Boeing BoeingMarc CamolettiTranslation by Beverly Cross & Francis EvansThe StageJoshua Hollister, Halsey Varady & Michael Barrett AustinSeeing seven doors across the stage wall can only mean one thing: Buckle your seat belt because it’s going to be a wild and wooly night of loud slams, just misses, surprise comings, and split-second goings. And be prepared … [Read more...] about “Boeing Boeing”
5 E
“Above and Beyond the Valley of the Ultra Showgirls”
Above and Beyond the Valley of the Ultra ShowgirlsD’Arcy Drollinger (Book) Enrique (Music & Lyrics); Steve Bolinger (Additional Music)OasisD'Arcy Drollinger, Nancy French & John Paul GonzalezHard rock, drug overdoses, murder, lots (and lots) of T & A, miracles from heaven, space invaders, and of course wild and wooly sex. What else would we expect from D’Arcy … [Read more...] about “Above and Beyond the Valley of the Ultra Showgirls”
“Anne Boleyn”
Anne BoleynHoward BrentonMarin Theatre CompanyCraig Marker as Henry VIII & Liz Sklar as Anne BolyenShe was Queen of England, yet there is no portrait of her since her husband and King scoured the country to destroy all traces of her very existence. She was decapitated, but exactly what she did to warrant (or not) such vile punishment is still an argument among … [Read more...] about “Anne Boleyn”
“Hamlet”
HamletWilliam ShakespeareShotgun PlayersThe Cast of "Hamlet" Awaits Their Roles for the NightOne definition of “shotgun” is, “Aimed at a wide range of things, with no particular target.” Shotgun Players, a company that played in forty-four different venues before landing in its permanent spot on Ashby Avenue in Berkeley in 2004, once again lives up to its name by opening … [Read more...] about “Hamlet”
“Colette Uncensored”
Colette UncensoredZack Rogow and Lorri HoltThe MarshLorri Holt as ColetteThe pupils dance in excitement across the surface of her eyes. Her hands clasp in tiny balls, grasp at unseen objects, and then fly in five directions at once. Lips move with well-formed purpose with a slight quiver on the right side as her life story unfolds, and then they suddenly freeze in … [Read more...] about “Colette Uncensored”
“Dominion”
DominionAlan OlejniczakAt Last TheatreDon Wood as Hammon & Genevieve Perdue as MaraThe cross-shaped, raised, plywood stage with four, single-paned door frames guarding each of its legs sets the stark scene, accentuated by a few background, skeletal trees and sustained, plaintive chords from a string trio in the shadows. With no props save one bucket of black stones … [Read more...] about “Dominion”
“Buyer and Cellar”
Buyer and CellarJonathan TolinsNew Conservatory Theatre Center J. Conrad FrankIt all begins with a whole slew of animated disclaimers. What we are about to hear is “all fiction,” that “I am just an actor.” (But the part about the fake shopping mall under her house, all true as outlined in her one published book, My Passion for Design.) With flashing hands, he … [Read more...] about “Buyer and Cellar”
“The Boys from Syracuse”
The Boys from SyracuseRichard Rodgers (Music); Lorenz Hart (Lyrics); George Abbott (Book)42nd Street MoonElise Youssef, Lucas Coleman, David Naughton & Abby HaugDon’t feel like tapping your toes, humming along without realizing it, grinning in the dark until your jaws ache, or suddenly guffawing so loudly the person in front of you turns around startled? Then I … [Read more...] about “The Boys from Syracuse”
“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”
“Miss Saigon”
Miss SaigonClaude-Michel Schonberg (Music); Richard Maltby, Jr. & Alain Boubill (Lyrics)Broadway by the Bay Danielle Mendoza & Terrence SullivanThe story originating from Puccini’s much-beloved opera Madame Butterfly is well enough known that most audience members arrive anticipating the tragic ending to its ill-fated love story. … [Read more...] about “Miss Saigon”
“The Unfortunates”
The UnfortunatesJon Beavers, Kristoffer Diaz, Casey Lee Hurt, Ian Merrigan & Ramiz MonsefAmerican Conservatory TheatreChristopher Livingston, Ian Merrigan & Jon BeaversWhat starts as one lone piano player in a barren saloon setting explodes into a kaleidoscope of colors and characters that boggle the senses and imagination. The story is as timeless as The Odyssey … [Read more...] about “The Unfortunates”
“Stories”
Stories“Night Vision” by Emma Donoghue“Silence” by Colm TóibínZ Space Word for WordRosie Hallet as Franny Listens to Rudy Guerrero as Her BrotherThe formative years of two, nineteenth-century, Irish women who will later in life leave legacies for future generations are the subjects of two short stories presented dramatically in a manner unique to Z Space’s Word for Word. … [Read more...] about “Stories”
“Champion: An Opera in Jazz”
Champion: An Opera in JazzTerence Blanchard (Composer); Michael Cristofer (Libretto)SFJAZZ with Opera ParallèleArthur WoodleyA lone boxer slowly and randomly punches his bag, gradually picks up steam and style with gathered strength, and finally begins to punctuate his song in staccato beats on the bag. With that singular, opening composition, Terence Blanchard introduces … [Read more...] about “Champion: An Opera in Jazz”
“Sam and Dede (Or, My Dinner with Andre the Giant)”
Sam and Dede (Or My Dinner with Andre the Giant)Gino DilorioCustom Made Theatre CompanySam (Dave Sikula) Drives Dede (Brendan Averett) to SchoolA writer afraid of words befriends a giant trying to hide. That the former is the Nobel prize-winning, Irish writer Samuel Beckett and the latter is his French, twelve-year-old neighbor, Andre, already over six feet tall and 240 … [Read more...] about “Sam and Dede (Or, My Dinner with Andre the Giant)”
“Valley of the Heart”
Valley of the HeartLuis ValdezSan Jose Stage Company in Partnership with El Teatro Campesino Lakin Vladez & Melanie Arii MahGrand and epic in theme and scope while intensely personal in individual stories, Luis Valdez’s Valley of the Heart receives its world premiere through a partnership between two award-winning companies, San Jose Stage and El Teatro … [Read more...] about “Valley of the Heart”
