Keith Pinto News

BroadwayWorld talks to actor Li-Leng Au, who is thrilled to be back onstage in San Jose Stage Company's production of Dickens' 'Great Expectations' as adapted by playwright Neil Bartlett, running thru December 12th.

Desire becomes destiny in Neil Bartlett’s powerful adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic tale.  A young orphan named Pip takes us on a journey through the windswept marshes of England, to the cobweb-strewn lair of mad Miss Havisham, and into the ruthless streets of London. A story of survival filled with intrigue and unexpected twists that has captivated generations, the true nature of generosity and the price of revenge comes to life in this raw adaptation. Might we find it in our hearts to forgive the unforgivable?

BroadwayWorld talks to leading lady Alison Ewing about playing Desiree in 42nd Street Moon's new production of Stephen Sondheim's 'A Little Night Music' playing November 4 to 21 in San Francisco.

Re-starting theatre after the pandemic shutdown is a bit of a challenge; theatregoers are still wary of live performances and seating is limited. Not a sustainable outlook, but it is encouraging that companies are proceeding and hopefully the outlook will improve. SF Playhouse's choice of presenting a reworking of David Shire and Richard Maltby, Jrs. 1976 musical revue Starting Here, Starting Now is successful in its modern gender bending embellishments and economy of scale.

In person performances will take place August 31 through October 2. An on-demand video stream will be available September 4 through October 2. Learn more about the production and how to view it in either version here!

Scallywags set sail across the seven seas to swarm a swashbuckling soiree as TheatreWorks Silicon Valley hosted its spring fundraiser, The Pirates of the Shores of Redwood. Donning tricorn hats, head scarves, and other pirate finery, the party pirates feasted on fancy grub, indulged in grog and other spirits, plundered a bounty of priceless treasures and once-in-a-lifetime adventures, and enjoyed rollicking musical performances in a nautical night of merriment and hijinks to support the Tony Award-winning theatre company as it prepares to resume in-person performances this Fall.

42nd Street Moon is concluding its online Moonbeams series on a rather deliciously demented high note with Don’t Touch That Dial: DC & Peter’s Glorious Romp through the Golden Age of TV Theme Songs. Just like the timeworn sitcoms that generated most of its songs, Don’t Touch That Dial wants nothing more than to entertain, packing in dozens of catchy tunes you maybe didn’t even know you knew in a fast-moving hourlong fantasia of fizzy humor and gimlet-eyed nostalgia. Although Moon’s remit is normally to revisit stage musicals, rather than television shows, this enterprise isn’t quite as far afield for them as you might imagine. It, too, comes wrapped in affectionate homage to times past.

After the myriad stresses of the past year, we could all use some straight-up entertainment and 42nd Street Moon is providing just that with Don’t Touch That Dial: DC and Peter’s Glorious Romp Through the Golden Age of TV Theme Songs. Conceived and directed by DC Scarpelli and Peter Budinger, the show promises, a light-hearted, celebratory stroll down memory lane as Scarpelli and Budinger guide us through the decades of catchy sitcom themes and the evolution of television. The large, diverse cast also includes Moon stalwarts like Meg McKay and Keith Pinto among a host of multi-talented performers who may be new to you. Don’t Touch That Dial is available to stream from June 5 – 27, 2021 as part of 42nd Street Moon’s paid virtual ticketed MoonBeams series. Tickets and further information are available at www.42ndstmoon.org/moonbeams. ​​​​​​​I had the pleasure of speaking with Budinger and Scarpelli last week as they were still putting the finishing touches on the video presentation. As Scarpelli says, “We’re not satisfied with any musical number until it’s utterly dripping with charm and delight.” If you ever run into them at a party, these are definitely the guys you want to talk to as they are both a barrel of fun and an endless font of information about classic TV and musical theater. A married couple, the two have been working together for years as well as performing individually, and their combined theater credits read like a recent history of Bay Area musical theater. The freewheeling conversation covered how they conceived the show and put it together, which obscure songs didn’t make the final cut, and shows they’d love for Moon to mount in the future.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley will stream an advance look at tomorrow's hits in New Works Festival Online.

MoonSchool at 42nd Street Moon, the education side of 42nd Street Moon kicked off its third season of virtual programming this fall. After an impromptu pivot to virtual classes this spring and an incredibly successful summer of online theatre productions including Moana Jr, The Music Man Kids, Bring it On, and classes in jazz, tap, voice, and improv, MoonSchool continues to offer high-level theatre classes and training virtually for students of all ages from 4 years old to 104 this fall.

42nd Street Moon, San Franciscoa??s venerable theatre company dedicated to celebrating and preserving the art of the American musical, is about to launch a paid virtual subscription series called MoonBeams. Consisting of five very different and highly entertaining shows, the series will run from September 28th to November 26th, 2020. Highlights include Michael Patrick Gaffneya??s funny and touching The Oldest Living Cater Waiter, Moona??s popular Broadway Flipped evening where favorite Moon performers get the chance to sing songs from roles they would otherwise never get the chance to play, and a final show to kick off the holiday season, Home (literally) for the Holidays. Subscriptions, single stream tickets and additional information are available at www.42ndstmoon.org/moonbeams. BroadwayWorld catches up with Daniel Thomas, who shares Executive Director duties at Moon with Daren A.C. Carollo, to learn a more about the series and check in on how he and Moon are weathering the myriad difficulties that seem to be hitting us without end in 2020.

San Jose Stage Company PRESENTS Broadway's longest-running American musical a??CHICAGOa??. Nominated for three 1975 Tonya??®a?? Awards and the 1997 Tonya??®a?? Award-winner for a?oeBest Revival Of A Musical,a?? a??CHICAGOa?? features a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. a??CHICAGOa?? is based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, with the script adaptation by David Thompson. The Stage's production of a??CHICAGOa?? will be directed by Randall King, choreography by Tracey Freeman-Shaw and music direction by Benjamin Belew. a??

San Jose Stage Company presents Broadway's longest-running American musical ​CHICAGO​. 

Chicago is a class act at the San Jose Stage Theatre as it brings out the razzle-dazzle with one of the longest running Broadway musicals to date.The a?oeStage'sa?? production, directed by Randall King,  has an earthy grit to it that makes the sensual Bob Fosse Choreography all the more irresistible. With a live band on stage, a jazz-infused score, and a fabulous ensemble, this show is sure to dance it's way seductively into your heart. 

San Jose Stage Company (Randall King, Artistic Director and Cathleen King, Executive Director) is pleased to announce the cast and creative team for the third production of The Stage's 37th Season, Broadway's longest-running American musical CHICAGO.

Watching Richard O'Brien's a?oeThe Rocky Horror Showa?? at San Jose Stage Company, I was struck by what an odd duck the show is. There really is nothing else even remotely like it in the musical theater canon. At this point in its stage-to-screen-back-to-stage evolution, it invites you not just to experience the live stage play unfolding in front of you, but also encourages you to re-enact own your own experience of having seen the movie, probably decades ago. To aid in the latter, goody bags including all the necessary accoutrements such as newspaper, squirt guns, toilet paper, etc. are available in the lobby at 5 bucks a pop. Audience members gleefully shout out all the expected callbacks from midnight screenings of yore (a?oeAsshole!a??, a?oeSlut!a??) while engaging in a playful competition to come up with the most clever and unexpected contemporary retorts. Surely audiences in the late 1970's did not reference such things as Mar-a-Lago. So here we have a show set more or less in the 1950's, written in the 1970's, and with references to 2019. Talk about your time warp!  

San Jose Stage Company (Randall King, Artistic Director and Cathleen King, Executive Director) is pleased to announce the cast and creative team for the first production of The Stage's 37th Season, the beloved cult musical THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW. With book, music and lyrics by Richard O'Brien, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW will run from October 2 – November 3, 2019 at San Jose Stage Company (490 South 1st Street, San Jose, CA, 95113). San Jose Stage Company's production of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW will be directed by Allison F. Rich with choreography by Tracey Shaw.

A time warp opens to a provocative dimension at The Stage in San Jose, with The Rocky Horror Show. This production is filled with juicy morsels delicious enough to whet ones uninhibited appetite.  This slice of pop culture is still succulently scintillating and fresh today as it celebrates the individuality and uniqueness in all of us. Running through Nov. 3, 2019

Keith Pinto is one of those fortunate stage actors who seems to work almost constantly. If you attend Bay Area theater with any regularity, chances are you've seen him, most likely in a role that showcases his energetic performance style and talent for movement. His latest role is the iconic a?oesweet transvestitea?? Frank-N-Furter in San Jose Stage Company's new production of a?oeThe Rocky Horror Show.a?? Mr. Pinto recently chatted with BroadwayWorld about his process while he was between rehearsals.

Theatre Bay Area, one of the largest regional performing arts service organizations in North America, has announced the finalists of the 2019 TBA Awards. The sixth-annual TBA Awards Celebration will take place on Monday, Nov. 4 at the Herbst Theatre (401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco).