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Theatre Eddys

Theatre Eddys

San Francisco Bay Area Theater Reviews

5 E

Paradise Blue

February 3, 2023 by Eddie Reynolds

Paradise Blue Dominique Morisseau Aurora Theatre Company In Aurora Theatre Company’s award-winning Detroit ’67 in 2018, the sounds of Detroit’s homegrown, Motown music were the background beat of Dominique Morisseau’s funny and frightening, heart-warming and heart-stopping play, Detroit ’67, the first of a trilogy about her hometown and a story that explodes amidst … [Read more...] about Paradise Blue

Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812

January 30, 2023 by Eddie Reynolds

Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 Dave Malloy Shotgun Players Having opened November 15, 2022, Shotgun Players’ audience-immersive, modern-sounding opera set in a Russian cabaret setting of 1812 – Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 by Dave Malloy – has already received the highest of accolades from both my fellow critics and especially from … [Read more...] about Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812

Clyde’s

January 26, 2023 by Eddie Reynolds Leave a Comment

Clyde’s Lynn Nottage Berkeley Repertory Theatre, In Co-Production with Huntington Theatre Company “The sandwich is your pulpit; it’s where you preach the gospel of good eating.” The lowly sandwich that many of us quickly slap together with little thought or planning rises to a cherished place of honor and homage in Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s totally delicious and … [Read more...] about Clyde’s

Sanctuary City

July 15, 2022 by Eddie Reynolds Leave a Comment

Sanctuary City Martyna Majok Berkeley Repertory Theatre, in Association with Arena Stage Two high school seniors each are seeking sanctuary from a life that fate and family have unfortunately gifted them.  B (as in Boy) arrived in this country ten years prior and is now here illegally because his mom overstayed her visa – a mom who now has vowed to leave him and go … [Read more...] about Sanctuary City

La Traviata

July 11, 2022 by Eddie Reynolds Leave a Comment

La Traviata Giuseppe Verdi, Composer; Original Libretto by Francisco Maria Piave English Version by Donald Pippin Pocket Opera, in Co-Production with Cinnabar Theatre With cheeks flushed against a snow-white, pale face, Violetta Valéry slowly enters pressed against the strong arm of her devoted servant, Annina, who serves as a needed crutch.  Gingerly, painfully, … [Read more...] about La Traviata

Dreaming in Cuban

June 26, 2022 by Eddie Reynolds

Dreaming in Cuban Cristina Garcia Central Works Breaking boundaries of time, distance, and reality, a swirl of memories, dreams, and harsh realities both clash in conflict and dance in harmony in Cristina Garcia’s beautifully and imaginatively conceived Dreaming in Cuban, now in world premiere at Berkeley’s Central Works.  Adapting to the stage her 1992, National Book … [Read more...] about Dreaming in Cuban

The Prom

June 23, 2022 by Eddie Reynolds Leave a Comment

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

Dear Evan Hansen

June 10, 2022 by Eddie Reynolds Leave a Comment

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

June 9, 2022 by Eddie Reynolds Leave a Comment

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

Hello, Dolly

May 31, 2022 by Eddie Reynolds

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

May 30, 2022 by Eddie Reynolds Leave a Comment

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

May 23, 2022 by Eddie Reynolds

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

The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin

May 13, 2022 by Eddie Reynolds

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

May 2, 2022 by Eddie Reynolds Leave a Comment

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

April 25, 2022 by Eddie Reynolds Leave a Comment

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

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Eddie is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association and the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle.

Theatre Eddys Ratings Legend

5 E's - Loved It
A classic, would see it a second time.
4 E's - Really Liked It
Excellent, strong production.
3 E's - Liked It
Good production but something is lacking or not clicking.
2 E's - Just OK
Below average but had at least one interesting component.
1 E - Did Not Like It
Waste of time.

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Musical5 Eworld premiereMUST SEE4 ETheatreWorks Silicon ValleySan Francisco PlayhouseNew Conservatory Theatre CenterPear TheatreBerkeley Repertory Company4.5 EMarin Theatre CompanyAmerican Conservatory TheatreShotgun PlayersPalo Alto PlayersAurora Theatre CompanyThe MarshHillbarn Theatre3.5 ECity Lights Theater Company

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About Eddie

Theatre Critic for the Greater San Francisco Bay Area, writing 150+ reviews annually for Theatre Eddys and Talkin' Broadway (San Jose/Silicon Valley). Read More

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