David Allen News

In 1985, Larry Kramer's play 'The Normal Heart' debuted at The Public Theatre, and sent shockwaves through the theatrical community. The play was a current, powerful look at the quick-spread of the AIDS epidemic that was raviging the gay community in New York. In The New York Times, theatre critic Frank Rich said of the initial production, 'There can be little doubt that 'The Normal Heart' is the most outspoken play around - or that it speaks up about a subject that justifies its author's unflagging, at times even hysterical, sense of urgency.'

Multi-award winning Foothill Music Theatre presents the epic Broadway Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II musical, SOUTH PACIFIC. Winner of 10 Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, this ground-breaking musical based on James A. Michener's 1927 Pulitzer Prize-winning book Tales of the South Pacific, features such iconic hits as Some Enchanted Evening, Younger Than Springtime, There Is Nothing Like a Dame, Bali Ha'i, and I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair. SOUTH PACIFIC will be directed by Milissa Carey, with musical direction by Mark Hanson and choreography by Michael Ryken and plays today, July 24 through August 10 in the Smithwick Theatre, Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Rd., Los Altos Hills.

Aurora Theatre Company opens its 23rd season with the Bay Area Premiere of Obie-winning playwright Gina Gionfriddo's (After Ashley,Becky Shaw) RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN. Can any woman have it all? After graduate school, Catherine and Gwen chose different paths. Catherine built a career as a rock star academic and media darling, writing books linking Internet pornography with 9/11, while Gwen built a home with her husband and children. Decades later, unfulfilled in polar opposite ways, each woman covets the other's life. When Catherine returns home to look after her ailing mother, a risky game of musical chairs begins as three generations of women struggle with feminism's foibles.

42nd Street Moon kicks off its 22nd season with the rare Richard Rodgers-Stephen Sondheim-Arthur Laurents collaboration Do I Hear A Waltz?, starring Broadway's Tony nominee Emily Skinner (Side Show, The Full Monty, Billy Elliot). Based on Arthur Laurents' 1952 play The Time of the Cuckoo, which inspired the Katharine Hepburn movie Summertime, the wistful story follows a lonely American tourist as she finds romance under the enchantment of mid-1960s Venice.

A glittering group representing theatre and technology worlds celebrated a beautiful friendship Saturday night when TheatreWorks, the nationally acclaimed theatre of Silicon Valley, staged its annual TheatreWorks Honors gala June 21 at the Palo Alto Hills Golf and Country Club, this year paying tribute to Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award-winning Broadway composer Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party, The Addams Family, Big Fish) and Ray Rothrock, Partner Emeritus of pioneering venture capital firm Venrock. Scroll down for photos!

Critics and audiences agree that it would be a crime to miss AMERICAN BUFFALO. Aurora Theatre Company announces that it will add an additional 7 performances of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet's powerful, fast-paced modern masterpiece.

Multi-award winning Foothill Music Theatre presents the epic Broadway Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II musical, SOUTH PACIFIC. Winner of 10 Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, this ground-breaking musical based on James A. Michener's 1927 Pulitzer Prize-winning book Tales of the South Pacific, features such iconic hits as Some Enchanted Evening, Younger Than Springtime, There Is Nothing Like a Dame, Bali Ha'i, and I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair. SOUTH PACIFIC will be directed by Milissa Carey, with musical direction by Mark Hanson and choreography by Michael Ryken and plays July 24 through August 10 in the Smithwick Theatre, Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Rd., Los Altos Hills. The public may purchase tickets ($10 - $28) online at www.FoothillMusicals.com or by calling (650) 949-7360.

San Francisco's highly acclaimed Lamplighters embark upon their 62nd Season this August with an uproarious production of that swashbuckling perennial favorite - THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE.

'Sing Your Face Off' is a talent variety competition featuring celebrities who are transformed and trained to perform as a legendary musical icon.

From battling monsters on BBC's 'Doctor Who' to appearing in numerous musicals on Broadway and the West End, John Barrowman has enjoyed success in many realms of the entertainment world.

Grove Theater Center (GTC) presents a staged reading of Rachel Ray, playwright Henry Ong's stage adaptation of Anthony Trollope's 19th century novel, tonight, May 22 at 7:30pm, as part of its New Play Initiative. GTC Artistic Director, Kevin Cochran, will direct the reading at the theater, located at 1111-b West Olive Avenue, Burbank, CA91506. There will be a post discussion with the playwright following the reading. Admission is free, but reservations are encouraged and can be made at (818) 528-6622.

Grove Theater Center (GTC) presents a staged reading of Rachel Ray, playwright Henry Ong's stage adaptation of Anthony Trollope's 19th century novel, on Thursday, May 22 at 7:30pm, as part of its New Play Initiative. GTC Artistic Director, Kevin Cochran, will direct the reading at the theater, located at 1111-b West Olive Avenue, Burbank, CA91506. There will be a post discussion with the playwright following the reading. Admission is free, but reservations are encouraged and can be made at (818) 528-6622.

Foothill Music Theatre will present the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical SOUTH PACIFIC, running July 24 - August 10, 2014 at the Smithwick Theatre, Los Altos, Calif. Check out a first look below!

ABC's "SING YOUR FACE OFF" will premiere on May 31, featuring host John Barrowman and primary judges Debbie Gibson and Darrell Hammond.

Bursting with magic, wit and whimsy, INTO THE WOODS---the sprightly Tony Award-winning musical that features music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Lapine---is currently on stage at the Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton through May 18. Produced by OC's Ovation Award-winning 3-D Theatricals, this sardonic, often funny, metaphor-heavy dark musical comedy disguised as a family-friendly play is indeed an enjoyable, funny romp, marred only slightly by the theater's ever pesky sound system that renders many of the show's rapid-fire lyrics all but decipherable as the too-loud (albeit hard-working) orchestra drowns out the characters' voices. Still, this trip is worth the journey.

ABC announced the premiere of new summer series “Sing Your Face Off,” on Saturday, May 31 from 9:00-11:00 p.m.