Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really Kate Hamill San Francisco Playhouse Since the 1897 publication of Bram Stoker's gothic horror novel Dracula, hundreds upon hundreds of adaptations in cartoons, films, plays, and musicals from amateur to Hollywood and Broadway have spread the tale of the iconic vampire, Count Dracula, who moves from Transylvania to England … [Read more...] about Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really
San Francisco Playhouse
Flex
Flex Candice Jones San Francisco Playhouse The squeaks and stomps of tennies across maple, the grunts and grinds of girls blocking others bodies, and the sudden silence and swoosh of aiming and shooting for the basket fill the electric air as San Francisco Playhouse becomes a high school gym full of young women's dreams of a state, basketball championship and maybe … [Read more...] about Flex
M. Butterfly
M. Butterfly David Henry Hwang San Francisco Playhouse From his small, sparse cell in a Paris prison, a former French diplomat to China -- one who is serving time for treasonous passing of secret information to a planted spy posing as his lover -- replays in his racing mind their twenty-year relationship. Telling himself "I have known and have been loved by a … [Read more...] about M. Butterfly
Into the Woods
Into the Woods Stephen Sondheim (Music & Lyrics); James Lapine (Book) San Francisco Playhouse In many respects and for many reasons, the following is a meaningless review. At least a score -- and probably many more -- reviewers have already raved about the continued proven genius of Susi Damilano's directorial abilities, about a stage-filling cast that to a … [Read more...] about Into the Woods
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady Alan Jay Lerner (Book & Lyrics); Frederick Lowe (Music) San Francisco Playhouse With a long history of season-ending, summer-long, sizzling musicals that consistently sell-out -- classics like Cabaret, Evita, Follies, A Chorus Line -- San Francisco Playhouse once again takes a much-loved, much-produced audience favorite and opens an exuberant, … [Read more...] about My Fair Lady
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time Simon Stephens, Based on the Novel by Mark Haddon San Francisco Playhouse A boy of fifteen years, three months, three days can count from a fast moving train the exact number of trees on a hillside, of clouds in the sky, and of hues of green in the meadows passing by. He notes without hesitation that his neighbor … [Read more...] about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play
Exotic Deadly: Or The MSG Play Keiko Green San Francisco Playhouse In 1908, a Japanese scientist isolated and duplicated the savory taste of a particular type of seaweed, leading to a flavor enhancer that over the years became very popular in Asian cooking. In 1968, an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine by an unknown Dr. Ho Man Kwok claimed … [Read more...] about Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play
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
The Glass Menagerie
The Glass Menagerie Tennessee Williams San Francisco Playhouse As we enter the theatre, we immediately notice at the stage’s corner a young man intently smoking, looking one moment longingly into a non-descript distance and writing the next with much intent into a small notebook clasped tightly in his hand. In between, he rummages through a collection of records, … [Read more...] about The Glass Menagerie
The 39 Steps
The 39 Steps Adapted by Patrick Barlow Based on the Novel by John Buchan From the Movie by Alfred Hitchcock San Francisco Playhouse In Patrick Barlow’s 2005 theatrical adaptation of the 1915 John Buchan novel and the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film version of The 39 Steps, the suspense and dark natures of Hitchcock’s enduring thriller – ranked in 1999 by the British Film … [Read more...] about The 39 Steps
A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line James Kirkwood and Nicolas Dante (Book): Marvin Hamlisch (Music); Edward Kleban (Lyrics) Originally Conceived by Michael Bennett San Francisco Playhouse What is immediately striking as the twenty-four dancing hopefuls both sprint and shuffle onto the stage is the wide variety of shapes, sizes, races, and ages among them. At first glance, many of them is … [Read more...] about A Chorus Line
Chinglish
Chinglish David Henry Hwang San Francisco Playhouse With a congenial big smile behind the center-stage lectern, American businessman Daniel Cavanaugh punctuates his talk on “Doing Business in China” with examples how Chinese interpreters often massacre common English phrases in commercial signage, with “Chief Financial Officer” becoming “Financial Affairs Is Everywhere … [Read more...] about Chinglish
Cashed Out
Cashed Out Claude Jackson, Jr. San Francisco Playhouse Walking into the theatre and seeing the impressive scenic design of Tanya Orellana, my expectations for San Francisco Playhouse’s world premiere of Cashed Out only increased. Already I was excited that this commissioned work coming from the Playhouse’s pandemic Zoomlet series of ten-minute plays is written by a … [Read more...] about Cashed Out
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
Water by the Spoonful
Water by the Spoonful Quiara Alegría Hudes San Francisco Playhouse Remaining estranged from a son for ten years. Maneuvering through a messy divorce. Refusing any sort of relationship with a birth mother while caring for the dying aunt (her sister) who raised him. Being the mother now detested by your son. Wanting to find the Japanese birth parents … [Read more...] about Water by the Spoonful
