TriangleCurtis Moore (Music); Thomas Mizer (Lyrics)Thomas Mizer, Curtis Moore & Joshua Scher (Book)TheatreWorks Silicon Valley “Say a name, and you can never forget.Say a name, and it’s not over yet.Maybe no one’s ever gone.” Hauntingly, beautifully sung in the opening moments as audience has barely settled into their seats, these lyrics by Thomas Mizer set to the … [Read more...] about “Triangle”
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“Company”
CompanyStephen Sondheim (Music & Lyrics) & George Furth (Book)San Francisco PlayhouseAll Photos by Jessica Palopoli Expectations for a great evening of musical theatre immediately rise to the top of the scale walking into San Francisco Playhouse’s auditorium with the Bill English and Jacqueline Scott sophisticated, New York, multi-apartment set … [Read more...] about “Company”
“Gruesome Playground Injuries”
Gruesome Playground InjuriesRajiv JosephMade Up Theatre A boy and girl, each 8 years old and in the nurse's station of their school, begin a 30-year journey, punctuated by infrequent but significant encounters that usually involve one or both of them in life-altering accidents and/or self-induced trauma. Along the way, they will fast develop and long keep … [Read more...] about “Gruesome Playground Injuries”
“Arcadia”
ArcadiaTom StoppardThe Pear Theatre With the help of Thomas Stoppard’s challenging script, the astute direction of Jeanie K. Smith, and the astounding interpretation and skill of this excellent cast, The Pear Theatre presents an outstanding production of the now-classic Arcadia. This less-than-50-seat theatre stages the somewhat dense play with … [Read more...] about “Arcadia”
“Choir Boy”
Choir BoyTarell Alvin McCraneyMarin Theatre CompanyAcclaimed playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney does not lightly skirt difficult contemporary issues in any play he writes, especially those confronting African American families and their young males. Yet he often comes at these problems through a lens avoided by most modern stages: Faith and its core role in forming and … [Read more...] about “Choir Boy”
“Fallen Angels”
Fallen AngelsNoel CowardTheatreWorks Silicon ValleyImagine in 1925 a twenty-four-old aspiring playwright writing a riotous comedy about two married women plotting together to have a weekend fling with a visiting Frenchman while their husbands are off on a golf holiday! Ninety years later, such a set-up seems a bit ho-hum; but at a time when women had just won the right to … [Read more...] about “Fallen Angels”
“The Book of Mormon”
The Book of MormonTrey Parker, Robert Lopez & Matt Stone (Book, Music & Lyrics)SHNOrpheum TheatreThe perfect musical: What constitutes such a thing? Soaring music that people are humming as they leave with some lyrics they are actually remembering and mouthing? Choreography that is letter-perfect and both traditional and up-to-the-moment current? … [Read more...] about “The Book of Mormon”
“Heathers: The Musical”
Heathers: The MusicalLaurence O’Keefe Y Kevin Murphy (Book, Music & Lyrics)Ray of Light Theatre Presenting at the Victoria Theatre, San FranciscoTime and again in the past few years, Ray of Light Theatre has produced quirky, exciting, new musicals that most other local theatres probably would not consider offering (Carrie the Musical, Triassic Parq, Yeast Nation, Jerry … [Read more...] about “Heathers: The Musical”
“Hookman”
HookmanLauren YeeEncore Theatre Company,In Association with Z SpaceThe scene opens innocently enough. Two seventeen-year-old girls, home in California for a holiday break from their respective colleges, banter back and forth driving toward the audience in a skeleton frame of a car as they head to a late-night movie. Their fast-paced, Twitter-like discourse where … [Read more...] about “Hookman”
“Fifth of July”
Fifth of JulyLanford WilsonAurora TheatreAn octet of family and long-time friends collect in the small living room literally at the audience’s feet in the intimate setting of the Aurora. Night has set in on July 4, 1977. Before twenty-four hours pass, a number of major transitions are going to occur, some more easily and happily than others. Hopes and … [Read more...] about “Fifth of July”
“One Man, Two Guvnors”
One Man, Two GuvnorsRichard Bean(Based on The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo GoldoniWith songs by Grant Olding)Berkeley Repertory Theatre Roda Theatre, BerkeleyEven from the lobby of Berkeley’s Roda Theatre, delightful, fun-sounding music from some unseen band fills the air as we enter to see Richard Bean’s One Man, Two Guvnors. Once inside the auditorium, we see … [Read more...] about “One Man, Two Guvnors”
“Oh No There’s Men On The Land”
Oh No There’s Men On The LandKaren S. RipleyThe MarshCabaret, BerkeleyAs my husband and I settled into our seats and table in the intimate, cozy Cabaret of the Berkeley Marsh for the 5 p.m. show, we soon started to feel a bit uneasy as we realized that we were the only two men in a room of women, many of whom clearly knew each other and most of whom appeared to be possible … [Read more...] about “Oh No There’s Men On The Land”
“The River Bride”
The River BrideMarisela Trevino OrtaFess Parker Theatre, Santa Clara UniversityA fairy tale is supposed to have an air of magic, a sense of mystery, and a promise of “happily ever after.” Certainly Marisela Trevino Orta’s The River Bride, as directed by Aldo Billingslea and presented by students of Santa Clara University’s Department of Theatre & Dance, meets these … [Read more...] about “The River Bride”
“Colossal”
“Colossal”Andrew HinderakerDallas Theatre Center, Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre: Dallas, TXIt is 2 p.m., and the lobby-waiting audience finally begins its descent into the lower-floor theatre for the afternoon’s matinee. Reverberating ever more loudly are the beats and crashes of drums and cymbals. As we turn the corner at stair’s end, we make our way around the end … [Read more...] about “Colossal”
“Death of a Salesman”
Death of a SalesmanArthur MillerThe StageWillie Loman. Just the name conjures up many notions and images of past, great performances of what many believe is one of the greatest American dramas of the twentieth century. How can yet one more production by a local company hope to compete with the giants of Broadway, TV, and film who have played this beaten-down … [Read more...] about “Death of a Salesman”
