San Francisco
(Bay Area)

A STUNNING INDECENT REMINDS US THAT FREE SPEECH IS ALWAYS ON TRIAL The triumphs and travails of an itinerant Yiddish theater troupe get a full examination in Paula Vogel’s acclaimed hit play Indecent. A stunning and nearly all-Equity production of the award-winner is now playing at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek….

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…

JOPLIN ROARS A legendary rock singer comes roaring back to life in A Night with Janis Joplin at Sonoma Arts Live. Libby Oberlin With elegant direction by Carl Jordan (also responsible for the psychedelic set), Libby Oberlin embraces the essence of Janis in Randy Johnson’s expertly-researched script, a stage version of what the film industry…

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….

A FEATHERBABY IN SPRECKELS’ CAP A talking, squawking parrot dispenses wit, wisdom, and wonder in Featherbaby at Spreckels Performing Arts Center in Rohnert Park. In a bright green suit and yellow bow tie, Gina Alvarado astounds as a wise-cracking high-energy Amazon parrot belonging to forensic photographer Angie (Mercedes Murphy), newly single after her lover walked…

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…

TRANSCENDENCE DOES BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFULLY Sonoma County’s home-grown musical revue troupe Transcendence Theatre Company has launched a wonderful production of Douglas McGrath’s theatrical biography Beautiful – the Carole King Musical. Britta Rae, David R. Gordon, Anne Terze-Schwarz, Billy Cohen The amazingly popular show has enjoyed many productions nationwide. TTC’s production has an inexplicably short ten-day run,…

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…

CON ME IF YOU CAN: SCOUNDRELS STEAL THE SHOW IN SONOMA I was a bit reluctant to review this musical based on that hilarious 1988 film with Steve Martin and Michael Caine as Lothario con men in the south coast of France. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels has had success from Broadway to Brisbane. Can a small…

GET ME TO SF PLAYHOUSE ON TIME: MY FAIR LADY CHARMS UNION SQUARE Every summer, San Francisco Playhouse puts on a classic blockbuster musical that runs from early July into September. It’s an unbeatable gambit   taking advantage of the tourist traffic in the Union Square district. Jillian A. Smith This year’s offering is a stunning…

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…

RAUNCHY AND RIDDLED Marin Theatre carries a torch for unusual and challenging productions at its Mill Valley location. This past season has seen a collection of shows, each producing a controversial “loved it/hated it” response from critics and audiences alike. The final show of their season, Do You Feel Anger? is in the same league….

BROADWAY ON A BASEBALL FIELD: TRANSCENDENCE THEATRE HITS IT OUTTA THE PARK Transcendence Theatre Company has opened a triple-hitter “stars under the stars” summer season with their song-and-dance revue spectacular Broadway’s Best Night Ever. This veteran production company has been inviting the best and the beautiful talents from Broadway and international touring companies to perform…