San Francisco
(Bay Area)

YEAH, I CAN DIG IT The third installment of monologuist Don Reed’s autobiographical coming-of-age trilogy has been extended yet again at the Marsh, and following on the heels of this San Francisco run, Can You Dig It? The ‘60s – Back Down East 14th will move to the Marsh Berkeley. The first installment, East 14th,…

CAL SHAKES’ BIGGEST FAN The titular character in Oscar Wilde’s play Lady Windermere’s Fan is a vivacious young woman, married only two years, who never coughs or displays any other signs of illness. At one point in the play, she refuses to shake hands with a visitor. “My hands are all wet with the roses,”…

EXTRA INCHES East Berlin expat Hedwig was forced to leave a rather important bit of himself’”later herself’”behind the Wall in order to pass physical exams and immigrate to America with the G.I. of her dreams. Move ahead one year: impoverished, divorced and the casualty of a distortedly bungled gender removal procedure, creator John Cameron Mitchell’s…

NORMAN’S CONQUESTS For those who haven’t heard, Soprano Jessye Norman’s July 31 concert with pianist Mark Markham at Davies Symphony Hall was postponed so that Ms. Norman could perform in Washington, D.C. at a ceremony of the U.S. Congress to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. The San Francisco concert has been…

IT’S TIME FOR A LITTLE HAPPY EVER-AFTERING As San Francisco Playhouse opens a promising and highly anticipated rendition of Camelot this week, I am reminded of T. H. White’s The Once and Future King, the source material of the musical, and its effect on me when first I read it. But I am also reminded…

EASE ON DOWN A fascinating phenomenon has occurred recently in the theater world for this critic. Far and away, my favorite theatergoing experiences have been at revivals of musicals, most of which have been rarely produced. Some were staged concert performances, such as  I Can Get It for You Wholesale, Harold Rome’s 1962 take on a…

THE PLAY WITH (CHEESE) BALLS Originally scheduled to close on August 11, the advance ticket sales for The Book of Liz, Amy and David Sedaris’ hilarious comedy, are going so fast for Custom Made Theatre Company that the show has already been extended before opening. This is no doubt because audiences already know that the…

COME OUT TO THE SAN FRANCISCO GAY MEN’S CHORUS In 1978, on the night of Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone’s assassinations, an unprecedented candlelight march brought mourners to San Francisco’s City Hall. The newly formed San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus canceled a rehearsal for their upcoming debut concert and opted to perform at the…

THE ISHTAR OF OPERA What if the real historical Jesus was someone quite different from what we’ve been told?   What if he was born a bastard, kept a lover and then married her? What if Mary Magdalene, his faithful disciple, was not the legendary prostitute turned penitent? What if we had the chance to meet…

THEATER TO THE MAX What’s to love about the 1970s?   As SF Playhouse’s presentation of Mike Leigh’s acclaimed Abigail’s Room shows, quite a bit.   Director Amy Glazer offers a cornucopia of delights greater than a Nixon-era basket of waxed fruits.   Right from the start, the design team hurls us back to the Me Decade faster…

OFFENBACH’S REQUIEM Just as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died in the middle of writing his famous Requiem so did Jacques Offenbach die composing his fantastical opera Tales of Hoffmann. Both works have been seen as highly personal compositions: Mozart writing his own requiem and Offenbach standing in for Hoffmann, his protagonist. The similarities do not end…

RAY OF LIGHT FINDS THE HUMANITY WITHIN FRACTURED FAIRY TALES Into the Woods has been produced many times since its 1987 Broadway premiere, but it is unlikely to have benefited from as ebullient a cast as the one seen at the Eureka Theatre last Friday. Ray of Light Theatre’s high-energy ensemble conveyed enthusiasm and an…

PIXIE DUST TO PIXIE DUST After a funeral many years ago, a group of my buddies all declared their desire to be cremated when the time comes. Shockingly, however, all four of us avowed to have our ashes scattered in the same place: The Magic Kingdom. There was no talk of illegality, just an acknowledgement…

A STIRRING MENTAL EXERCISE WELL DONE In reviewing A.C.T.’s Arcadia, I feel compelled to begin with a caveat: It is a highly cerebral work – a tapestry of threads connected by bloodlines, theories, and time that requires constant focus. Those with a literary turn of mind, who revel in being made to think, will find…

DETROIT COMES TO BERKELEY The Berkeley Playhouse production of Guys and Dolls is just the thing for a theater lover, a fan of this timeless musical, or a family to kick back and enjoy. The show, directed by Jon Tracy, is meant to be pure entertainment, with well-executed catchy and hummable songs, fun and lively…

SHIPSHAPE Imagine a boat named “Utopia” launched in the 1830s, floating towards Moscow. As the boat sails onward, it becomes heavier, taking on cargo, passengers, and the weight of the future. As it nears Moscow, the name changes, and we are now watching the approach of “Socialism.” You’ve officially, if metaphorically, boarded Tom Stoppard’s trilogy…