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”
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“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”
“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 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”
“The Elephant Man”
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”
“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”
“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”
“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!”
“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”
“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”
“Bridges”
BridgesCheryl L. Davis (Book & Lyrics); Douglas J. Cohen (Music)Berkeley PlayhouseThe Cast of "Bridges"In twos and threes, shoulder to shoulder, and all hands clapping, twenty shining faces looking straight ahead come down the center aisle singing, “We’re heading for freedom ... Look how far we’ve come ... There’s nothing we can’t overcome.” As they head toward two … [Read more...] about “Bridges”
