Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamcoatAndrew Lloyd Webber (Music); Tim Rice (Lyrics)Broadway by the Bay Matt Ott & Cast MembersIts crazy mixture of musical genres, its clever lyrics that span the millennia in references, and its story of biblical proportions about a boy’s dreams that save a nation and his family all combine to make Joseph and the … [Read more...] about “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”
Musical
“Marie and Rosetta”
Marie and RosettaGeorge BrantTheatreWorks Silicon ValleyMichelle E Jordan and Marissa RuddGeorge Brant’s Marie and Rosetta receives its foot-tapping, spirit-arousing, and raise-the-roof production at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, returning to its birthplace of sorts where in 2015 the musical was first featured in the company’s annual New Works Festival. The music and … [Read more...] about “Marie and Rosetta”
“Fiorello!”
Fiorello!Jerome Weidman and George Abbott (Book); Jerry Bock (Music); Sheldon Harnick (Lyrics)42nd Street Moon Colin Thomson & Cast MembersIn an age when daily we are hit with news about politicians at all levels who are racked with scandals, how refreshing it is to open the pages of history and discover there was once a lawyer-turned-mayor whose career was one of seeking … [Read more...] about “Fiorello!”
“Violet”
VioletBrian Crawley (Book & Lyrics): Jeanine Tesori (Music)Based on the The Ugliest Pilgrim by Doris BettsBay Area MusicalsJuliana LustenaderIt’s September 4, 1964 in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, as a wide-smiling, young woman with a small suitcase packed full of anticipation and hope boards a Greyhound bus. Bound for the church of Hope and Glory in Tulsa, Oklahoma, … [Read more...] about “Violet”
“A Little Night Music”
A Little Night MusicStephen Sondheim (Music & Lyrics); Hugh Wheeler (Book)Lamplighters Music Theatre Amy Bouchard, Jonathan Smucker, Elana Cowen & Chris UzelacSwaying and circling, circling and swaying, a quintet sings in a lush blend of harmonies snippets of fuller songs soon to come while also providing us metaphors in movement and in words of the on-again, off-again … [Read more...] about “A Little Night Music”
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet StreetStephen Sondheim (Music & Lyrics); Hugh Wheeler (Book)Hillbarn TheatreHeather Orth & Keith PintoOne lone, frozen figure stares blankly forward, singing with almost no emotion those words so well-known to Sondheim lovers everywhere:“Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd.His skin was pale and his eye was odd.He shaved the faces of … [Read more...] about “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
“Paradise Square: A New Musical”
Paradise Square: A New MusicalMarcus Gardley, Craig Lucas & Larry Kirwan (Book); Conceived by Larry Kirwan; Jason Howland & Larry Kirwan (Music); Nathan Tysen (Lyrics)Based on the Songs of Stephen FosterBerkeley Repertory TheatreThe Cast of Paradise Square: A New MusicalIn what is now regarded as the first inner-city slum in America -- one teeming by the early 1860s … [Read more...] about “Paradise Square: A New Musical”
“Come from Away”
Come from AwayIrene Sankoff & David Hein (Book, Music & Lyrics)SHNThe Cast of Come from Away“I’m sitting in my car.”“I’m in the library.”“I’m in the staff room.”“And I turned on the radio.”Like almost everyone worldwide and everyone in the opening night audience of SHN’s Golden Gate Theatre, citizens of Gander, Newfoundland remember where they were at 8:46 a.m. on … [Read more...] about “Come from Away”
Dames at Sea
Dames at SeaGeorge Haimsohn & Robin Miller (Book & Lyrics); Jim Wise (Music)42nd Street MoonThe Cast of Dames at SeaWhile parodies sometimes aim to make fun to the point that the satire digs deep and hurts, a parody can also be a love letter where laughs are fond remembrances of the original -- beauty marks, warts, and all. Such is the case for the 1968 … [Read more...] about Dames at Sea
“Tuck Everlasting”
Tuck Everlasting Chris Miller (Music); Nathan Tysen (Lyrics); Claudia Shear & Tim Federle (Book)Based on the Novel by Natalie BabbittTheatreWorks Silicon ValleyNatalie Schroeder and Eddie GreyFor anyone who has seen even a few of the over 165 productions that Artistic Director Robert Kelley has directed in his near fifty years at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, then it soon … [Read more...] about “Tuck Everlasting”
“A Christmas Carol”
A Christmas Carol Alan Menken (Music); Lynn Ahrens (Lyrics); Mike Ockrent & Lynn Ahrens (Book)Based on the Story by Charles DickensHillbarn TheatreThe Cast of A Christmas CarolHillbarn Theatre of Foster City, a company known for its rousing, inventively produced musicals, stages the musical version of the perennially holiday favorite, A Christmas Carol. Unfortunately, … [Read more...] about “A Christmas Carol”
“A Bronx Tale”
A Bronx TaleChazz Palminteri (Book); Alan Menken (Music); Glenn Slater (Lyrics)SHNJoey Barreiro & Frannkie LeoniBased on real life occurrences, A Bronx Tale is a coming of age musical about the life of its writer, Chazz Palminteri, ages nine to seventeen. Set in the 1960s Italian and African-American neighborhoods of New York – two neighborhoods close in distance but … [Read more...] about “A Bronx Tale”
“Mary Poppins”
Mary PoppinsRichard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman (Music & Lyrics); Julian Fellowes (Book) with Additional Songs/Lyrics by George Stiles & Anthony DreweBased on the Stories of P.L. Travers and the Film by Walt DisneySan Francisco Playhouse El BehMary and Bert have danced with animated animals in a cinematic Mary Poppins for almost fifty-five years with Julie Andrews … [Read more...] about “Mary Poppins”
“In the Heights”
In the HeightsLin Manuel Miranda (Music); Quiara Alegria Hudes (Book)Custom Made Theatre CompanyThe Cast of In the HeightsIn 2008, a musical that opened on Broadway and went on to win four Tonys that year (including Best Musical) quickly established itself as one that would influence a new generation of stage musicals. Not only was the large cast all but one of … [Read more...] about “In the Heights”
“Crazy for You”
Crazy for YouGeorge Gershwin (Music), Ira Gershwin (Lyrics); Ken Ludwig (Book)Bay Area MusicalsThe Cast of Crazy for YouChoreography that dares you not to tap your own toes. Comedy full of corn that is impossible not to laugh out loud – and I do mean loud. A love triangle where two of the three are the same person. And the Gershwin Brothers’ songs plucked from … [Read more...] about “Crazy for You”
