The Prom Bob Martin & Chad Beguelin (Book); Matthew Sklar (Music); Chad Beguelin (Lyrics) BroadwaySF Oops! Eleanor (the musical) is an opening night flop for long-time Broadway stars, Dee Dee and Barry. Uh-oh! The only show available for Julliard-trained Trent is a non-equity tour of Godspell. Damn! Twenty years in the chorus of Chicago, and Angie has had … [Read more...] about The Prom
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Dear Evan Hansen
Dear Evan Hansen Steven Levenson (Book); Benj Pasek & Justin Paul (Music & Lyrics) Broadway San Jose After yet another frustrating breakfast with sons who refuse to engage, two mothers of high school seniors each sing in desperation, “Does anybody have a map? Anybody maybe happened to know how the hell to do this?” Heidi’s son, Evan, is reclusive and stumbles … [Read more...] about Dear Evan Hansen
Hadestown
Hadestown Anaïs Mitchell (Music, Lyrics & Book) BroadwaySF Sometimes, there simply are not enough superlatives to do justice. During the Jewish Seder, there is a section recounting all the blessings and miracles the Israelites have received; and after each is recited, those gathered around the festival table say, “Dayenu,” “It would have been enough.” If the … [Read more...] about Hadestown
Ragtime the Musical
Ragtime Terrence McNally (Book); Stephen Flaherty (Music); Lynn Ahrens (Lyrics) Based on the novel Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Let me begin with an upfront confession. In my humble opinion, if there is one musical that could be called “The Great American Musical,” it is Ragtime. Based on E. L. Doctorow’s 1975 novel by the same name, … [Read more...] about Ragtime the Musical
Hello, Dolly
Hello Dolly Michael Stewart (Book); Jerry Herman (Music & Lyrics) Based on the Play The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder The Mountain Play It only takes a few notes into the “Overture” when palpably the adrenaline of the audience goes into happy overdrive. Whether it is the first or fifteen time that anyone sitting in the vast Mountain Play’s outdoor amphitheater on … [Read more...] about Hello, Dolly
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder Robert L. Freedman (Book & Lyrics); Steven Lutvak (Music & Lyrics) Based on Roy Horniman’s 1907 Novel, Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal Lamplighters Music Theatre In full, formal black dress, six mourning Londoners in excellent but foreboding harmonies warn us upfront, “For those of you of weaker constitution … [Read more...] about A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
A Small Fire
A Small Fire Adam Block Shotgun Players If tomorrow I find myself completely without the majority of my sensory powers that only yesterday seemed perfunctory, what would be left for me in life? No smell, no taste, no sight, no hearing? What effects would this catastrophic shift have on my relationships – my family, my friends? How would their lives shift? Could … [Read more...] about A Small Fire
Encore
Encore Ed Decker, Dennis Lickteig & Joe Wicht, Curators New Conservatory Theatre Center Much like Jack Benny did for much of his life, New Conservatory Theatre Center has been holding its age at thirty-nine for the past year, just waiting for COVID to ease long enough in order to celebrate in NCTC-Fabulous-Style its fortieth. During this forced pause, Founder and … [Read more...] about Encore
The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin
The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin Jessica Huang San Francisco Playhouse “America is lonely. Yes. Is hard. Is ugly. Is angry. Is scary. But maybe. Maybe not. Maybe not so much. Maybe home. Someday.” In a country where nearly all the present population once immigrated from somewhere else, the United States has historically been plummeted with wave after wave of … [Read more...] about The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin
The Incrementalist
The Incrementalist Cleavon Smith Aurora Theatre Company Following the police-afflicted, brutal murder of George Floyd in May 2020, protests erupted world-wide, including in Berkeley, California where shocked, angry UC students joined local residents in the streets, facing off against aggressive police in riot gear. Oakland resident, Berkeley City College professor, … [Read more...] about The Incrementalist
Allegiance
Allegiance Marc Acito, Jay Kuo & Lorenzo Thione (Book); Jay Kuo (Music & Lyrics) Palo Alto Players With only the clothes on their backs and one tightly clutched suitcase each, shock-faced people stand shoulder-to-shoulder while riding in a cattle car to a location unknown – a destination surrounded by barbed wire in a desolate area reeking of dust and lacking … [Read more...] about Allegiance
Gem of the Ocean
Gem of the Ocean August Wilson TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Arriving amidst a COVID shut-down to assume his position as only the second Artistic Director of the Tony-Award-winning, fifty-two-year-old company TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, nationally known director Tim Bond has had to wait almost two years to bring his vast experience and unique insight as a director … [Read more...] about Gem of the Ocean
August: Osage County
August: Osage County Tracy Letts San Jose Stage Company Why do we return time and again to the muck and mirk, the venom and vile of such time-honored works as Macbeth or Who Killed Virginia Woolf? In many ways, these are not pleasant outings at the theatre; but a great production of either can be exhilarating and entertaining just the same, given great … [Read more...] about August: Osage County
Fefu and Her Friends
Fefu and Her Friends María Irene Fornés American Conservatory Theater It is New England in the mid 1930s; flowers are blooming, birds are singing; and Fefu has invited seven of her female, educator friends to come to her lovely countryside estate to practice their talks for an upcoming event – a reunion of former classmates, some of whom have not seen each other in … [Read more...] about Fefu and Her Friends
Hotter than Egypt
Hotter than Egypt Yussef El Guindi Marin Theatre Company, in Co-Production with A Contemporary Theatre Wisconsinites Jean and Paul are in exotic Egypt to bask in the winter sun, sail on the Nile on feluccas, and relish the history of the museums – all as part of their twenty-fourth wedding anniversary celebration. Engaged and soon to be married, Cairenes Maha and … [Read more...] about Hotter than Egypt
