Bruce Kaplan (Willy Loman) Arthur Miller’s deeply moving story of a struggling family spotlights the failure of society’s false promise: work hard, and you will achieve wealth. Staged on Broadway in 1949, Miller’s play sought to destroy this myth, especially in the grip of the Industrial Revolution. Society, in the post-WWII era, proved the harsh … 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
Anna Kosiarek (Alicia), Will Livingston (Jaxton), Cary Ann Rosko ( Logan), Tyler Iiams ( Caden) Altarena’s “The Thanksgiving Play” is a mind-stretching, satirical “Let’s learn that” tour through the false history of the indigenous people in America. Larissa FastHorse portrays white Americans as phonies, unable to find a true self, or understand Native American culture. … Read more
The beauty of Gary Graves’ play, The Contest at Central Works, lies in the depth and complexity of its three historical characters set against the political tumult of Florence in 1504. The play imagines a fierce artistic rivalry between two of the world’s master artists. Michelangelo, the young, radical, passionate sculptor who created the masterpiece … Read more
Benicia Theatre Group’s “The Odd Couple” fills the air with non-stop laughter, a welcome relief in this overwhelmingly chaotic time. Set Designers Brian Hough and Beate Bruhl layout a colorful, homey 1960’s sloppy apartment. Complementing multi-Lighting and Sound, Tom Kvech and Veronica Bearce also blend the sense of chaos in each scene. The story centers … Read more
Joe Ayers (Max), Phil Wong (Chris), Renee Rogoff (Annie), Jonathan (Adam Griffith) San Francisco Playhouse’s “The Play That Goes Wrong” is a riotous, perfectly executed Farce, with many delightful moments. In this British farce by Mischief Theatre’s Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields, eager members of the Cornley University Drama Society set out to … Read more
J Jha (Prior), Lisa Ramirez (Angel) RT back: Emilie Whelan (Harper) Oakland Theatre Project, “Angels in America” (Part 1: Millennium Approaches) brilliantly captures the chaos of life-and-death struggles, as characters reach for courage, hope, and human connection. Set during the 1980s AIDS crisis, this production not only captures the horror and fear of that era, … Read more
Kristine Ann Lowry, Lauren Sutton-Beattie, Jane Harrington, Tina Smith, Nicole Thordsen “Nunsense” has played in theatres around the world for thirty-nine years. Although somewhat dated, the play seems to find a way to entertain and make us laugh again and again at some of the same bits and puns. Playwright Dan Goggin and Novato Theater … Read more
Ross Valley Players Mark P. Robinson (Sam) and Tamar Cohn (“Bubbie”) What a perfect time for the Ross Valley Players to resurrect Crossing Delancey, a refreshing old-time classic Rom/Com charmer. With superb characters and a simple, predictable plot, we are gently swept away from the World’s chaos into a relaxing, uncomplicated love story we can easily … Read more
Raye Goh (Day) and John Fisher (The Colonel) “Fallin” at Theatre Rhinoceros (The Rhino) delivers a Queer, captivating, action-packed, spy adventure. Dynamic award-winning playwright, actor, and director John Fisher, “The Colonel,” cleverly blends today’s political climate with sci-fi elements including invisible cloaked assassins, and clones. “Fallin,” a sequel to Fisher’s acclaimed play “Billy,” follows two … Read more
City Lights’ stellar adaptation of the 52-year-old, rock, gothic, sci-fi fantasy “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show” sparkles. The iconic play has traveled around the world with a movie created in 1975 that has won many awards. We enter a magnificent, eerie, sci-fi wonder, a UFO chamber where everyone leaves changed, or ends up dead. … Read more
Word for Word and Z Space Z Space’s artistic Word for Word program blends the genres of story-telling and theatre. Each word of a classic short story spoken as well as enacted. In “Who’s-Dead McCarthy,” Director Paul Finocchiaro perceptively tunes into the work of renowned Irish novelist and short-story artist Kevin Barry. He then empowers … Read more
Oakland Theatre Project, known for profound experimental premiere work, has created a mesmerizing psychedelic portrait of a young, queer man attempting to reclaim his identity. Within a drab tan room, a bed slants forward on wooden pallets resting on a floor above boulders. Objects are strewn in and on milk and vegetable crates. A small … Read more
Benicia Theatre Group resurrects Noel Coward’s charming comedy, “Blithe Spirit! What a wonderful timely enchanting gift to the Benicia community, and beyond, for their 60th year anniversary. We are first taken by Brian Hough’s exquisite four-piece set construction, crafted with artistic flair by the talented designer, Beate Bruhl. The walls are adorned with elegant hues … Read more