Anne BoleynHoward BrentonMarin Theatre CompanyCraig Marker as Henry VIII & Liz Sklar as Anne BolyenShe was Queen of England, yet there is no portrait of her since her husband and King scoured the country to destroy all traces of her very existence. She was decapitated, but exactly what she did to warrant (or not) such vile punishment is still an argument among … [Read more...] about “Anne Boleyn”
“The Untamed Stage”
The Untamed StageScrumbly KoldewynWith Additional Material by Terance Bennan, Damien Chacona, Cab Covay, Andy Wegner, Martin Worman, and Alex KinneyThrillpeddlersScrumbly Koldewyn“You are here to see things you haven’t seen,And feel things you haven’t felt.”And thus are we greeted in a café setting reminiscent of an underground Berlin kabarett during those sultry and sensuous … [Read more...] about “The Untamed Stage”
“Hamlet”
HamletWilliam ShakespeareShotgun PlayersThe Cast of "Hamlet" Awaits Their Roles for the NightOne definition of “shotgun” is, “Aimed at a wide range of things, with no particular target.” Shotgun Players, a company that played in forty-four different venues before landing in its permanent spot on Ashby Avenue in Berkeley in 2004, once again lives up to its name by opening … [Read more...] about “Hamlet”
“Catch 22”
Catch 22Joseph HellerLos Altos Stage Company Bryan Moriarty, Gary Landis, and Joe AntonicelliWith brave intentions and a cast of enthusiastic actors giving it their best, Los Altos Stage Company takes on the troubled script of Catch 22, hoping to reverse it troubled history to stage a winner. Unfortunately, Joseph Heller’s Catch 22 novel-turned-script … [Read more...] about “Catch 22”
“Colette Uncensored”
Colette UncensoredZack Rogow and Lorri HoltThe MarshLorri Holt as ColetteThe pupils dance in excitement across the surface of her eyes. Her hands clasp in tiny balls, grasp at unseen objects, and then fly in five directions at once. Lips move with well-formed purpose with a slight quiver on the right side as her life story unfolds, and then they suddenly freeze in … [Read more...] about “Colette Uncensored”
“Dominion”
DominionAlan OlejniczakAt Last TheatreDon Wood as Hammon & Genevieve Perdue as MaraThe cross-shaped, raised, plywood stage with four, single-paned door frames guarding each of its legs sets the stark scene, accentuated by a few background, skeletal trees and sustained, plaintive chords from a string trio in the shadows. With no props save one bucket of black stones … [Read more...] about “Dominion”
Six Mini Reviews from the Philadelphia Theatre Scene
While at the annual meeting of the American Theatre Critics Association, I was able to attend six plays with my colleagues from across the nation. Following are six short reviews I wrote about each of the productions. What I learned loud and clear is that the theatre scene of Philadelphia is extremely rich and exciting and is well worth a trip to the city just … [Read more...] about Six Mini Reviews from the Philadelphia Theatre Scene
“On Clover Road”
On Clover RoadSteven DietzSan Francisco Playhouse Sally Dana as KateThe cloak of the film noir genre drapes over everything. The motel room is cheap, barren, and covered in carpet that looks dirty. She enters in a brown trench coat clutching a purse for dear life; he is in a scuffed-up leather coat with a black bag, latched and secretive-looking. The lighting … [Read more...] about “On Clover Road”
“Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”
Disney’s Beauty and the BeastAlan Menken (Music); Howard Ashman & Tim Rice (Lyrics); Linda Woolverton (Book)Broadway San JoseBrooke Quintana & Sam HartleyThe first time I saw Disney’s Beauty and the Beast on the big screen as an animated film, I immediately pictured the opening number “Belle” as made for the big stage. As the song’s angelic-looking namesake roams … [Read more...] about “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”
“An Act of God”
An Act of GodDavid JaverbaumSHNSean Hayes as GodDeclaring, “Tonight I have chosen to appear in the form of hallowed star of film and stage Sean Hayes (a description neither smiling Sean nor the cheering audience seemed at all interested in disputing), God has decided to plop himself “right here in the Tenderloin’s glamor of San Francisco” for the next couple of weeks. … [Read more...] about “An Act of God”
“Buyer and Cellar”
Buyer and CellarJonathan TolinsNew Conservatory Theatre Center J. Conrad FrankIt all begins with a whole slew of animated disclaimers. What we are about to hear is “all fiction,” that “I am just an actor.” (But the part about the fake shopping mall under her house, all true as outlined in her one published book, My Passion for Design.) With flashing hands, he … [Read more...] about “Buyer and Cellar”
“Too Much, Too Much, Too Many”
Too Much, Too Much, Too ManyMeghan KennedyDragon Productions Theatre CompanyMary Price Moore & Kelly BattcherPresented with just the right mix of smiles and tears, silliness and seriousness, bittersweet and bitterness, Dragon Productions Theatre Company has assembled four outstandingly cast actors in a staging of the Off Broadway, 2013 Roundabout … [Read more...] about “Too Much, Too Much, Too Many”
“The Boys from Syracuse”
The Boys from SyracuseRichard Rodgers (Music); Lorenz Hart (Lyrics); George Abbott (Book)42nd Street MoonElise Youssef, Lucas Coleman, David Naughton & Abby HaugDon’t feel like tapping your toes, humming along without realizing it, grinning in the dark until your jaws ache, or suddenly guffawing so loudly the person in front of you turns around startled? Then I … [Read more...] about “The Boys from Syracuse”
“The How and the Why”
The How and the WhySarah TreemAurora Theatre CompanyMartha Brigham & Nancy CarlinFirst nervously fidgeting, then just staring blankly at her laptop with obvious, undefined anxiety, she sits in an office that has a feel of a holy sanctuary with its church-like window and beautiful cherry-wood floors. Minutes pass before a young woman with her own look of stressful … [Read more...] about “The How and the Why”
“The Realistic Joneses”
The Realistic JonesesWill EnoAmerican Conservatory TheatreAllison Jean White, James Wagner, Rebecca Watson & Rod GnappUnder a massive, darkened sky full of twinkling stars “where you can almost hear the clouds go by” and “in one of those little towns near the mountains,” two neighboring couples sit out in their backyards talking a lot and often not saying very much. … [Read more...] about “The Realistic Joneses”
