Say Cheese: My Life in Front of a CameraLeslie JordanFeinstein’s at the NikkoAt only 4’11”, actor and playwright Leslie Jordan has no problem commanding on his own an entire stage and theatre. From his opening, Southern-drawl line to his final bow, he is in charge and pulling every string possible to draw almost constant laughter from his adoring, mostly gay … [Read more...] about “Say Cheese: My Life in Front of a Camera”
“The Last Five Years”
The Last Five YearsJason Robert Brown (music & lyrics)American Conservatory TheatreThe widely popular, much-produced, two-person musical The Last Five Years (music and lyrics by Broadway veteran Jason Robert Brown) came recently to San Francisco in a concert version for three performances only. Even after just one performance, social media sites lit up with “You have … [Read more...] about “The Last Five Years”
“Present Tense”
Present TenseAlan OlejniczakAt Last Productions and Playwrights Center of San FranciscoOver a 24-hour period, the world premiere Present Tense gives us slice-of-life glimpses into five family situations – all unrelated, but all highly similar thematically. Each takes place real-time for fifteen or so minutes, with the ‘present tense’ of each highly shadowed by histories … [Read more...] about “Present Tense”
“Tartuffe”
TartuffeMoliere, Adapted by David BallBerkeley Repertory Theatre A 350-year-old farce about blind, religious fanaticism and the corruption of religious leaders, Moliere’s Tartuffe is one of the those beloved, funny, and biting classics that most avid theatre-goers have seen at least once in their careers as audience members. However, it is doubtful any of us has seen … [Read more...] about “Tartuffe”
“Jewels of Paris: A Revolutionary New Musical Review”
Jewels of Paris: A Revolutionary New Musical ReviewScrumbly Koldewyn (original music & lyrics); Rob Keefe & Martin Worman (additional lyrics); Keefe, Koldewyn, Alex Kinney & Andy Wenger (sketches)ThrillpeddlersWalking into the green, wooden Hypnodrome next to a Highway 80 overpass, audience members are greeted by variously clad and semi-clad characters with … [Read more...] about “Jewels of Paris: A Revolutionary New Musical Review”
“Show People”
Show PeoplePaul WeitzDragon TheatreA play being acted for us that is also a play where our actors are actors acting for themselves. Sound confusing? Actually, in Paul Weitz’s well-crafted Show People, there is less confusion than fun for us as audience as the actors themselves become increasingly confused and perplexed in all their mixed-up roles of stage and … [Read more...] about “Show People”
“Abundance”
AbundanceBeth HenleyShelton TheatreTwo women arrive at a remote rail station in 1860s Wyoming Territory, drawn there as mail-order brides to start lives anew in this wind-howling, big-sky frontier. Upon meeting, they immediately become best friends, confidents, and sources of support -- not the typical beginning of most epics of the old West. But Abundance, as told … [Read more...] about “Abundance”
“Breaking the Code”
Breaking the CodeHugh WhitemoreTheatre RhinocerosWith the recent Academy-nominated film The Imitation Game, the story of World War II Enigma code-breaker and computer pioneer Alan Turing is now much more widely known than when Hugh Whitemore’s 1986 Breaking the Code premiered. His play, however, brings to the 2015 audience aspects of Turing’s life … [Read more...] about “Breaking the Code”
“The Lake Effect”
The Lake EffectRajiv JosephTheatreWorks Silicon ValleyAs the lights go down and the scene on the stage illuminates, much has already happened involving the threesome we are soon to meet that they themselves do not totally know. Just as the snow-covered ground outside the little Indian, family-owned café before us will get deeper as it snows vigorously for the play’s … [Read more...] about “The Lake Effect”
“Hamlet”
HamletWilliam ShakespeareStanford Department of Theatre What can make a much-known, often-seen classic like Hamlet worth visiting one more time? Certainly, hearing the poetic majesty of familiar lines and witnessing yet again the young Hamlet struggle with his questions of life and death can be compelling reasons. But … [Read more...] about “Hamlet”
“The Convert”
“The Convert”Danai GuriraMarin Theatre Company When a three-hour production feels like a play half that length, it happens not by chance but as a direct result of plot intrigue, well-clipped direction, and masterful acting. Jasson Minadakis directs Marin Theatre’s The Convert with both fervor and respect for its historically important subject: the early clash of … [Read more...] about “The Convert”
“How the World Began”
How the World BeganCatherine TrieshmannCustom Made TheatreEscaping personal issues in New York to come teach high school science in a small, tornado-devastated Kansas town, a pregnant, husbandless Susan comes hoping to renew her life and to help this traumatized community. A flippant remark to a class of sophomores, describing theories of “spontaneous creation of the … [Read more...] about “How the World Began”
“Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play”
Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric PlayAnne WashburnAmerican Conservatory TheatreImagine a world where an unnamed epidemic has wiped out most of the population, where un-staffed nuclear plants have emitted their deadly powers in meltdown, and where desperate survivors roam the countryside looking for loved ones and defending themselves against roaming terrorists. Thus is the … [Read more...] about “Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play”
“The Lyons”
The LyonsNicky SilverAurora Theatre CompanyAnd yet another family gathers on the current American stage either at the bedside of a dying relative or at their home mourning for a lost member. In Nicky Silver’s The Lyons, a mother, a son, and a daughter enter the hospital room of their dying, cranky, even bitter-about-his-now-spent-life husband and father. This is the … [Read more...] about “The Lyons”
“Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical”
Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester MusicalAnthony Wayne & Kendell BowmanBrava Theatre Center (AnthonyKen, LLC, Producer)Entering Brava Theatre lobby, audience members feel an electricity and excitement that continues its meteoric rise once inside the auditorium up until the moment the first blast of overture music finally erupts from the onstage band. The big … [Read more...] about “Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical”
