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Theater Review: RIDE THE CYCLONE (NCTC in San Francisco)
THIS MUSICAL IS A GOLDRUSHER Post Pandemic, New Conservatory Theatre Center is continuing to branch out in its selection of theater offerings. Primarily known for stories about gay men, coming out, and HIV/AIDS-themed shows, the busy company is now offering more diversity in both subject matter and cultures. Hopefully these efforts will appeal to a…
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Theater Review: BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL (Spreckels Theatre Company in Rohnert Park)
A BEAUTIFUL MUSICAL GEM IN SONOMA COUNTY Carole King is unquestionably one of the most influential American songwriters of the late 20th century. Through October 13, Spreckels Theater Company presents a lovely production of Douglas McGrath’s Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, in Sonoma County’s biggest and best venue, the Codding Theatre at the Spreckels…
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Theater Review: CHOIR BOY (Shotgun Players in Berkeley)
CHOIR BOYS TO MEN Shotgun Players in Berkeley is presenting the Bay Area premiere of the Tony-nominated play, Choir Boy. It’s a fine fit. This one-year chronicle of a distinguished African-American institution — the imaginary Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys — is written by gay playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney (Head of Passes, Brother/Sister…
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Theater Review: NOISES OFF (Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago)
NOISES OFF AND ON AND OFF AND ON Presented in partnership with L.A.’s Geffen Playhouse (where Steppenwolf Ensemble Member Tarell Alvin McCraney is the new Artistic Director), Steppenwolf’s production throws some of Chicago’s top talent on Todd Rosenthal‘s spectacular set to perform an outdated farce. Many regular theatregoers have probably come across Noises Off at…
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Theater Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (South Coast Rep)
FEED ME MORE OF THIS DELICIOUS PRODUCTION Stroll down Skid Row to visit Mushnik’s Flower Shop and immerse yourself in Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s musical masterpiece Little Shop of Horrors at South Coast Repertory. This musical has it all. A love story, a dream for the future, a chance of a lifetime, and a Faustian…
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Theater Review: EXCEPTION TO THE RULE (Studio Theatre, DC)
AN EXCERCISE IN PURPOSEFUL FUTILITY Welcome to the world of underserved K-12 education where punitive actions abound with no end in sight. In Exception to the Rule, playwright Dave Harris (Tambo & Bones) brings us into an existential, self-imposed detention room, where its victims’ enforcer never shows up. It’s an adolescent Waiting for Godot, where…
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Theater Review: THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG (SF Playhouse)
FUNNY HOW IT GOES WRONG, BUT IT KEEPS GETTING WRONGER AND WRONGER AND… San Francisco Playhouse launches into its 2025-25 season with the fast-paced comedy The Play That Goes Wrong. This play-within-a-play is an old-fashioned Agatha Christie whodunnit murder mystery. The action (or chaos) has already begun when patrons enter the theater. A stage crew…
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Theater Review: LAUGHS IN SPANISH (SpeakEasy Stage Company at Calderwood Pavilion in Boston)
THE LAUGHS ARE IN SPANISH AND ENGLISH, TOO Playwright Alexis Scheer draws on her Colombian-Jewish upbringing in Miami to create this comic celebration of the city’s Wynwood arts scene and the people who make it happen. Directed by another daughter of Miami, Mariela Lopez-Ponce, who, like Scheer, is now based in Boston (is it the…
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Theater Review: SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET (San Diego Musical Theatre)
ATTEND THIS TALE: IT’S MURDER Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a musical filled with gore, brutality, hate, and vengeance. But the show, as composed by the great Stephen Sondheim, became a major Broadway hit after it opened in 1979 and has since been revived on Broadway, in opera houses and throughout…
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Theater Review: DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS (The Old Globe’s Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre)
DRAC-OOH-LA-LA The play Dracula, in its West Coast premiere at the Old Globe is subtitled A Comedy of Terrors. It’s unlikely that viewers will be terrified by the show, but as for “Comedy,” it’s laughs all the way. Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen, riding the praise heaped on them for their satire of Dostoevsky’s Crime…
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Theater Review: INHERIT THE WIND (Goodman Theatre)
SCIENCE VS. RELIGION; THE GOODMAN HAS THE PLAY OF THE MOMENT Dubbed “The Trial of the Century,” the inspiration for Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s Inherit the Wind was a milestone in the American legal system: It’s the first time science vs. religion found its way to the public courthouse. The Scopes trial pitted…
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Theater Review: THE TEMPEST (Idle Muse in Chicago)
LET IDLE MUSE’S INDULGENCE SET YOU FREE Idle Muse Theatre Company’s production of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest immerses its audience in a dark and stormy night full of magic and mischief. This quirky cast delivers comedy and a complex tapestry of character connections. Joel Thompson, Michael Dalberg and Jennifer Mohr The moment you step into…
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Theater Review: PRIVATE LIVES (A.C.T. in San Francisco)
JAGGED WITH SOPHISTICATION A.C.T. is bringing back a tried and true favorite: Noël Coward’s Private Lives, moving the play’s locale from France to Argentina, specifically Montevideo. An ultimate comedy of manners, this three-act play centers on a long-divorced couple, both of whom are on their honeymoons with their new respective spouses when they are hit…
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Theater Review: JAJA’S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING (Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater in D.C.)
WEAVING TOGETHER THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE JaJa’s African Hair Braiding – beginning a regional tour after Broadway success and Arena Stage’s season starter – is a peek into the immigrant experience in America, served up with laughter and fears of deportation. Written by Ghanaian American Jocelyn Bioh and directed by Whitney White, the play is both…
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Theater Review: URINETOWN (Lyric Stage Boston)
MIND YOUR PEES AND QUEUES Courtney O’Connor’s masterful direction of the unpleasantly titled Urinetown: The Musical brings together numerous wonderful performances along with great music (Dan Rodriguez, music director) and choreography (Christopher Shin) in this Brechtian examination of economic inequality and environmental degradation. With music and lyrics by Mark Hollman and book and lyrics by…
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Theater Review: MEXODUS (Berkeley Repertory Theatre)
STUNNING STORYTELLING Many times when I go to see a show, whether as a critic or just a patron, I’ll come in not knowing in advance what I’m going to see. With a reputable theater company, my expectations are set pretty high. The Berkeley Rep’s outings have never failed to disappoint me, sure, but not…
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Theater Review: FIGHT NIGHT (Ontroerend Goed Theatre Performance Company / North American Tour)
A LIVELY AND TIMELY EXAMINATION OF VOTING BEHAVIOR Fight Night, brought to seven American states by the Belgian performance group Ontroerend Goed (a punning name, roughly translated as “Feel Estate”), combines theater of the absurd with current events to engage and challenge. Directed by Alexander Devriendt, brings five candidates (Aurelie Lannoy, Julia Ghysels, Bastiaan Vandendriessche,…
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Theater Review: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST (Lamb’s Players Theatre in Coronado)
THE IMPORTANCE OF SEEING THIS IMPORTANCE Is there a funnier comedy in the English language than Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest? Since it opened in London in 1895 the play has astonished audiences with its dazzling wit, charming characters. and clever plot. Lamb’s Players Theatre has taken on the challenge of reviving this…
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Theater Review: JERSEY BOYS (CCAE Theatricals in Escondido)
BOY, OH JERSEY BOY, IS THIS SHOW EVER GREAT In 2004, a new musical called Jersey Boys quietly debuted at the La Jolla Playhouse. It transferred to Broadway the next year, running for 12 years while road productions popped up worldwide. It’s now back for a short run at the California Center for the Arts…
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Theater Review: ONCE (Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura)
SEEING ONCE ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH Ironically, the real-life love affair between collaborators Glen Hansard, an Irish singer-songwriter, and Markéta Irglová, a Czech songwriter, fizzled after John Carney’s 2007 film became a success (well, it’s not called Once for nothing). But the Tony-triumphant 2011 stage musical, now offered in Rubicon Theatre‘s enchanting and bittersweet yet…
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