The Memory StickDonal O’KellyThe Stage John R. Lewis, Joseph D. Valdez, & Lyndsy KailIn a co-commission with the Dublin City Arts Office and the Irish Theatre Institute, The Stage opens a world premiere The Memory Stick by Donal O’Kelly – a play about what it means and what it costs to stand up against all odds. Lyrically directed, often as in a dreamscape, by … [Read more...] about “The Memory Stick”
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“Needles and Opium”
Needles and OpiumRobert LepageAmerican Conservatory TheatreOliver NormandTwo similar comments seem to be on the lips of everyone as the house lights come up after the final stage bows – whether it is the woman sitting next to me, couples exiting with question marks written all across their faces, or the guys joining me along the downstairs urinals after the ninety-five minute, … [Read more...] about “Needles and Opium”
“Everything That’s Beautiful”
Everything’s That’s BeautifulElyzabeth Gregory WilderNew Conservatory Theatre CenterMattea Fountain as MorganSomething happens unexpected, unplanned, unwanted. Change. Immediately, the surrounding system is in transition – neither in the state of what was once nor in the state of what might someday be. Emotions follow rollercoaster tracks. Communication … [Read more...] about “Everything That’s Beautiful”
“Nora”
NoraIngmar BergmanShotgun Players The Cast of NoraWhen Ibsen premiered A Doll’s House in 1879, controversy immediately erupted when his banker’s wife and mother of three challenges the society’s definition of marriage and walks defiantly away from hers, seeking to discover who she really is beyond those two, domestic titles. At the time, Ibsen said he was inspired by … [Read more...] about “Nora”
“Seminar”
SeminarTheresa RebeckSan Jose State University, College of Humanities and the Arts Hammer Theatre CenterDavid Prete, Kaythi Win, Matthew Kropshot, Sarah Haas & Jacob SossDouglas smacks of pedigree: famous uncle playwright from Harvard, his own la-tee-dah college degree, a sure-fire route to a New Yorker publication, and a tendency to drop words like “interiority and … [Read more...] about “Seminar”
“LENI”
LENISarah GreenmanAuroraTheatre CompanyStacy RossHow much responsibility does an artist own when art is evidently going to be used as propaganda? Can an artist become so engrossed in the work’s creation to become oblivious to the content’s meaning and to the primary actors that are a part of its making? Is groundbreaking perfection of beauty and a positive, direct … [Read more...] about “LENI”
“Calligraphy”
CalligraphyVelina Hasu HoustonTheatreWorks Silicon Valley Emily Kuroda and Mia TaganoSo many conflicts and confrontations emerge – both those happening real time and those that happened decades – that at times Calligraphy becomes a cross between an over-dramatic soap opera and a TV sitcom. And yet, in the elegantly staged version by TheatreWorks Silicon … [Read more...] about “Calligraphy”
“The Tempest”
The TempestWilliam ShakespeareStanford TAPS (Theatre and Performance Studies)Hamzed DaoudAn impressive, engrossing, and highly entertaining production of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest has opened at Stanford TAPS (the Theatre and Performance Studies department of Stanford University). This final play of the Bard’s with its multiple themes and lines that can be seen as … [Read more...] about “The Tempest”
“Isaac’s Eye”
Isaac’s EyeLucas HnathCustom Made Theatre CompanyRobin Gabrielli, Adam Niemann, Jeunée Simon & Gabriel A. RossWalking out of a bioplay, audience members today are often immediately asking Google, “Did such and such really happen or not?” Lucas Hnath has solved that problem for us in his play, Isaac’s Eye, about the early, pre-fame life of Sir Isaac Newton. … [Read more...] about “Isaac’s Eye”
“Love Sick”
Love SickOfra Daniel (Adaptation & Lyrics); Ofra Daniels & Lior Ben-Hur (Music)Jewish Circle Theatre Ofra Daniel and Cast of "Love Sick"The eighty, non-stop minutes of Love Sick pass all too quickly as Jewish Circle Theatre presents this world premiere by Ofra Daniel. The tale intrigues throughout and in the end, surprises. The music mesmerizes and … [Read more...] about “Love Sick”
“Bootycandy”
BootycandyRobert O’HaraBlack Artists Contemporary Cultural Experience Brava Theatre“You have to pull yourself back and wash so you can keep your bootcandy clean.” So says little Sutter’s snappy mother who has quite explicit ideas what her pre-pubescent son needs to do when bathing each day (now and forever), opening him up to ask questions like, “Mama, what is a blow … [Read more...] about “Bootycandy”
“The Real Thing”
The Real ThingTom StoppardAurora TheatreLiz Sklar, Carrie Paff, Seann Gallagher & Elijah AlexanderBoundaries between real life and life on the stage, between the written word and the spoken word, and between married couples who are also friends are just some of the borders constantly blurring and leading to surprises for the characters and the audience of Tom Stoppard’s The … [Read more...] about “The Real Thing”
“Ideation”
IdeationAaron LoebCity Lights Theater CompanyTom Gough, Sunny Moza & George PsarrasThe outlandish possibilities flouted about have too many bits of troubling plausibility tucked into them for us to say that Ideation is just a sci-fi, comic thriller. Premiering in 2014, Aaron Loeb’s play is unfortunately even more grippingly alarming just three years later, given some … [Read more...] about “Ideation”
“The Christians”
The ChristiansLucas HnathSan Francisco PlayhouseAnthony Fusco & the Cast of "The Christians"Eerily, it does immediately feel as if we are in a church rather than the San Francisco Playhouse that we thought we had entered (although maybe the glasses of wine many of us still have in our hands is a dead give-away of the true location). Before us is another incredible, … [Read more...] about “The Christians”
“Uncanny Valley”
Uncanny ValleyThomas GibbonsPear Theatre Mary Price Moore & Evan Kokklia Schumacher Thought-provoking, increasingly intriguing, eventually deeply troubling questions begin to emerge during the current, first-class offering by Pear Theatre of Thomas Gibbon’s Uncanny Valley – a term that refers to the uneasy and even repulsive feelings … [Read more...] about “Uncanny Valley”
