Chuck Louden

JUST HOW I LIKE MY THEATER — HOT, SWEET, AND SAUCY Now playing at New Conservatory Theatre Center, The Hot Wing King is a spicy tale of love, friendship, and a cooking contest gone gloriously overboard. Katori Hall’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, directed here by ShawnJ, brings its Memphis heat to San Francisco in a production…

AN AUTHENTIC, FUNNY ACCOUNT OF SOBRIETY, STUMBLES, AND SURVIVAL Recovery from substance abuse isn’t just about putting down the drug of choice and living happily ever after. The “recovery” part then starts. It involves dealing with who you are in the world without being drunk, stoned or high. It becomes a lifelong process of self-examination….

A DROP-DEAD DELIGHT Fall is officially here. Kids are back in school and Halloween is just around the corner. Thus it feels like the perfect time for Berkeley Playhouse to open their new season with the hilarious hit musical The Addams Family, appropriate for all the ghouls in your family. Post-pandemic, Berkeley Playhouse has become…

MORE LIKE 9 TO 9, THIS MUSICAL IS AN OVERSTUFFED BUT FUN DOLLYFEST Ray of Light Theater is known for putting a spin on musicals that are big in popular culture. Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Rocky Horror Show and Legally Blonde are some of their memorable hits. Now they’ve taken on 9 to…

EUREKA! Private school children often grow up in a carefully protected bubble. Their privilege shields them from many of life’s cruelties, creating a world of like-minded students, parents, and teachers. The adults strive to give their children better opportunities for the future, building a space meant to foster creativity in a safe and nurturing environment….

CANDACE JOHNSON IS AN ADHDIVA! ATTENTION MUST BE PAID (EVEN IF IT WANDERS) Now playing at The Marsh Berkeley is Scat-ter Brain: The Music of ADHD, written and performed by Candace Johnson. This semi-autobiographical piece traces her journey of self-discovery before and after being diagnosed with inattentive-type ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) at age 40….

SHANKS FOR THE MEMORIES Currently packing in audiences—and now extended—at The Independent Theater, Luigi: The Musical is a sharp, clever, and gloriously irreverent parody of pop culture and current events. Directed by Nova Bradford, it’s equal parts timely and absurd, lampooning some of today’s most notorious criminals while delivering a steady stream of laughs. Before…

SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT UNDER A WEEPING MAGNOLIA: SHOTGUN’S HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL STUNNER Now playing with an extended run in Berkeley, Shotgun Players’ Magnolia Ballet by Terry Best is the best thing I’ve seen all summer. A Southern gothic tale infused with poetry, music, and dance, this rich, genre-blending story speaks urgently to our divided political climate—offering a…

I HAVEN’T BEEN THIS GAGGED AND CLAWED SINCE STEAMWORKS ON A SATURDAY NIGHT Summer is the perfect time to flock to theaters for campy escapist joy, and Oasis SF and producer D’Arcy Drollinger are delivering exactly that with Jurassiq Parq—a hilariously silly and campy “musiqal parody” of the blockbuster 1993 film. Created by the multi-talented…

It’s been 25 years since the debut of the tour de force play known as The Laramie Project. It’s based on the 1998 brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, a 21 year old student at the University of Laramie Wyoming. The entire nation was shocked to hear how this young gay man was brutally beaten, tied…

FROM CUBICLES TO CLARITY: A THEATRICAL GEM IN FOG CITY San Francisco’s Word for Word Theatre Company, known for its singular mission of staging short stories word-for-word—narration and all—returns with Annunciation, a semi-autobiographical tale by Lauren Groff. Presented in collaboration with Z Space, the story is a slow-burning meditation on reinvention, loneliness, and quiet transformation,…

I DON’T FEEL YOUR PAIN Corporate life—or working in an office—has a very specific subculture that goes along with it. Sharing confined spaces with others in a 9-to-5 structure can be chaotic, or at least confusing, especially now, post-COVID. People are having to readjust to “playing well with others” all over again. The Bay Area’s tech culture in…

THE SOUND OF FAMILY Berkeley Playhouse has a reputation for doing family-friendly musicals right, and their latest production, The Sound of Music, hits that sweet spot again. With a cast that blends seasoned pros and impressively talented young performers, this production serves up all the charm and heart you remember—minus the commercial breaks. The true…

A PRESCRIPTION FOR GREAT THEATER Ray of Light Theatre has once again delivered a production that hits hard and sings even harder. With 25 years of tackling socially relevant musicals—whether a classic, a pop culture hit, or something in the current zeitgeist— the 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winning Next to Normal is a perfect fit for the…

STYLIZED, STIRRING, AND SELDOM SEEN Pacific Overtures isn’t your typical Sondheim musical, nor is it often staged—which is precisely why this rare revival by Kunoichi Productions at Brava Theater feels like such a significant event. First premiering on Broadway in 1976, this haunting, intellectually ambitious piece–with a book by John Weidman–examines the Western “opening” of…

THE WAITING GAME HAS WRINKLES As Bette Davis’s sampler cushion said, “Old age ain’t no place for sissies.” We start to lose our memories. Our bodies start to ache as our strength and endurance fade. People that we love and care about die or move away. Bill Buell In the aves, now premiering at Berkeley…