Howard Crabtree’s When Pigs FlyConceived by Howard Crabtree & Mark WaldropMark Waldrop (Sketches & Lyrics); Dick Gallagher (Music)New Conservatory Theatre CenterDavid BichaIf we are to believe the opening scene, it all began when his Springbrook High vocational counselor, Miss Roundhole, suggested to a starry eyed Dream Curly (aka Howard Crabtree) that he could look … [Read more...] about “When Pigs Fly”
4.5 E
“An Entomologist’s Love Story”
An Entomologist’s Love StoryMelissa RossSan Francisco PlayhouseLucas Verbrugghe & Lori PrinceBlink, blink. ... Blink, Blink.Blink/Pause. ... Blink/Pause.Signals go out into the night, searching for a compatible mate -- for hot sex. The climax could be even more ecstatic since the female may be one that kills the male as the deed is done.Such is the life of a … [Read more...] about “An Entomologist’s Love Story”
“The Full Monty”
The Full MontyTerrence McNally (Book); David Yazbek (Music & Lyrics)Hillbarn Theatre Greg Lynch, Brian Palac, James Creer, Bradley Satterwhite, Linda Piccone, and Andy Cooperfauss The entire production Hillbarn's Monty is packed with humor and heart, gusto and grit, love almost lost and love newly found. From jogging women silently … [Read more...] about “The Full Monty”
“Eureka Day”
Eureka DayJonathan SpectorAurora TheatreThe Cast of Eureka DayMaybe this is a typical, kindergarten classroom; but probably most of those in America do not have posters hanging on their pristine walls showing a raised fist for “Occupy Oakland,” a sad-faced elephant proclaiming “Global Warming Is a Giant Problem,” or the definition of “eracism” (erasing the belief one race is … [Read more...] about “Eureka Day”
“The Gangster of Love”
The Gangster of LoveJessica HagedornMagic TheatreLance Gardner & Golda SargentoTwo pairs of eyes widen to reveal mammoth rings of white around dark, darting balls as a brother and sister sway with the ocean’s waves, looking for the first signs of the Golden Gate. While the girl’s eyes sing with wonder and excitement, the boy’s silently scream of anxiety and maybe … [Read more...] about “The Gangster of Love”
“The Effect”
The EffectLucy PrebbleSan Francisco PlayhouseJoe Estlack & Ayelet FirstenbergA few too many drinks leads to a wild and sensuous night in bed together leads to follow-up dates and eventually leads to a wedding, children, and celebration of a fiftieth anniversary. While not the way every couple begins their life together, who among us has not heard of such from someone … [Read more...] about “The Effect”
“The Music Man”
The Music ManMeredith Wilson (Book, Music & Lyrics)Broadway by the Bay As many times as I have personally seen the show, I experienced a week’s build-up of excitement to see Broadway by the Bay’s latest staging of the ever-popular tale of the huckster Hill, The Music Man. I am happy to report that the Broadway by the Bay production has the all brassiness, the … [Read more...] about “The Music Man”
“Vietgone”
VietgoneQui NguyenAmerican Conservatory TheatreJames Seol & Stephen HuA romantic comedy? A musical? A sex-filled, expletive-packed, action play? A parody about immigrants views of America or their love story for their new home in America? A tale set in the mid-‘70s or one that is actually contemporary? Starkly realistic or wildly fantastic, … [Read more...] about “Vietgone”
“At the Statue of Venus” and “Trouble in Tahiti”
At the Statue of VenusJake Heggie (Music); Terrence McNally (Libretto)&Trouble in TahitiLeonard Bernstein (Music & Libretto)Opera ParallèleSteffi CheongThe familiar opening notes of West Side Story rise in a percussion-piano duet, jazzier and with more edge than the Broadway version. The evening’s prelude transitions into a probing, vibrating, and emotional … [Read more...] about “At the Statue of Venus” and “Trouble in Tahiti”
“The Laramie Project”
The Laramie ProjectMoisés Kaufman (and Members of Tectonic Theatre Project)Palo Alto Players The Cast of The Laramie ProjectPalo Alto Players joins thousands of previous productions to present a play that still shakes one to the core as we and the citizens of Laramie try to understand how and why this crime could have happened in their community. And … [Read more...] about “The Laramie Project”
“Alabama Story”
Alabama StoryKenneth JonesCity Lights Theater Company Maria Giere Marquis, Karen DeHart, Bezachin Jifar,and Erik Gandolf Perhaps no profession is more universally stereotyped in movies and minds than the local librarian. Portrayed and generally viewed as meek, prudish, and out of touch with day-to-day reality, the views seem quite universal, be the librarian male … [Read more...] about “Alabama Story”
“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”
“This Bitter Earth”
This Bitter EarthHarrison David RiversNew Conservatory Theatre CenterH. Adam Harris & Michael HannaGrief over a devastating loss unfolds as a series of sometimes disconnected memories whose recall follows no particular timeline in Harrison David Rivers’ riveting, moving This Bitter Earth, now in its world premiere at the New Conservatory Theatre Center. As one man’s … [Read more...] about “This Bitter Earth”
“Hamlet”
HamletWilliam ShakespeareAmerican Conservatory TheatreJohn Douglas ThompsonThat something is “rotten in Denmark” becomes immediately obvious in the opening minutes of American Conservatory Theatre’s current production of Hamlet. Black-clad men climb from the bowels of some underground passageway, with streaks of stark light emanating from the subterranean world onto … [Read more...] about “Hamlet”
“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-TimeSimon StephensSHNAdam Langdon“I see everything. Other people are lazy; they don’t see everything.”A boy of fifteen years, three months, five days indeed can count from a fast moving train the exact number of trees on a hillside, of clouds in the sky, and of hues of green in the meadows passing by. He notes without … [Read more...] about “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”
