IT TAKES DAN HOYLE TO CREATE GREAT JOURNALISTIC THEATER San Franciscans pride themselves on their open mindedness towards all walks of life and outlooks. But do we really listen objectively to other people’s opinions that may vastly differ from our own? We love living in our Blue bubble particularly now in our very divided political […]
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BACKSTAGE BROADWAY BACKSTABBING: ALL ABOUT THE WISDOM OF EVE Any fan of film noir most assuredly has seen the 1950 major motion picture All About Eve, which shares the story of a young Broadway hopeful who schemes her way into the backstage life of an established star just to replace her in the ingenue role […]
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Directed by Richard Israel, (Civility of Albert Cashier, Floyd Collins, 110 in the Shade), King of Pangea, the spellbinding new musical with book, music, and lyrics by Martin Storrow, will have its world premiere at London’s King’s Head Theatre in 2025. King of Pangea Straighten Your Crown Productions (Nicole LaFountaine) 16th & 8th Productions (Jaime Bartolett and […]
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FANTASTIC FANTASIAS Emanuel Ax offered a distinctive series of piano fantasia pieces as part of Boston’s Celebrity Series in beautiful wood-paneled Jordan Hall yesterday afternoon (the program also occurred at Groton Hill Music Center on Oct. 10, 2024). The first part of the program presented Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 13 in E-flat Major, […]
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SHOSTAKOVICH AND TCHAIKOVSKY Under the expert direction of its principal conductor Edward Gardner, London Philharmonic Orchestra recently graced Segerstrom Concert Hall in Orange County with an enthralling performance. Known for his energetic and nuanced interpretations, Gardner masterfully drew out the orchestra’s full expressive capabilities, allowing every note to resonate deeply with the audience. This concert, […]
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THE BOYS IN THE BEDROOM Now in its third season, The Bent is presenting Fucking Men by Joe DiPietro at the Palm Springs Cultural Center. Based on 19th-century Austrian playwright Arthur Schnitzler’s much-imitated 1897 Der Reigen (in French, La Ronde), the play is a roundelay of ten couples, in which the one encountered in the first scene […]
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IDIOT IS AS IDIOT DOES Unlike the jukebox musicals Mamma Mia and Escape to Margaritaville, which invented stories around the songs of ABBA and Jimmy Buffett, American Idiot — inspired by the eponymous 2004 rock concept album by the American punk rock band Green Day — has a book by lyricist Billie Joe Armstrong and original director Michael Meyer with about […]
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ONE OF THE ALL-TIME FEEL-GOOD MUSICALS COMES TO THE CARPENTER CENTER Ain’t Misbehavin’ is a sizzling celebration of Fats Waller’s music — songs that he made famous in a career that ranged from uptown clubs to downtown Tin Pan Alley to Hollywood and concert stages around the world. This delightful revue conceived by Murray Horwitz & […]
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BEMUSING, DISAPPOINTING, SUPERFICIAL, AND FULL OF CONTRADICTIONS After all the hype about Matthew Broderick starring in the title role of Babbitt, presented by Shakespeare Theatre Company at Harman Hall, the production — which had its world premiere at La Jolla Playhouse last November — is a disappointment. Yet, the fault doesn’t lie solely with Broderick’s acting. […]
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A WITCH’S BREW WHICH EFFECTS HOPE AT HALLOWEEN There’s a play about the Salem witch trials playing in Chicago, and amazingly it’s not Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Sarah Ruhl wanted a turn at telling the story but from a modern lens, folding in Trump’s America and the opioid crisis. The resulting play is Becky Nurse […]
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