Pike StreetNilaja SunBerkeley Repertory Theatre Nilaja SunIn August 2017, I saw and reviewed Nilaja Sun's solo performance of "Pike Street" at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. At that time, I contacted several Bay Area companies and suggested they consider bringing her and her compelling story to our local audiences. While I unfortunately am unable to attend … [Read more...] about “Pike Street”
5 E
“Making God Laugh”
Jeremy Ryan, Mary Lou Torre, and Keenan FlaggMaking God LaughSean GrennanCity Lights Theater CompanyAs the decades come and go over a thirty-year period in the life of one family, many changes occur in the world around them while in the house where the three grown children were raised, many more things stay the same. What better holiday gift could … [Read more...] about “Making God Laugh”
“Everything Is Illuminated”
Everything Is IlluminatedAdapted by Simon Block, Based on the Novel by Jonathan Safran FoerAurora Theatre CompanyJulian López Morillas, Adam Burch & Jeremy Kahn“No one arrives in this world from nowhere.” The driving desire to know his own origins sends a young, aspiring writer in the late 1990s to the Ukraine in search of a woman in a picture identified as Augustine … [Read more...] about “Everything Is Illuminated”
“All the Way”
All the WayRobert SchenkkanPalo Alto Players The Cast of All the WayIn the Palo Alto Players’ magnificently produced, regional premiere of Robert Schenkkan’s 2014 Tony winning Best Play, All the Way, we as an audience are challenged to ask ourselves if questionable tactics of a nation’s leader are ever acceptable if the desired outcomes match our own sense of … [Read more...] about “All the Way”
“Elton John + Tim Rice’s AIDA”
Elton John + Tim Rice’s AIDAElton John (Music); Tim Rice (Lyrics); Linda Wolverton, Robert Falls & David Henry Hwang (Book)Broadway by the Bay Raquel Nicole Jeté and Shaun Leslie ThomasIn 2000, a star-studded team of Elton John (music), Tim Rice (lyrics) along with Linda Wolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang (book) took the Verdi opera AIDA and … [Read more...] about “Elton John + Tim Rice’s AIDA”
“The Resting Place”
The Resting PlaceAshlin HalfnightMagic TheatreJames Carpenter and Cast of The Resting PlaceHow many times a month, a week do we read yet another headline of one person’s atrocious act against innocent others -- be it extortion, murder, or sexual abuse of other adults or of children? And while any passing thoughts and sympathies we may pause a few minutes to contemplate … [Read more...] about “The Resting Place”
“fairview”
fairviewJackie Sibblies DruryBerkeley Repertory Theatre, In Association with Soho RepNatalie Venetia Belcon, Monique Robinson & Charles BrowingFor the first forty minutes or so, we seem to be watching what one character calls, “a good ol’ family drama ... a slice of life ... nothing big and flashy ... just a real story about real people.” The situations are familiar … [Read more...] about “fairview”
“Fun Home”
Fun HomeJeanine Tesori (Music); Lisa Kron (Book & Lyrics)Based on the Graphic Novel by Alison BechdelTheatreWorks Silicon ValleyThe Cast of Fun HomeTheatreWorks Silicon Valley, under the empathic direction of Artistic Director Robert Kelley, presents a Fun Home whose rooms are full of a family’s sweet memories, troubling secrets, and – in its hidden corners -- liberating … [Read more...] about “Fun Home”
“Sweat”
SweatLynn NottageAmerican Conservatory TheatreThe Cast of ACT's SweatFor San Franciscans still scratching their heads and wondering how in the world Donald Trump was able to win the last election (and why he seems still to be so popular in so many places other than San Francisco), all they need to do is spend an evening at the American Conservatory Theatre between now and … [Read more...] about “Sweat”
“Oslo”
OsloJ.T. RogersMarin Theatre CompanyJ Paul Nicolas, Ashkon Davaran, Ryan Tasker, Brian Herndon & Paris Hunter PaulOn September 13, 1993, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian Liberation Organization negotiator Mahmoud Abbas signed a Declaration of Principles in which the PLO recognized the legitimacy of the State of Israel and the Israelis recognized the PLO … [Read more...] about “Oslo”
“The Lieutenant of Inishmore”
The Lieutenant of InishmoreMartin McDonaghThe Stage Rob AugustUnder the astute, no-holes-barred direction of Joshua Marx, The Stage presents a shockingly horrific and a totally hilarious The Lieutenant of Inishmore -- ninety minutes that keeps us on the edge of our seats with our hands often wanting to hide our eyes while at the same time we … [Read more...] about “The Lieutenant of Inishmore”
“You Mean to Do Me Harm”
You Mean to Do Me HarmChristopher ChenSan Francisco PlayhouseKatie Rubin, Jomar Tagatac, Charisse Loriaux & Cassidy BrownWhen during a dinner party between two married couple a memory is shared of a camping trip (somehow involving a log, three squirrels, and Harry Potter) between the husband of one pairing and the wife of another, the seeds of “the camping incident” are … [Read more...] about “You Mean to Do Me Harm”
“A Doll’s House, Part 2”
A Doll’s House, Part 2Lucas HnathBerkeley Repertory Theatre, in a co-production with Huntington Theatre Company Mary Beth Fisher & Nancy E. CarrollAnyone who has ever seen, read, or even heard of Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 classic play, A Doll’s House, has probably created some internal scenario of what happens in the weeks, months, and/or years after young wife/mother Nora Helmer … [Read more...] about “A Doll’s House, Part 2”
“Detroit ’67”
Detroit ‘67Dominique MorisseauAurora Theatre CompanyHalili Knox & Akilah A. WalkerLast year, many celebrations and exhibitions packed the San Francisco calendar to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of 1967, known here and beyond as “The Summer of Love.” While so-called hippies roamed with peace signs and tie-dyes the streets and parks of The City with their … [Read more...] about “Detroit ’67”
“West Side Story”
West Side StoryArthur Laurents (Book); Leonard Bernstein (Music); Stephen Sondheim (Lyrics)Hillbarn TheatreJeffrey Brian Adams & Ana Paula Malagón With a cast of thirty and an orchestra of fourteen, Hillbarn Theatre kicks off its seventy-eighth consecutive season with a West Side Story that proves that the sixty-plus-year-old musical is as current, relevant, … [Read more...] about “West Side Story”
