Ensemble Marin Theatre’s Sally & Tom, written by Suzan-Lori Parks, delivers a sharp, incisive, and daring exploration of how America chooses to remember its history. Under the insightful direction of Artistic Director Lance Gardner, this play-within-a-play moves seamlessly between the 18th century and the present day. Innovative set design highlights each shift in time. Scrolling … Read more
Chanel Tilghman (Mariah), Zoe Chien (Annabel) Central Works’ ingenious Dada Teen Musical: A Play, written by Maury Zeff, intertwines absurdist theatre with modern American politics. Keenly directed by Gary Graves, we are instantly introduced to four stereotypical characters whose normal school day turns chaotic. The plot follows ambitious Annabel (Zoe Chien), who is manipulating her Harvard … Read more
Mark Shephard, Michael Sally, Ezra Hernandez, Ashley Jaye, Ted Bigornia, Natalie Hawkins, Anna Gilbert, Parker Soughers The Fantasticks, the longest continuously running Broadway musical, teams up with Benicia Old Town’s oldest continuously running California theatre group for an enchanting coming-of-age revival. The show delights from its opening, heart-warming “Try to Remember” to its final nostalgic … Read more
Bethany Cox (Doralee) , Andrea “Andee” Thorpe (Violet) & Lauren Sutton-Beattie( Judy) Photo by Marilyn Izdebski Novato Theater Company delivers a fast-paced, vibrant, top-grade production of “9 to 5,” adapted from the 1980 film. With music and lyrics by the dynamic Dolly Parton and book by Playwright Patricia Resnick, the songs surpass the flimsy plot. … Read more
The Oakland Theatre Project production of Hamlet, directed by exceptional Michael Socrates Moran at the Marin Shakespeare Theatre, astounds. The play offers an unparalleled, in-depth exploration of the Hamlet’s existential angst, focusing on “every nuisance of every emotion” and spotlighting Hamlet’s powerfully profound question —”Who am I outside of my father’s murderer executioner.” Dean Linnard’s extraordinary … Read more
Mrs Pearce (Heather Orth), Colonel Pickering (Brady Morale-Woolery), Eliza (Jillian A. Smith). Henry Higgins (Adam Magill) San Francisco Playhouse delivers a masterful production of George Bernard Shaw’s My Fair Lady, dazzling the audience with exceptional acting, music, and design. Set Designer Nina Ball stuns with 1930s-inspired sets—a stately sitting room with bar and spiral staircase, … Read more
Central Works, a small and inviting theatre nestled in the heart of architect Julia Morgan’s Berkeley City Club, is renowned for producing bold and innovative new plays. Their latest production, “The Last Goat,” is no exception. Playwright and Director Gary Graves masterfully cloaks his plays in historical settings that resonate with the political and personal … Read more
Ixtlan (Demetrius), Elena Wright (Helena), Adrian Deane (Lysandra), Storm White (Hermia) Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream could not have found a better home than with the Marin Shakespeare Company and Bridgette Loriaux, who adapted, choreographed, and directed a delightfully modern, whimsical, and hilarious production that charms audiences of all ages. Set in San Rafael’s Forest … Read more
Left Edge Theatre’s The Sound Inside, by Adam Rapp, is an excellent psychological two-hander that unfolds like a literary mystery. Bella Lee Baird, portrayed with quiet intensity and authenticity by Ashley Kennedy, is a 53-year-old Creative Writing professor at Yale. She lives alone, keeps to herself, and her one novel—published over two decades ago—is nearly … Read more
San Francisco Playhouse does it again—delivering a lively, hand-clapping satire that draws big laughs while shedding light on contemporary issues. James Ijames’s “Fat Ham,” under the direction of award-winning Margo Hall, reimagines “Hamlet” with an inventive and uproarious twist. Set in the South (Scenic Designer Nina Ball), a Black family gathers for a joyous wedding-day … Read more
Novato Theater Company, in collaboration with Marin Musical Theatre Company, presents a dynamic rendition of the classic musical “Cabaret.” Artfully co-directed and choreographed by Jenny Boynton and Katie Wickes, this production immerses the audience in the seductive, volatile world of 1930s Berlin. The Kit Kat Club, a seedy, burlesque theatre, that boasts “We have … Read more
Central Works’ stirring world premiere of “Push/Pull” by Harry Davis artfully immerses audiences in a rarely explored theatrical setting—a gym—while remarkably tackling an equally distinctive subject: weightlifting and manhood. Under the deft direction of Gary Graves, two weightlifters perform just feet from the audience, leaving the audience to wonder: How much weight do we carry? … Read more
Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer as Ami. Photo: Jessica Palopoli/San Francisco Playhouse Get ready for a fast-paced, surreal, and thought-provoking performance of award-winning playwright Keiko Green’s “Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play” at San Francisco Playhouse. It’s 1999—a time of 3D Doritos, baggy jeans, flannel shirts, tattoo chokers, bucket hats, and Britney Spears. Ami, an Asian American … Read more
Jed Parsario (boy), Julie Kuwabara (sheep Man), Chuck Lacson (LIbrarian), Ogie Zulueta (old Man) Haruki Murakami’s The Strange Library takes readers on a mind-expanding journey through the depths of imagination and surrealism. Z Below and Word for Word bring this novella to life in a superlative production, directed by Lisa Hori-Garcia and Keiko Shimosato Carreiro. … Read more
Monica Rose Slater (Rose) The Oakland Theatre Project and New Performance Traditions, existential musical, “Ghost Quartet” by David Malloy, magnificently unravels a complex, multi-generational fairytale. The paranormal mystery unfolds through four storytellers who portray multiple characters and sporadically travel through time. Malloy’s diverse musical styles—ranging from folk and electropop to doo-wop, jazz, honky-tonk, and ballads—mirror … Read more