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Theater Review: THE GOAT, OR WHO IS SYLVIA? (Shotgun Players, Berkeley)
A MODERN TRAGEDY IN PLAIN SIGHT Albee’s shocking premise unfolds with the inevitability of Greek drama Playwright Edward Albee remains one of the most incisive chroniclers of American family life, exposing its fractures with wit, precision, and a willingness to disturb. His 1962 masterpiece, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, set the template—an outwardly successful couple…
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Preview: THE MUSIC THAT MAKES ME DANCE: THE SONGS OF JULE STYNE (El Portal Theatre, North Hollywood)
EVERYTHING’S COMING UP JULE Broadway’s golden-age hits return in a world premiere revue that treats them as living drama Jule Styne’s name tends to arrive attached to titles that feel immovable. Gypsy. Funny Girl. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The songs have outlived their original performers, yet they still seem written for bodies onstage, for voices under…
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Preview: KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN (Palm Canyon Theatre, Palm Springs)
DESIRE, DANGER, AND A SONG TO SURVIVE Palm Canyon Theatre dives into one of Kander and Ebb’s most intoxicating musical Palm Canyon Theatre brings bold heat to the desert with Kiss of the Spider Woman, the Tony Award-winning musical by John Kander and Fred Ebb, with a book by Terrence McNally, running April 17–26, 2026….
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Off-Broadway Review: THE PUSHOVER (John Patrick Shanley World Premiere, Chain Theatre)
POWER, CONTROL, AND WHAT LURKS BENEATH Shanley’s psychological thriller simmers with tension, even when it overreaches John Patrick Shanley digs back into power and vulnerability in The Pushover, a world premiere now at the Chain Theatre. Directed by Kirk Gostkowski, the play feels like a ring where everyone is both throwing punches and asking for…
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Theater Review: THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR (Chicago Shakespeare Theater)
WHEN SHAKESPEARE NEEDS A LITTLE HELP Physical comedy drives the laughs—sometimes to excess—in Phillip Breen’s energetic production The Merry Wives of Windsor is not one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies, and its origins may partly explain why: Falstaff appeared in the Henry plays, and his character became immensely popular. Queen Elizabeth I reportedly commissioned Shakespeare…
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Theater & Concert Preview: MY FAIR LADY IN CONCERT (Pacific Symphony in Costa Mesa)
THE RAIN IN SPAIN, UNRESTRAINED At full symphonic scale, My Fair Lady finally sounds the way it was written to be heard George Bernard Shaw got what he deserved. He spent decades refusing to let anyone set Pygmalion to music, having been burned once already by an operetta adaptation of Arms and the Man that…
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Theater Review: MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM (Goodman Theatre, Chicago)
THE BLUES THAT BUILT AMERICA— AND THE COST OF SINGING THEM August Wilson’s masterpiece lands with devastating force in a blazing Goodman revival Four black musicians amble into a recording studio in Chicago in 1927. They are met by two nervous white men; one a manager, the other the owner of the studio. Both demand…
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Theater Review: UNCLE VANYA, SCENES FROM COUNTRY LIFE (La MaMa, NYC)
CHEKHOV, REIMAGINED IN BEAUTIFUL CHAOS Dmitry Krymov turns a classic into a surreal theatrical hallucination There are many ways to stage Anton Chekhov. You can do it the traditional way with period furniture, carpets, painted trees, or take a turn toward symbolism, expressionism, even full-on tragicomedy. But Uncle Vanya, Scenes from Country Life at La…
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4 DESIGN TRICKS FOR THEATER COSTUMES
4 Practical Costume Tips for Period Theater Creating stunning period theater costumes relies on four key strategies. These include adapting historical silhouettes with modern materials, designing for back row legibility, prioritizing performer mobility, and using layered garments to communicate character arcs. These deliberate costume choices allow directors and designers to establish immediate psychological portraits and…
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Theater Review: THE OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY (Her Story Theatre at The Den, Chicago)
A GREAT PERFORMANCE IN SEARCH OF A BETTER PLAY Gary Houston towers in a two-hander that never quite lives up to its premise Outside a run-down cottage in rural Connecticut, a white-haired man in his 80s sits in a pleather armchair. The ground is littered with balls of paper. A few feet from the chair…
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Theater Review: LOST IN YONKERS (Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek)
FAMILY, FEAR, AND FINDING A VOICE Neil Simon’s coming-of-age drama blends humor and heartbreak in an intimate, character-driven production Now playing at Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts, Neil Simon’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Lost in Yonkers is a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story set in 1942, during the height of World War II. Brothers Jay (Tristan A….
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Theater Review: CHARLOTTE’S WEB (Wheelock Family Theatre, Boston)
TERRIFIC, RADIANT, AND HUMBLE An age-appropriate exploration of death and the life-saving power of words Based on E. B. White’s beloved children’s book of the same title and adapted by Joseph Robinette, the staged version of Charlotte’s Web offers many points of entry for children. Themes of friendship, death, persistence, problem-solving, and diversity all play…
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Theater Review: THE MONSTERS (Berkeley Rep)
FIGHT CLUB, FAMILY EDITION A raw two-hander where the real battles aren’t in the ring Berkeley Repertory Theatre presents The Monsters, a somewhat autobiographical play written by and starring Ngozi Anyanwu, directed by Tamilla Woodard. Everyone has their own personal demons. While we rarely conquer them altogether, most of us learn to acknowledge them and…
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London Theatre Reviews: THE TEMPEST; SUMMERFOLK; LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES (The Globe and National Theatre)
DIRECTORS TAKE CENTER STAGE Bold vision and theatrical daring define a revelatory London season Directorial daring dominates the London stages this spring season, providing some of the most memorable moments in the theatre that I’ve witnessed in years. Of the eight plays I saw in London last week, none were new. Yet, thanks to some…
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Theater Review: THE SUGAR WIFE (The Artistic Home at Theater Wit, Chicago)
THIS SLOW-BURNING, DEVASTATING DRAMA REFUSES EASY ANSWERS The Sugar Wife is a gripping and complex examination of morality and the individual’s responsibility towards society The Sugar Wife is set in Ireland in 1850. That year is very important; the middle-class and poor were right in the midst of the Great Famine, while across the Atlantic,…
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Theater Review: DEATH OF A SALESMAN (A Noise Within, Pasadena)
THE DREAM ON CREDIT A clear-eyed, unsentimental staging that lets Miller’s argument land with full force Arthur Miller finished Act I of Death of a Salesman in a single day and the rest in six weeks, which tells you something about the pressure behind it. He had been watching his uncle Manny Newman for years,…
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Theater Review: MARIETTE IN ECSTASY (Treehouse Collective, Boston)
NO ECSTASY TO BE FOUND An effort to portray religious transcendence lacks focus and context Treehouse Collective describes itself as an ensemble-based theater company “dedicated to producing rarely performed works.” In the case of Mariette in Ecstasy, I suspect there is a reason the work is rarely performed. The play takes place in a convent,…
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Theater Review: THE ALLY (Theater Wit, Chicago)
ARGUMENTS WITHIN ARGUMENTS A fiercely intelligent play that challenges ideas more than it deepens character A large, welcoming room lined with stained wood bookshelves greets you when you walk into Theater #2 at Theater Wit’s home on Belmont Avenue in Lakeview. There are three study tables with lamps emitting a soft light. The shelves are…
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Opera Review: GILGAMESH: THE OPERA (Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts)
EPIC SOURCE, EPIC SCORE, EPIC PRODUCTION An ambitious new opera that struggles to connect its spectacle to a coherent narrative Want to know the quickest way to make me hesitate seeing a new musical? Append “: The Musical” to the title. So, here we have Gilgamesh: The Opera (which seems oblivious to at least seven…
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Theater Review: FLEX (San Francisco Playhouse)
HOOPS, HOPE, AND HARD TRUTHS Candrice Jones’s coming-of-age sports drama scores with energy, authenticity, and ensemble fire San Francisco Playhouse has a strong track record with ensemble-driven work, and this West Coast premiere of Candrice Jones’s Flex continues that tradition with vigor. Set in 1998 in rural Arkansas, the play follows a group of high…
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