La Cage aux FollesHarvey Fierstein (Book); Jerry Herman (Music & Lyrics)San Francisco PlayhouseThe tempo of the overture’s tunes — familiar in music and long-memorized in words for many in the audience — quickens in direct proportion to the packed theatre’s palpable rise in energy level and anticipation. In a tease to an audience who to a person already knows where … [Read more...] about “La Cage aux Folles”
San Francisco Playhouse
“The Roommate”
The RoommateJen SilvermanSan Francisco PlayhouseJulia Brothers & Susi DamilanoWho does not remember those terribly awkward, first few minutes (hours? days? years?) trying to size up a new roomie? Sharon is trying her best to welcome Robyn into her big, old home on the outskirts of Iowa City, so much so her smile has uncomfortably and completely commandeered her entire … [Read more...] about “The Roommate”
“Noises Off”
Noises OffMichael FraynSan Francisco PlayhouseMonique Hafen, Richard Louis James, Kimberly Richards, Craig Marker, Nanci Zoppi “[W]e’ve got bags, we’ve got boxes. Plus doors. Plus words. You know what I mean? ... I’m just saying. Words. Doors. Bags. Boxes. Sardines. Us. OK? I’ve made my … [Read more...] about “Noises Off”
“The Christians”
The ChristiansLucas HnathSan Francisco PlayhouseAnthony Fusco & the Cast of "The Christians"Eerily, it does immediately feel as if we are in a church rather than the San Francisco Playhouse that we thought we had entered (although maybe the glasses of wine many of us still have in our hands is a dead give-away of the true location). Before us is another incredible, … [Read more...] about “The Christians”
“She Loves Me”
She Loves MeJerry Bock (Music); Sheldon Harnick (Lyrics); Joe Masteroff (Book)San Francisco PlayhouseThe Cast of "She Loves Me"All it takes is a simple storyline about two of the most unlikely people falling hopelessly in love for the tale to endure forever. Take two store clerks (Amalia and Georg) who outwardly despise each other, quarreling constantly to the dismay of … [Read more...] about “She Loves Me”
“Seared”
SearedTheresa RebeckSan Francisco PlayhouseLarry Powell, Brian Dykstra, Rod Gnapp & Alex SunderhausThe first sound heard is an enticing sizzle as oil hits a hot skillet, leading to a plume of white smoke rising from the stove as smells of onion and garlic waft into the first rows of the audience. That initial sizzle is only the beginning of a play that will snap, … [Read more...] about “Seared”
“all of what you love and none of what you hate”
all of what you love and none of what you hatePhilip HowzeSan Francisco PlayhouseBritney FrazierIt would be a frustrating mistake to attempt understanding every single aspect of Philip Howze’s new play, all of what you love and none of what you hate. Better to step back and take in the gestalt, the totality. In San Francisco Playhouse’s world premiere production as … [Read more...] about “all of what you love and none of what you hate”
“The Rules”
The RulesDipika GuhaSan Francisco PlayhouseAmy Lazardo as Mehr, Karen Offereins as Julia & Sarah Moser as AnaWhat are some of the dos and don’ts many of us carry around about dating, committing, or even marrying? How deeply engrained in our subconscious and thus our habits, even in this era long past the ‘70s women’s liberation movement, are the norms of our parents … [Read more...] about “The Rules”
“City of Angels”
City of AngelsCy Coleman (Music); David Zippel (Lyrics); Larry Gelbart (Book)San Francisco Playhouse The Cast of "City of Angels"--> The tough, hunky private eye hero who falls prey to beautiful women who fall for him ... or at least the femme fatales who make him think they fall for him as they seduce with snake-like charms, shapely hips, and breasts bursting from low … [Read more...] about “City of Angels”
“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”
“On Clover Road”
On Clover RoadSteven DietzSan Francisco Playhouse Sally Dana as KateThe cloak of the film noir genre drapes over everything. The motel room is cheap, barren, and covered in carpet that looks dirty. She enters in a brown trench coat clutching a purse for dear life; he is in a scuffed-up leather coat with a black bag, latched and secretive-looking. The lighting … [Read more...] about “On Clover Road”
“Colossal”
ColossalAndrew HinderakerSan Francisco PlayhouseThe Players PrepareA tail-gate picnic table full of all the wrong, but good things to eat (chips, dip, Cheetos, etc.) along side a full bar of tempting drink specials gives the now-crowded theatre lobby a whole new feel from normal. Reverberating beats and crashes of drums and cymbals from an awaiting auditorium begin to draw in … [Read more...] about “Colossal”
“The Nether”
The NetherJennifer HaleySan Francisco PlayhouseThe Cast of "The Nether"Already we live in a world where increasingly people are more apt to converse with a colleague in the next-door cube or the date across the dining table online versus in person. Millions escape to imaginary lands to fight battles and kill invaders as well as to plant farms, sell goods, or solve world … [Read more...] about “The Nether”
“Stage Kiss”
Stage KissSarah RuhlSan Francisco PlayhouseGabriel Marin as He & Carrie Paff as SheHarry Potter snogs; teens suck face; others peck, smack, make out, or tongue wrestle. In Sarah Ruhl’s hilarious Stage Kiss, the meeting of two sets of lips and the co-tangling of tongues becomes the central and most-repeated action of the play, from quick brush-by’s to seriously long … [Read more...] about “Stage Kiss”
“Dogfight”
DogfightBenj Pasek & Justin Paul (Music & Lyrics); Peter Duchan (Book)San Francisco PlayhouseThe Marines of "Dogfight"Take an ugly contest and an uglier war; add a soldier, a waitress, music, and a moon over the Golden Gate; and the result is a moving, compelling, sometimes disturbing, and often funny love story at San Francisco Playhouse. With music and lyrics by … [Read more...] about “Dogfight”
