” a natural inclination would be to assume … [Read more...] about “The Village Bike”
“Oklahoma”
OklahomaRichard Rodgers (Music), Oscar Hammerstein II (Book & Lyrics)Broadway by the BayThe Cast of "Oklahoma"All it takes to spawn a sea of happy smiles are those first few notes of “There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow,” so wonderfully trumpeted by the handsome cowboy coming down the aisle of the theatre. By the time he jumps onto the stage of cornfields and … [Read more...] about “Oklahoma”
“Lightning in the Brain”
Lightning in the BrainCorey Fischer (Writer, Composer, Performer)The Marsh Corey FischerWhen spending time as a young man in New York, Corey Fischer says it was like “walking through layers of history that were sliced as thin as pastrami.” While his new work, Lightning in the Brain -- now at The Marsh in San Francisco -- is a pleasant, harmless hour of … [Read more...] about “Lightning in the Brain”
“Chester Bailey”
Chester BaileyJoseph DoughertyAmerican Conservatory TheaterDavid Strathairn as Dr. Philip Cotton & Dan Clegg as Chester BaileySometimes there are not the words to capture fully the magic that is happening at a live theater performance. No matter how much a reviewer might try, the combination of the setting itself, the skilled nuances of the actors, and the spontaneous … [Read more...] about “Chester Bailey”
“For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birhday”
For Peter Pan on Her 70th BirthdaySarah RuhlBerkeley Repertory TheatreKathleen ChalfantMaybe returning for the second time in one season to the hospital bed of a dying father or for the third time to a play involving pirates is pushing the envelope a bit too far. But how could there be any risk when the producing company is the perennially consistent-in-high-quality … [Read more...] about “For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birhday”
“Maggie’s Riff”
Maggie’s RiffJon LipskyFaultline TheaterPaul Rodriguez as Jack KerouacIn wrinkled, open trench coat and smoking like a fiend, he wanders up to the 1950s-era mike in a fog-filled room and starts to ramble a story in his Northeastern way of forming his words. Some of what he says in the beginning is a bit cryptic (“Been doing a bit of babble since I had this flip”), but … [Read more...] about “Maggie’s Riff”
“Robert Louis Stevenson: Jekyll and Hyde”
Robert Louis Stevenson: Jekyll and HydeGary GravesCentral WorksBrian Herndon as Lewis & Danielle Levin as FannyWith labored breathing behind a black, leather mask and through thick, green-glassed goggles, a reclining, night-gowned man wrapped in knitted blanket writes furiously on his lap desk. Stripping off the 19th-century respirator and goggles, in socked … [Read more...] about “Robert Louis Stevenson: Jekyll and Hyde”
“On a Clear Day You Can See Forever”
On a Clear Day You Can See ForeverBurton Lane (Music); Alan Jay Lerner (Lyrics); Peter Parnell (Book)Based on the Original Book by Alan Jay LernerNew Conservatory Theatre CenterChris Morrell, Melissa O'Keefe & William GiammonaDespite its title, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever is one musical that has had a stormy past. The much-touted 1965 opening with music by … [Read more...] about “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever”
“Out of Darkness”
Out of DarknessJake Heggie (Music); Gene Scheer (Libretto)Music of RemembranceThe Cast of Out of DarknessSingle droplets of instrumental notes slowly meld into a haunting flow of melody that evokes a memory of another time, another place. The stunning music alerts that what is to follow is intimate, intense, and important. From such beginnings, two stories of … [Read more...] about “Out of Darkness”
“Elect to Laugh”
Elect to LaughWill DurstThe MarshWill DurstSoon after I first arrived in the Bay Area in late 1978, my newly wed spouse and I started checking out the bountiful comedy club scene that existed in San Francisco at venues like The Other Café, The Holy City Zoo, and Cobb’s Comedy Club. One of our favorite stand-ups soon became Will Durst, and almost forty years later this … [Read more...] about “Elect to Laugh”
“Gypsy”
GypsyArthur Laurents (Book); Julie Styne (Music); Stephen Sondheim (Lyrics)South Bay Musical Theatre Molly Thornton as Gypsy Rose LeeWhenever attending what NY Times critic Ben Brantley has referred as “what may be the greatest of all American musicals,” "Gypsy," I sit with both hope and skepticism until I hear Rose sing those first few notes of “Some People.” … [Read more...] about “Gypsy”
