San Francisco
(Bay Area)

A FAMILY EPIC THAT EARNS ITS MILEAGE, SPRAWL AND ALL Family dynamics are always great fodder for drama. And when there are several children coming of age together in a household, it’s hard not to grow up with unspoken competitions for approval, success and love. More often than not at least one family member has…

FAITH, FLIGHT, AND THE FIGHT TO ENDURE In our current state of political unrest — with government shutdowns and widespread uncertainty about how to make ends meet — stories about the power of the human spirit feel especially vital. Z Space and Word for Word Theatre Company present Hard Times: Appalachian Stories by Ron Rash,…

THE HILARIOUS NOISES OFF IS ON AT SF PLAYOUSE — OFF YOU GO The huge interior of an imposing English country estate by Heather Kenyon greets visitors to the San Francisco Playhouse, scene of an outlandish new production of Michael Frayn’s enduringly popular farce-within-a-farce Noises Off. The cast Seamlessly directed by Bill English, everything that…

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…

A SONDHEIM SPECTACLE Sonoma County’s Spreckels Performing Arts Center has launched a tremendous production of Into the Woods, the perpetually popular and nearly forty-year-old musical spoof of classic fairy tales by composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim and author James Lapine. The show debuted on Broadway in 1987, won multiple Tony awards, and has been a recurring item…

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 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…