San Francisco
(Bay Area)

LOOKING FOR PROOF Proofreading: It may be a lost art. As an editor, I have become accustomed to scanning copy everywhere for mistakes, either in grammar or with facts. But lately, the effects of having computers think for us is starting to do irreparable harm to language and communication. Just today, after catching a typo…

WORD FOR WORD’S PERSONAL VICTORY LAP MAY BE THE BEST DEEP KISS YOU’VE EVER HAD San Francisco’s Word for Word has been transforming classic and contemporary fiction into amazing theatrical experiences by performing short stories in their entirety, preserving the authors’ language and honoring their literary intent. Now, Word for Word celebrates its 25th season…

A SUNDAY TO REMEMBER Rare is the opportunity to witness a production of a Stephen Sondheim musical, let alone an illustrious production of this revered composer/lyricist.  His 1984 Sunday in the Park with George, with book by James Lapine, grows in profundity as it ages, and in the right hands can be transformational. Thus, a trip…

A PRINCIPLED PRODUCTION Director Hal Brooks delivers a remarkably authentic and poignant tale with A.C.T.’s production of Heisenberg, a short play based on a rather unremarkable human relationship story. British writer Simon Stephens tells a more slender, muted tale here than in his ingenious  The Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night-Time: When Georgie Burns…

IN CHARM’S WAY Turning a beloved French film into an American stage musical is a dicey proposition at best, but that’s precisely what Berkeley Rep has done with Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s 2001 Oscar-nominated film, Amélie. It is  charming, visually appealing and succeeds on numerous levels, calling for just a bit of tweaking before it heads for the…

IN GOOD COMPANY In a world of musicals that are filled with catchy harmonies and melodies that stick in your mind, Stephen Sondheim’s songs have frequently been the rebels.   Sondheim is notorious for creating moods through carefully clashing tones and purposeful disharmonies.   For some attendees, it’s a reason to celebrate his work; for others, it’s…

MAY THIS SHOW NEVER BE  FROZEN One of the first rules of etiquette I ever learned was: if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Were I inclined to heed that sage advice, my review of Call Me Miss Birdseye: A Celebration of Ethel Merman would end right here. However, as a journalist…

MY KINGDOM FOR SOME INSULIN Known by many as “the most wonderful time of the year,” Christmas has richly earned its reputation for gooey sentimentality, decking the halls with mucho kitsch, and spreading good cheer to all of those people you’ve managed to ignore all year. Despite its questionable source material, Elf, Will Ferrell’s hit…

NOT ONLY WILL YOU FLOAT OUT OF THE THEATER, YOU MAY EVEN FLY Have you ever wondered how the original “lost boy” became Peter Pan and what his life was like before flying out the Darling’s nursery window with Wendy, Michael and John in tow? Adapted by Rick Elice, with musical interludes by Wayne Barker,…

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT Beginning November 26, 42nd Street Moon will revist  one of its earliest hits, the mirthful 1943 farce Something for the Boys. This rarely performed boisterous musical is a fascinating look into a time when Broadway was about to undergo significant changes from silly book musicals into classier fare. Even though Cole Porter’s…

PROMISING PROMISES, I PROMISE The premise of Promises, Promises is one you are probably familiar with even if you have never seen the 1968 musical, which opens in a splashy revival at San Francisco Playhouse this week. An ambitious junior executive, Chuck Baxter, wants to move up the corporate ladder. In return for promises of…

LES MIZ DIRECTOR JOHN CAIRD BRINGS LA BOHÈME TO SFO San Francisco Opera’s crowd-pleasing rendition of La Bohème, which opened on Friday night, offers vocal enchantment unhampered by a boiler plate production. It’s hard to go wrong (in general) with Giacomo Puccini’s 1896 opera–a relatively light tragedy buoyed with easy-to-love characters, provocative music, and a…

GRANTING YOUR WISH FOR A FUN OPERA Gioachino Rossini’s Cinderella (La Cenerentola) was written in 1817 during the bel canto era when operas were written to showcase beautiful singing, and Jean-Pierre Ponnelle’s charming witty, whimsical, and heartfelt San Francisco Opera production’”running November 9–26, 2014 at the War Memorial Opera House’”will showcase as Angelina (aka Cinderella)…

REIMAGINING THE REIMAGINED AT  NCTC No one can deny why Romeo and Juliet has achieved cult status. Not only is Shakespeare’s comic tragedy one of the most enduring stories ever told, but it is a miracle of construction, containing highly relatable and seemingly countless universal themes and motifs that magically intertwine: War, bad timing, kinship, honor,…