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Theater Review: BECKY NURSE OF SALEM (Shattered Globe Theatre | Midwest Premiere at Theater Wit)
A WITCH’S BREW WHICH EFFECTS HOPE AT HALLOWEEN There’s a play about the Salem witch trials playing in Chicago, and amazingly it’s not Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Sarah Ruhl wanted a turn at telling the story but from a modern lens, folding in Trump’s America and the opioid crisis. The resulting play is Becky Nurse…
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Theater Review: BLOOD/LOVE (Crimson Nightclub, Hollywood)
VOCALIZING VAMPIRES & THE UNDULATING UNDEAD BITE ME! SUCK ME! ROCK ME! From Dracula to Dark Shadows, vampires have always been an entertainment staple during the Halloween season. This year, it’s the all-original “popera” Blood/Love with book and music by Carey Sharpe and Dru DeCaro, and additional music by Concord Records’ artist Erin Boehme and Adam…
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Theater Review: DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS (Moonbox Productions in Cambridge, MA)
IF SOMETHING’S ROTTEN, IT SURE ISN’T THIS DELIGHTFUL PRODUCTION If you’re ready for a break from the woes of daily life and tragic news cycles but can’t swing a European getaway, head on over to Arrow St Arts in a quaint corner of Harvard Square where Moonbox Productions is mounting a delightful Dirty Rotten Scoundrels….
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Theater Review: THE (MOSTLY) TRUE STORY OF A COMMON SCOLD (L.A. Performing Arts Productions, Promenade Playhouse)
As a female journalist myself, I was curious to learn about the life of Anne Royall, a former maid who married her employer, a landed gentleman in the early 1800s when such marriages were rarely allowed, and then rose to become America’s first female journalist at a time when women were “supposed” to stay home…
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Theater Review: LIGHT SWITCH (Open Space Arts in Chicago)
A SWEET, QUEER, NEURODIVERGENT LOVE STORY Open Space Arts’ Chicago premiere of Light Switch by Dave Osmundsen is a charming play with representation that is refreshing to see on stage. The play follows Henry Sullivan, a queer man on the autism spectrum, as he tries to find a love that stands up to the fervor…
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Theater Review: NASSIM (The Huntington Calderwood, Boston)
A PLAY THAT’S OUT OF THE BOX Like an acrobat without a net who thrills us with her daring, Iranian-German playwright Nassim Soleimanpour offers a play with virtually no set, no costumes, and an actor doing a cold read of a completely unfamiliar script to keep an audience enthralled with his 75-minute work Nassim. On…
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Theater Review: KIMBERLY AKIMBO (National Tour, San Diego)
WILL YOU STILL NEED ME, WHEN I’M (LOOKING) SIXTY-FOUR? How would you live your life if you knew you were going to die of old age : in your late teens? All teens experience appearance issues, but Kimberly Levaco (Carolee Carmello) has it worse than most. Kim has a rare chromosomal disease very similar to…
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Theater Review: TESLA: A RADIO PLAY FOR THE STAGE (Tour at Cal Tech and Big Bear Lake Performing Arts Center)
AN ELECTRIFYING TESLA Much has been written about Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla, the inventor of alternating current, radio and so much more, ever since his name became one of the world’s most known electric automobile brand names in 2003. Robbed of the scientific accolades he deserved by others more in tune with how to make…
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Theater Review: THE VERY BEST PEOPLE (IAMA Theatre Company at Atwater Village Theatre)
BLOOD AND RANCH DRESSING In December of 2020, the world was still in the grip of COVID-19’s unpredictable terror. Moderna and Pfizer had just released their vaccines, but supply was scarce and available only to a few high-risk groups. Physical distancing, masking, and sanitizing were all top of mind, as were, shall we say, “competing”…
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Theater Review: SOMETHING ROTTEN (Wildsong Productions in Ocean Beach, San Diego)
THERE’S SOMETHING GOOD IN ROTTEN So you’re a somewhat-talented duo of playwrights, living in 1595 England, with actors eager to work with you and a benefactor hiring you to produce a play. What could go wrong? Well, there’s this other guy named William Shakespeare in town and not only is he pretty good at it,…
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Theater Review: IRONBOUND (Raven Theatre in Chicago)
THEATER THAT BINDS Raven Theatre’s production of Martyna Majok’s Ironbound directed by Georgette Verdin is a brilliantly patient drama supported by a stellar cast and a detail-oriented creative team. Lucy Carapetyan Darja, a Polish immigrant, has few constants in her life, but a bus stop in a run-down New Jersey town is one of them….
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Theater Review: THE COMEDY OF ERRORS (Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington D.C.)
DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE, DOUBLE YOUR FUN The Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare’s earliest and most farcical comedies, centered around themes of mistaken identity and slapstick humor. The play tells the story of two sets of identical twins who were separated at birth, leading to a series of misunderstandings, wrongful accusations, and chaotic…
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Theater Review: PRIMARY TRUST (La Jolla Playhouse)
THIS IS GREAT THEATER. TRUST ME. Reviewers across the country have honored the 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Primary Trust with many positive adjectives, like “touching” and “deeply affecting.” But one adjective comes closer to the mark in describing the Eboni Booth drama: mesmerizing. The show is receiving its West Coast premiere at the La Jolla…
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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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