San Francisco
(Bay Area)

MAMMA MIA! WHAT A NIGHT A terrific cast and irresistible ABBA score turn Sonoma’s Field of Dreams into a joyous summer dance party Several Broadway stars have escaped New York’s scorching heat to show up on the bucolic Sonoma stage under the stars in Transcendence Theatre Company’s Mamma Mia! They are part of a sensational…

THE HIGH PRICE OF HIGH RETURNS A smart, timely dark comedy asks what happens when the pursuit of profit starts costing more than money Bay Area theatergoers need to act fast to see San Francisco Playhouse’s latest production, the dark comedy R.O.I. (Return on Investment). Unlike most of its productions, which usually run up to…

SACRIFICE WITHOUT SENTIMENT Alicia Mason delivers a fearless performance in a modern tragedy that refuses easy sympathy Gary Owen‘s Iphigenia in Splott transplants Euripides’ Iphigenia in Aulis from ancient Greece to working-class Wales, where the gods have been replaced by poverty, bureaucracy, and institutional neglect. In Shotgun Players’ first-ever solo production, directed by Michelle Talgarow,…

WHERE THERE’S A WILL, THERE’S A PAY TOILET This irreverent musical entertains while refusing to let its audience off the hook After more than 25 years of producing fun, hip musicals all over San Francisco, Ray of Light Theatre is still in its honeymoon phase of finally having its own theater, The Barbary Stage, downtown…

GOOD MORNING, SAN FRANCISCO The songs, the dancing, and the joy remain impossible to resist The summer’s most fun musical has arrived at the San Francisco Playhouse: Hairspray is here, and it has something for everyone. There’s singing, dancing, comedy, and drama, all performed by a talented cast. Hairspray was first introduced to audiences in…

TRAGEDY, DISTILLED Peter Brook pares Bizet’s masterpiece to its emotional essence Since 1957, the San Francisco Merola Opera Program, in collaboration with the San Francisco Opera Center, has offered an extensive training program for talented opera singers, conductors, and directors. Every summer, it showcases its emerging artists in a series of public performances. This season…

PRESS BUTTON. REGRET LATER. Word for Word pairs two visions of the future with mixed results Z Space, known for developing original and experimental theater, is also home to Word for Word, a resident company that transforms works of fiction into stage productions by performing short stories exactly as written. This summer, they presented Absolute…

YOU LEARN… OR YOU DON’T The songs still hit hard, but the family drama built around them feels overly familiar More often than not, as a critic, I like to go into a show cold, without many expectations. Given that Jagged Little Pill is built around Alanis Morissette’s landmark 1995 album, I assumed it might…

THE JOURNEY AFTER THE JOURNEY P. Carl’s autobiographical drama explores what happens after becoming the person you’ve always known yourself to be Z Space continues its tradition of presenting challenging new work with Becoming A Man, playwright P. Carl‘s semi-autobiographical drama about gender transition and its impact on family, friendships, and long-term relationships. Directed by…

CLIMATE OF CONFUSION Bess Wohl’s Hollywood satire delivers ideas more successfully than laughs Nowadays everyone is aware of the climate crisis. We know about recycling, composting, and driving electric cars. If you are a successful filmmaker, you can make a movie about the effect on the environment. Directed by Emilie Whelan, Shotgun Players’ latest production…

SPECIAL DELIVERY A charming Bollywood-inspired musical serves up romance, music, and a feast for the eyes From its first moments, Berkeley Rep’s new musical The Lunchbox wins you over. The vibrant, multi-level, expansive, beautifully detailed set by Mimi Lien depicts a bustling working-class neighborhood in Mumbai, while a colorful ensemble emerges mixing and mingling from…

BITE MARKS AND BATTLE CRIES Kate Hamill’s revisionist take offers a few fresh ideas, but Dracula remains the real attraction Since its publication in 1897, Bram Stoker’s gothic horror novel Dracula has been regarded as one of the most famous books in English literature and is certainly the original vampire novel. The subject of vampires…

SAY CHEESE—AND PASS THE TRAUMA Sharr White’s adaptation of Larry Sultan’s memoir turns one California family into a deeply recognizable portrait of memory, regret, and love Now making its West Coast debut at Marin Theatre is a story with roots here in Marin County. Bay Area photographer Larry Sultan assembled a series of family photographs…

SO FETCH… AND SURPRISINGLY SHARP Ray of Light launches its new stage with a high-energy crowd-pleaser that actually lands It’s an ambitious way to christen a new home: take on a title everyone thinks they already know and try to make it feel fresh again. With Mean Girls the Musical, Ray of Light Theatre does…

TO GRIEVE OR NOT TO GRIEVE American Conservatory Theater presents Hamnet, the stage adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s historical novel, adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti (Life of Pi) and directed by Erica Whyman. Hamnet, the historical novel by Maggie O’Farrell, reimagines the family life of William Shakespeare in the 16th century. It’s an intimate portrait of his…