Fiddler on the RoofJoseph Stein (Book); Jerry Bock (Music); Sheldon Harnick (Lyrics)Broadway San JoseThe Cast of Fiddler on the RoofAfter its record-setting, award-winning initial run on Broadway in 1964; its five Broadway revivals since; countless openings on local and touring stages globally and in towns and cities from coast to coast in America – not to mention the 1971 film … [Read more...] about “Fiddler on the Roof”
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“Who Killed Sylvia Plath”
Who Killed Sylvia PlathLynne KaufmanThe MarshLorri HoltAs she sits looking at her own tombstone – the fourth one after feminist vandals keep chiseling away her last name “Hughes” of a husband they believe caused her early-age suicide – Sylvia Plath quotes the lyrics of Taylor Swift, another so-called femme fatale often now linked to the poet who died over twenty-five years … [Read more...] about “Who Killed Sylvia Plath”
“Sister Act”
Sister ActAlan Menken (Music); Glenn Slater (Lyrics); Cheri & Bill Steinkellner (Book)Theatre RhinocerosThe Cast of Sister ActBrothers and Sisters, may I have an “Amen.” Glory hallelujah, a miracle hath been wrought in San Francisco that is heavenly in a wonderfully sinful kind of way. Theatre Rhinoceros has received permission from the Almighty of Broadway to … [Read more...] about “Sister Act”
“The Good Book”
The Good BookDennis O’Hare & Lisa PetersonBerkeley Repertory TheatreDenmo Ibrahim with Elijah Alexander, Lance Gardner & Wayne WilcoxIt is the most published, most translated, most read, and probably controversial book in the world. There are those who base all life’s decisions on its verses and those who sneer at the hypocrisies and contradictions of the people … [Read more...] about “The Good Book”
“Flower Drum Song”
Flower Drum SongRichard Rodgers (Music); Oscar Hammerstein II (Lyrics); David Henry Hwang (Book)Palo Alto Players Emily SongPalo Alto Players offers a gift to Bay Area audiences in producing the rarely performed Flower Drum Song, but the present is all the more welcome because of a production that is conceived and performed with the look, sound, style, and … [Read more...] about “Flower Drum Song”
“Jazz”
JazzAdapted by Nambi E. KelleyBased on the Book by Toni MorrisonMarin Theatre CompanyDezi Solèy & C. Kelly WrightAs mourners audibly sob and somewhere a choir sings the gospel hymn “Steal Away,” a stunned-looking, steely-eyed woman approaches the rectangle of flowers guarding the unseen corpse of the young girl whose portrait we see near-by. With increasing snarl, she … [Read more...] about “Jazz”
“The Gentleman Caller”
The Gentleman CallerPhilip DawkinsNew Conservatory Theatre CenterBrennan Pickman-Thoon & Adam Niemann“I don’t like interviewers for the very reason they remind me of what I once said,” he says in his syrupy, Southern flow of clever quips. But a favorable interview is very much what young, boy-looking Tom Williams (“Tennessee for short”) is hoping to receive from the … [Read more...] about “The Gentleman Caller”
“The Jungle”
The JungleJoe Murphy & Joe RobertsonCurran TheatreJonathan Nyati, Tommy Letts & Ammar Haj AhmadOne young woman tells how she walked 3000 miles just to get to the Mediterranean, still a sea and a continent away from her destination. An Iraqi with a guitar sings a song and relates how this song moved the hearts of guards to let him and 200 others cross a closed … [Read more...] about “The Jungle”
‘In Old Age”
In Old AgeMfoniso UdofiaMagic TheatreSteven Anthony Jones & Nancy MoricetteFor those of us who first met Nigerian immigrant Abasiama Ekpeyoung as a young woman in Houston and have watched her through the happy and troubled times of her long life by seeing some or all of the four prior plays of Mfoniso Udofia’s “Ufot Family Cycle,” seeing her now as an old woman in the … [Read more...] about ‘In Old Age”
“Eurydice”
EurydiceSarah RuhlCity Lights Theater Company Leah Cohen and Lauren RhodesSince its premiere by Madison Repertory Theatre, the metaphor-rich, watery underworld Eurydice has received many creative productions from Off-Broadway and London to regional stages across the county to hundreds of high schools and universities – including a fabulously creative, … [Read more...] about “Eurydice”
“Home”
HomeGeoff SobelleBerkeley Repertory TheatreThe Cast of HomeSay the word “home;” and for most of us a flood of both current realities and long-past memories come to mind along with a host of trite but true phrases we oft hear repeated in our own heads: “Home is where the heart is;” “Home sweet home;” “Oh Auntie Em, there’s no place like home.” Pictures of family members … [Read more...] about “Home”
“Falsettos”
FalsettosWilliam Finn (Music & Lyrics); William Finn & James Lapine (Book)SHNThe Cast of "Falsettos"Facing us on the other wise dark, blank stage is one of the four corners of a large, light-gray cube consisting of many large, various shaped pieces fit tightly together like a puzzle. From that incredibly fascinating Rubiks-like cube will emerge living rooms, … [Read more...] about “Falsettos”
“The Speakeasy: Age of Scofflaws”
The Speakeasy: Age of ScofflawsBennett Fisher & Nick A. OliveroDavid Gluck, Geoffrey N. Libby & Nick A. Olivero, ProducersThe Speakeasy, In Association with Boxcar TheatreEm Lee ReavesThe year has advanced from 1923 to 1927. Lucky Lindy flying in his Spirit of St. Louis is thirty-three hours into his heroic conquering of the skies over the Atlantic; skirts and … [Read more...] about “The Speakeasy: Age of Scofflaws”
“The Great Leap”
The Great LeapLauren YeeAmerican Conservatory TheaterBD Wong, TIm Liu, Arye Gross & Ruibo Qian“I am quick, I am relentless. I am the most relentless person you have ever met and if you have met someone more relentless than me, tell me, tell me and I will meet them and I will find a way to become even more relentless than them!” He may be still a senior in high school; he … [Read more...] about “The Great Leap”
“Her Portmanteau”
Her PortmanteauMfoniso UdofiaAmerican Conservatory TheatreEunice Woods & Kimberly Scott“In God’s time, my Iniabasi, hello.” First translating her daughter’s Nigerian name into English before saying the name in its native language, Abasiama welcomes a daughter whom she has not seen in over two decades to the New York apartment of another daughter, Adiaha, half-sister … [Read more...] about “Her Portmanteau”
