The Elephant ManBernard PomeranceCity Lights Theater Company George Psarras, Max Tachis & Kristin BrownstoneWithin minutes of the play’s beginning, it is clear to the hushed audience that City Lights Theater Company has cast a John Merrick who can stand up to the best of those who have won accolades and awards in the past 25+ years for this most difficult stage … [Read more...] about “The Elephant Man”
“Second Time Around: A Duet for Cello and Storyteller”
Second Time Around: A Duet for Cello and StorytellerCharlie Varon (monologue) and Joan Jeanrenaud (score)The MarshCharlie Varon & Joan JeanrenaudPlaintive, lower chords merge into slowly picked notes that then give way to faster rhythms and phrases higher on the scale of the cello’s strings. All the while, a bearded man watches the cellist with a look of reverent … [Read more...] about “Second Time Around: A Duet for Cello and Storyteller”
“Talking Heads”
Talking HeadsAlan BennettSpare Stage Laylah Muran De Assereto as CeliaAnnie Larson as Miss FozzardSusan Maeder as SusanRenowned British essayist, storywriter, actor, and playwright Alan Bennett (probably best known for The History Boys and The Madness of King George) wrote – and even starred in some – two series of dramatic monologues entitled Talking Heads that played on the … [Read more...] about “Talking Heads”
“Colossal”
ColossalAndrew HinderakerSan Francisco PlayhouseThe Players PrepareA tail-gate picnic table full of all the wrong, but good things to eat (chips, dip, Cheetos, etc.) along side a full bar of tempting drink specials gives the now-crowded theatre lobby a whole new feel from normal. Reverberating beats and crashes of drums and cymbals from an awaiting auditorium begin to draw in … [Read more...] about “Colossal”
“Miss Saigon”
Miss SaigonClaude-Michel Schonberg (Music); Richard Maltby, Jr. & Alain Boubill (Lyrics)Broadway by the Bay Danielle Mendoza & Terrence SullivanThe story originating from Puccini’s much-beloved opera Madame Butterfly is well enough known that most audience members arrive anticipating the tragic ending to its ill-fated love story. … [Read more...] about “Miss Saigon”
“Mothers and Sons”
Mothers and SonsTerrence McNallyNew Conservatory Theatre CenterVelina Brown & Andrew NanceShe stands in rigid posture with her luxurious mink coat wrapped so tightly as to allow only a glimpse of her designer two-piece suit that is crowned by a single strand of pearls. Clutching with clinched fists her purse as if the startled man before her might grab it at any … [Read more...] about “Mothers and Sons”
“tokyo fish story”
tokyo fish storyKimber LeeTheatreWorks Silicon Valley Frances Jue, Linden Tailor & James SeolAudiences may soon forget the ‘story,’ but the visual memories of Kimber Lee’s tokyo fish story as produced in its Northern California premiere by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley may well last a lifetime. An old Japanese man biking with meditative strokes high in a … [Read more...] about “tokyo fish story”
“Swimmers”
SwimmersRachel BondsMarin Theatre CompanyAaron Roman Weiner & Max RosenakA mysterious black billboard is said to proclaim in blaring white letters, “7/7/16 – End of the World.” Coyotes suddenly roam urban industrial parks; a scraggly woman in the woods taps a passer’s-by head warning, “The time has come,” and there is talk in the hallways of the sure-to-happen … [Read more...] about “Swimmers”
“The Unfortunates”
The UnfortunatesJon Beavers, Kristoffer Diaz, Casey Lee Hurt, Ian Merrigan & Ramiz MonsefAmerican Conservatory TheatreChristopher Livingston, Ian Merrigan & Jon BeaversWhat starts as one lone piano player in a barren saloon setting explodes into a kaleidoscope of colors and characters that boggle the senses and imagination. The story is as timeless as The Odyssey … [Read more...] about “The Unfortunates”
“Uncle Vanya:
Uncle VanyaAnton ChekhovTranslated and Adapted by Dave SikulaPear Theatre Stephen Muterspaugh & Jeffrey BraccoPear Theatre presents Dave Sikula’s new translation of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya in language that is modern in flow and feel and in a setting that is intimate and immediate. Adding a highly talented cast and beautifully orchestrated direction, this … [Read more...] about “Uncle Vanya:
“Three’s Company LIVE!”
Three’s Company LIVE! Adapted by D’Arcy Drollinger Oasis The Cast of Three's Company LIVE! I must make two confessions up front before beginning this review. 1) The two or three times I happened to turn on “Three’s Company” during its 1977-1984 run as a sitcom hit (in the top ten of all TV shows for seven of those years), I never … [Read more...] about “Three’s Company LIVE!”
“Stories”
Stories“Night Vision” by Emma Donoghue“Silence” by Colm TóibínZ Space Word for WordRosie Hallet as Franny Listens to Rudy Guerrero as Her BrotherThe formative years of two, nineteenth-century, Irish women who will later in life leave legacies for future generations are the subjects of two short stories presented dramatically in a manner unique to Z Space’s Word for Word. … [Read more...] about “Stories”
“Macbeth”
MacbethWilliam ShakespeareBerkeley Repertory Company Conleth Hill & Frances McDormandYears from now when I look back at all the productions of Macbeth that I have seen from Ashland to London to Edinburgh and many places in between, I am confident that the current rendition at Berkeley Repertory Theatre will be emblazoned in my fondest memories. While the searing, … [Read more...] about “Macbeth”
“The Call”
The CallTanya BarfieldTheatre RhinocerosAlexaendrai Bond, Nkechi Emeruwa, Melissa Keith, Darryl V. Jones & Hawlan NgAs more and more women delay having their first babies in order to finish school, pursue careers, and/or trek the world on one last grand adventure before settling down to parenting, they and their spouses/partners also face increasing issues of fertility … [Read more...] about “The Call”
“Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage”
Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on StageEleanor BergsteinSHNChristopher Tierney and the Cast of Dancers of "Dirty Dancing"As two voices in duet brilliantly sing the words all in the audience have been salivating for over two hours to hear, the dance of all dances begins in sultry swerves and dips to raised cheers (and probably some tears) among the thousand-plus in … [Read more...] about “Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage”
