Uncle Vanya Anton Chekhov Adapted by Conor McPherson Berkeley Repertory Theatre, in Co-Production with Shakespeare Theatre Company In a co-production with Washington, D.C.'s Shakespeare Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory Theatre opens a stunning, star-rich, spectacularly directed Uncle Vanya bursting with dark humor and laugh-out-loud wit, brimming with … [Read more...] about Uncle Vanya
Best Bet
The Heart Sellers
The Heart Sellers Lloyd Suh Aurora Theatre Company Immigrants stand in line to show necessary papers to the waiting officer, who in turn says to each, "Now give me your heart." Each immigrant digs into their chest to present their heart. The immigrants discover the sad fact that they must sell their hearts to come to America. Luna, a recent immigrant from the … [Read more...] about The Heart Sellers
Waste
Waste Harley Granville-Barker Adapted by Carey Perloff Marin Theatre "Oh what practical, sentimental children you men are, you and your consciousness, you and your laws. You drive us to distraction and sometimes death by your stupidities. Poor women!" Is it any wonder that in an England with its toes still in the deeply moralistic waters of the recently … [Read more...] about Waste
An Enemy of the People
An Enemy of the People Henrik Ibsen Adaptation by Thomas Ostermeier & Florian Borchmeyer English-Language Version by Duncan Macmillan San Jose Stage Company "There are no moral billionaires. Not when millions are starving. And yet we revere them! We hope their electric cars will save the planet or, if not, that their rockets will get us to Mars. A … [Read more...] about An Enemy of the People
The Thing about Jellyfish
The Thing about Jellyfish Based on the Novel by Ali Benjamin Adapted for the Stage by Keith Bunin Berkeley Repertory Theatre A bright, curious, talk-a-mile-a-minute seventh-grade girl learns a life lesson that "sometimes things [even very bad things] just happen." To reach that important conclusion, Suzy must also ask herself, "What can jellyfish teach us about … [Read more...] about The Thing about Jellyfish
Daisy
Daisy Sean Devine Hillbarn Theatre & Conservatory A three-year-old, blonde girl stands in a meadow, holding a daisy and counting to ten in her sweet, high voice as she plucks off petals, charmingly making a few mistakes along the way. As she hesitates after nine, a booming male voice begins counting backwards from ten, much like heard in a rocket launch. Just as … [Read more...] about Daisy
Urinetown
Urinetown the Musical Mark Hollmann (Music & Lyrics); Greg Kotis (Book & Lyrics) South Bay Musical Theatre Capitalists who care more about cash than care of the people; legislators fawning over CEO’s and accepting bribes on the side; devastating droughts, shrinking water tables, and dubious responses by government officials; authoritarian threats and promised … [Read more...] about Urinetown
In Love and Warcraft
In Love and Warcraft Madhuri Shekar City Lights Theater Company Generously peppered with words such as “damage dealers,” “mage food,” “debuffs,” and “battle rez,” the script of Madhuri Shekar’s In Love and Warcraft might appear at first bluff as a near impossible challenge for non-gamers who have never pounded the keys of their PC while playing the video superstar … [Read more...] about In Love and Warcraft
Takes All Kinds
Takes All Kinds Dan Hoyle The Marsh In the fall of 2022, Dan Hoyle found himself at a “40s-something” party where during the chit-chat of chardonnay sipping, someone said to him, “So you do journalistic theatre? But aren’t they both kinda collapsing?” Given an insatiable drive to discover core truths about a community, culture, and/or even an entire country; a … [Read more...] about Takes All Kinds
DRAGCULA: A Parody in Living Greyscale
DRAGCULA: A Parody in Living Greyscale Adapted by Chris Steele from Bram Stoker’s Dracula Poltergeist Theatre Project, Potatoes Mashed Comedy & Oasis Arts The 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula by Irish author Bram Stoker not only is now considered one of the great classics of English literature, the Transylvanian tale of vampires, blood, and sexual suggestions by … [Read more...] about DRAGCULA: A Parody in Living Greyscale
Rachmaninoff and the Tsar
Rachmaninoff and the Tsar Hershey Felder (Book); Sergei Rachmaninoff (Music) TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Little doubt but that there is a very real love affair between the San Francisco Bay Area and Hershey Felder. This is particularly true for the audiences of TheatreWorks Silicon Valley who have reveled in so many of his past musical biographies of famed composers … [Read more...] about Rachmaninoff and the Tsar
Who’s-Dead McCarthy: Stories by Kevin Barry
Who’s-Dead McCarthy: Stories by Kevin Barry Kevin Barry Word for Word In its 31st year of transforming “the page to the stage,” Word for Word once again celebrates the literary genre of the short story by bringing to the intimate stage of Z Below three delightful gems by a much awarded, contemporary, Irish writer in Who’s-Dead McCarthy: Stories by Kevin Barry. The stories … [Read more...] about Who’s-Dead McCarthy: Stories by Kevin Barry
Evita
Evita Andrew Lloyd Webber (Music); Tim Rice (Lyrics) San Francisco Playhouse With music that ranges from solemn classical, hip-swishing Latin, and grinding rock to soaring ballads and anthems, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita leaves any audience member with enough memorable earworms for a full night’s worth of dreams. The endurance of Webber’s music coupled with lyrics by … [Read more...] about Evita
Chaplin and Keaton on the Set of Limelight
Chaplin and Keaton on the Set of Limelight Greg Lam The Pear Theatre One was known worldwide for his bamboo cane, derby hat, toothbrush mustache, too-small black jacket, and a walk more like a penguin than a man. The other’s big screen image familiar to all was a clean-shaven face smothered in thick, white makeup; a deadpan expression with smile totally absent; baggy … [Read more...] about Chaplin and Keaton on the Set of Limelight
Mother Road
Mother Road Octavio Solis Berkeley Repertory Theatre Seventy-plus years have passed since the Joad family of John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath joined a parade of desperate migrant farmers, all leaving their starving lives in Dust-Bowl-ravaged Oklahoma of the 1930s while looking for the lush life they saw painted on fruit crates from California. Two Joads – a mother and … [Read more...] about Mother Road
