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Theater Review: R.O.I. (RETURN ON INVESTMENT) (San Francisco Playhouse / Creativity Theater)
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…
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Theater Review: WINDOWS (PrideArts / Chicago)
WINDOWS NEEDS MORE SPIT AND POLISH An appealing young cast can’t overcome a world-premiere script that remains frustratingly unformed On a couch in a small apartment sits a sullen young woman. Piles of snack bags and junk food remnants surround her. She doesn’t move, except to adjust the blanket on her lap. Behind her is…
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Off-Broadway Review: THE WINTER’S TALE (Public Theater / Shakespeare in the Park)
A WINTER’S TALE FOR ALL SEASONS Raúl Esparza anchors a spirited, grandly theatrical production of one of Shakespeare’s trickier plays Let’s face it, fellas, who among us hasn’t had our best friend stay with us and our wife for a few months only to suspect maybe bestie and wife got a little too friendly? Such…
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Theater Review: THE COMPLEX WHOLE SO FORMED (The Neo-Futurists / Chicago)
SOUND AND FURY, SIGNIFYING PLENTY A sound artist steps out of the booth with a powerful, deeply personal work that, in production, may be better heard than seen Over five thousand shows: that’s how many productions Ryn Hardiman has sound engineered for the Neo-Futurists, an avant-garde group of performers who delight in violating the rules…
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Off-Broadway Review: THE VESSEL (59E59 Theaters)
A VIEW FROM THE INSIDE An intriguing drama keeps climbing but never quite reaches the heights it promises The New York premiere of The Vessel by Brendan George combines nonfiction with fiction, inspired by the true story of New York City’s infamous Hudson Yards landmark. The 150-foot-tall structure with eight levels of interconnected stairs and…
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Theater Review: DRACULA: THE MUSICAL (The Nocturne Theatre / Glendale)
SINK YOUR TEETH INTO THIS A gloriously excessive spectacle eventually falls victim to an overdose of songs The Nocturne Theatre in Glendale is quickly becoming one of my favorite venues in the City of Angels. Justin & Melissa Meyer are masters of high theatricality and demigods of over-the-top razzle-dazzle, what I have lovingly dubbed “Kitchen…
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Off-Broadway Review: THE WINTER’S TALE (The Public Theater / Delacorte Theater)
NOW IS THE WINTER OF OUR CONTENT Shakespeare’s unruly tragicomedy gets a splendid Central Park outing powered by a remarkable cast Do not surrender to the city heat: after the opening production of Romeo & Juliet, The Public Theater returns to Central Park with The Winter’s Tale, the second offering of this summer’s Free Shakespeare…
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Off-Broadway Review: AN AMERICAN DAUGHTER (La Femme Theatre Productions / Pershing Square Signature Center)
A WOMAN UNDER THE MICROSCOPE Wendy Wasserstein’s political comedy remains disturbingly current nearly three decades after its Broadway premiere How fitting that La Femme Theatre Productions, an Off-Broadway company dedicated to exploring and celebrating the universal female experience, should revive Wendy Wasserstein’s An American Daughter. Nearly three decades after its Broadway premiere, Wasserstein’s 1997 play…
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Theater Review: GREASE (Altadena Music Theatre)
GREASE STILL HAS ITS GROOVE Altadena Music Theatre returns after devastating loss with Rydell High, right on schedule The year is 1959. Rock and roll is reshaping American culture, the Sexual Revolution is just around the corner, and Grease captures a generation on the cusp of change. In its original incarnation, the musical was a…
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Theater Review: SLAVA UKRAINI! (OR WAITING FOR ELON) (A Few Thoughts Theatre Company / Atwater Village Theatre / LA)
WHEN THE MESSAGE OUTSHOUTS THE DRAMA Keith Szarabajka’s timely war drama is fueled by conviction but overwhelmed by its own rhetoric Slava Ukraini! (Or Waiting for Elon) by Keith Szarabajka presents a reviewer with the worst possible dilemma. Produced by Brad Bentz and directed by Tony Pasqualini, the work is the inaugural production of A…
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Theater Review: IPHIGENIA IN SPLOTT (Shotgun Players / Berkeley)
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,…
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Theater Review: THE OUTSIDERS (National Tour)
STAY GOLD, GREASERS This gripping musical adaptation honors its beloved source while finding an emotional life all its own S.E. Hinton’s first novel, The Outsiders, written while she was still in high school and published when she was just 18, has inspired artists across multiple mediums for nearly six decades. It became a cult film…
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Theater Review: MARBLE (The Gift Theatre / Copernicus Center / Chicago)
A CRACK IN THE ORDINARY Four remarkable performances make the leap from surrealism to domestic drama worthwhile Marina Carr’s Marble, now in its Chicago premiere at the Copernicus Center as part of The Gift Theatre‘s 25th Anniversary “Homecoming” season, opens with a delicious premise. Two old friends, Ben (John Gawlik) and Art (Paul D’Addario), are…
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Theater Review: CITY OF ANGELS (Ogunquit Playhouse / Ogunquit, Maine)
DOUBLE VISION DONE RIGHT A stellar cast, stylish staging, and a jazzy score make this rarely produced musical well worth revisiting Despite winning six Tony Awards and eight Drama Desk Awards when it premiered in 1990, City of Angels is rarely produced. It’s a demanding show, requiring multiple settings and a large cast. Ogunquit Playhouse’s…
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Theater Review: THE SAVIORS (Atlantic Theater Company / New York)
SACRED GROUND, SHIFTING FOOTING Bubba Weiler’s quietly affecting drama finds two boys questioning far more than their faith For generations, serving as an altar boy has been one of the most visible ways young Catholics participate in the life of the Church. Altar boys assist the priest by preparing for Mass, ringing bells, burning incense,…
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Theater Preview: MYSTIC PIZZA (National Tour)
A FRESH SLICE OF NOSTALGIA The cross-country tour is ready to win over a whole new crowd When Mystic Pizza played La Mirada Theatre in 2024, Stage and Cinema found it charming, energetic, and heavy on laughs, buoyed by a terrific trio of leading ladies and a soundtrack packed with irresistible ’80s and ’90s hits….
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Theater Commentary: BROADWAY IS ONE STOP, NOT THE DESTINATION, FOR THE MODERN AMERICAN MUSICAL
Two Chicago-born musicals are rewriting the conventional wisdom about what it means for a show to succeed. The Notebook had its world premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 2022 and is now enjoying a national tour following its Broadway run. Illinoise made its major-theater debut at Chicago Shakespeare in 2024, traveled Off-Broadway and then to…
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Theater Review: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company / Boston)
SOME ENCHANTMENT REQUIRED Thirty years on, Commonwealth Shakespeare still knows how to charm a crowd A lot is unknown about William Shakespeare, including the order and dates in which he wrote Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. What is clear, however, is that the two plays serve as mirrors to one another: in…
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Theater Review: URINETOWN: THE MUSICAL (Ray of Light Theatre / San Francisco)
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…
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Off-Broadway Preview: A GHOST IN YOUR EAR (Audible Theater / New York)
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY SOUNDS Audible Theater’s immersive headphone horror transforms the oldest ghost story trick into a chilling theatrical experience Imagine listening to an audiobook through headphones when the story begins listening back. That’s the unnerving premise behind A Ghost in Your Ear, the acclaimed London horror hit making its American premiere this fall…
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