Beach Blanket BabylonSteve Silver, CreatorJo Shuman Silver, ProducerClub FugaziShawna Ferris McNulty as Snow WhiteFirst, I must make a confession. For over thirty-five years of its forty-two-and-counting-year history, I have been a Beach Blanket Babylon fanatic – some might say groupie. I can count at least twenty-five times I have toured the world with Snow White … [Read more...] about “Beach Blanket Babylon”
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“The Invisible Hand”
The Invisible HandAyad AkhtarMarin Theatre CompanyCraig Marker, Jason Kapoor & Pomme KochFor many of the Popes of centuries past, the televangelists of the late twentieth century, or the ISIS leaders in Iraq and Syria of 2016, dogmatic and self-righteous religious zealousness appears often to lead to great accumulations of wealth at the expense of others. The … [Read more...] about “The Invisible Hand”
“Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and SpikeChristopher DurangPalo Alto Players Patricia Tyler, Walter M. Mayes, Judith Miller & Jimmy MasonThe 2013 Tony winner for Best Play, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, has been produced coast-to-coast and now lands on the stage of Palo Alto Players as the final installation of the company’s 85th Anniversary, “Toniest … [Read more...] about “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”
“The Velocity of Autumn”
The Velocity of AutumnEric CobleTheatreWorks Silicon ValleyMark Anderson Philips & Susan Greenhill TheatreWorks Silicon Valley is staging a truly uplifting and heart-warming production of Eric Coble’s The Velocity of Autumn that does not dwell on decline and death as much as on the freedom to act and to be as one feels compelled during whatever amount … [Read more...] about “The Velocity of Autumn”
“Oklahoma”
OklahomaRichard Rodgers (Music), Oscar Hammerstein II (Book & Lyrics)Broadway by the BayThe Cast of "Oklahoma"All it takes to spawn a sea of happy smiles are those first few notes of “There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow,” so wonderfully trumpeted by the handsome cowboy coming down the aisle of the theatre. By the time he jumps onto the stage of cornfields and … [Read more...] about “Oklahoma”
“Chester Bailey”
Chester BaileyJoseph DoughertyAmerican Conservatory TheaterDavid Strathairn as Dr. Philip Cotton & Dan Clegg as Chester BaileySometimes there are not the words to capture fully the magic that is happening at a live theater performance. No matter how much a reviewer might try, the combination of the setting itself, the skilled nuances of the actors, and the spontaneous … [Read more...] about “Chester Bailey”
“Out of Darkness”
Out of DarknessJake Heggie (Music); Gene Scheer (Libretto)Music of RemembranceThe Cast of Out of DarknessSingle droplets of instrumental notes slowly meld into a haunting flow of melody that evokes a memory of another time, another place. The stunning music alerts that what is to follow is intimate, intense, and important. From such beginnings, two stories of … [Read more...] about “Out of Darkness”
“I and You”
I and YouLauren GundersonCity Lights Theater Company Ivette Deltoro & Davied Morales Once again, City Lights Theater Company has chosen a winning script, a superb production team, and an exciting duet of actors to present to its audience a gift that will continue to give for a long time. Not only will I and You lead to both self-reflection and conversations … [Read more...] about “I and You”
“The Wild Party”
The Wild PartyAndrew Lippa (Book, Music & Lyrics)Ray of Light TheatreJocelyn Pickett as Queenie Held on HighIn case there were any remaining doubts that the most consistently exciting, exuberant, and excelling musical theatre being staged in San Francisco was not coming from Ray of Light Theatre, then the company’s current production of Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party will … [Read more...] about “The Wild Party”
“The Last Five Years”
The Last Five YearsJason Robert Brown (music & lyrics)AmericanConservatory TheatreZak Resnick (Jamie) & Margo Seibert (Cathy)Fourteen months ago, social media in the San Francisco Bay Area lit up like a Times Square explosion with messages like “Drop everything ... You must not miss this” and “Hurry up ... It’s only here a few days!” The reference was to a brief … [Read more...] about “The Last Five Years”
“Red Velvet”
Red VelvetLolita ChakrabartiSan Francisco PlayhouseThe Cast of "Red Velvet"A play a decade in the writing about a story of a Shakespeare actor nine score years in the telling bursts onto the stage with fever, fervor, and fury that the Bard himself would surely admire. That this classical actor is a black American, son of a straw-farming preacher and a floor-scrubbing … [Read more...] about “Red Velvet”
“Disney’s Newsies”
Disney’s NewsiesAlan Menken (Music); Jack Feldman (Lyrics); Harvey Fierstein (Book)Broadway San JoseThe Newsies in FlightHow better to get a packed audience, from first row to last seat in the balcony, rip-roaring excited about a little-told piece of history than through a stage full of high-jumping, midair-flipping, split-legging, fist-pumping guys in perfectly coordinated … [Read more...] about “Disney’s Newsies”
“Rodger + Hammerstein’s Cinderella”
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s CinderellaRichard Rodgers (music), Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics and original book),Douglas Carter Beane (new book)SHNAndy Huntington Jones as Prince Topher & Kaitlyn Davidson as Cinderella with CastOnce upon a time originated a now-centuries-old tale with origins both East and West about a little girl in unfortunate, oppressive home circumstances who … [Read more...] about “Rodger + Hammerstein’s Cinderella”
“Treasure Island”
Treasure IslandAdapted by Mary ZimmermanFrom the Novel by Robert Louis StevensonBerkeley Repertory Theatre Demetrios Troy as Israel Hands & John Babbo as Jim HawkinsBouncing balls as cannon shot, a wooden box pulled on a rope as a boat crossing the sea, and cut branches to dodge as trees in a thick jungle. Gnarly pirates full of “Arrrrgh,” wild chases and fierce … [Read more...] about “Treasure Island”
“The Most Happy Fella”
The Most Happy FellaFrank Loesser (Book, Music & Lyrics)Based on Sidney Howard’s They Knew What They Wanted42nd Street Moon Martin Rojas Dietrich as Tony & Amanda Johnson as RosabellaWhen a musical begins with a waitress on stage’s edge taking off her shoes, rubbing her tired toes, and singing nasally in Texas drawl (addressing each of her toes, one by one, as if an old … [Read more...] about “The Most Happy Fella”
