Cirque du Soleil's KOOZA, MYSTIC PIZZA & More Lead the San Francisco/Bay Area February 2024 Top Picks

San Francisco / Bay Area is never lacking outstanding theatre, whether epic Broadway shows, engrossing dramas or bold fringe offerings. BroadwayWorld is rounding up our top recommended theatre every month. February 2024's Top Picks include Cirque du Soleil's KOOZA, Mystic Pizza, Rigoletto, and more.

Cirque du Soleil: KOOZA

Under the Big Top, Oracle Park - January 19, 2024 through March 17, 2024

A return to our origins, KOOZA combines acrobatic performance and the art of clowning, while exploring fear, identity, recognition and power. The Innocent's journey brings him into contact with comic characters from an electrifying world full of surprises, thrills, audacity and total involvement.

For tickets: click here.

Mystic Pizza - A New Musical

Hofmann Theatre at Lesher Center for the Arts - February 15, 2024 through February 25, 2024

Based on the beloved 1988 MGM rom-com, Mystic Pizza is a new musical about three working-class girls who navigate the complexities of life, love and family in a small-town pizza joint. The infectious score features megahits of the 80s and 90s, from "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" to "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now."

For tickets: click here.

Opera San José presents “Rigoletto”

Opera San José - February 17, 2024 through March 03, 2024

Opera San José’s 40th anniversary season continues with a thrilling production of Verdi’s "Rigoletto." Boasting some of opera’s most memorable music, including the signature aria “La donna è mobile,” this gripping work follows the jester Rigoletto, his innocent daughter Gilda, and the corrupt Duke of Mantua whose callous treatment of women launches a storm of vengeance, murder, and tragic self-sacrifice. The production is led by visionary director Dan Wallace Miller, acclaimed for his work with Seattle Opera and other national companies, while Jorge Parodi guest conducts for the South Bay opera company – both making their OSJ debuts.

For tickets: click here.

August Wilson's How I Learned What I Learned

Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts - Main Stage - January 17, 2024 through February 03, 2024

Co-Conceived by Todd Kreidler Directed by TIM BOND One of the greatest playwrights of our time returns to the stage in this open-hearted memoir charting one man’s journey of self-discovery through adversity, and what it means to be a Black artist in America. Originally performed by August Wilson himself, How I Learned What I Learned recounts his early days as a young poet, his first few jobs, encounters with racism, a stint in jail, divine connection with music, and the luminosity of love. Helmed by former Artistic Director and acclaimed Wilson interpreter Tim Bond, and brought to life by award-winning actor Steven Anthony Jones, this captivating production provides unique insights about the man behind some of the most celebrated plays of the 20th century.

For tickets: click here.

A Little Night Music

Saratoga Civic Theater - January 27, 2024 through February 17, 2024

Lovers reunite, passions reignite, and new romances blossom in 1900s Sweden. On a magical night that “smiles three times,” an aging actress, a married virgin, a sex-starved divinity student, a jaded lawyer, and a buffoonish count find themselves hilariously tangled in a web of love affairs. Stephen Sondheim’s ravishing score, set entirely in variations of waltz time, explores the universal subject of love across the generations. The winner of four Tony Awards with a score that includes his famous “Send in the Clowns,” A Little Night Music is a witty and moving masterpiece that has forever entranced the world of theatre.

For tickets: click here.

My Home on the Moon

San Francisco Playhouse - January 25, 2024 through February 24, 2024

From the windows of the old pho restaurant, Mai watches her neighborhood get gentrified, storefront by storefront. Just as the restaurant seems doomed to close, a mysterious and enthusiastic consultant named Vera arrives, helping Mai achieve the impossible and put the noodle shop on a path back to the glory days. But as Mai discovers that things aren’t what they seem, she must navigate the metaverse and enlist the help of ancient Vietnamese ancestors to help her find the truth.

For tickets: click here.

Phasers on Stun

The Belrose Theater - September 17, 2016 through February 24, 2024

Explore the outer edges of the universe – and the inner depths of humankinds’ dreams -- as "Phasers on Stun" returns with improvised episodes of science fiction television. Get ready to boldly go where no audience has gone before as Phasers on Stun takes you on a hilarious voyage to strange new planets, where you'll meet intriguing aliens and relive all the goofy earnestness of the original TV series. This fully improvised show which has been described as “Too good to be true! I must be on the holodeck!” and “absolutely tremendous!”

For tickets: click here.

The Marsh Berkeley presents “Aren’t You…?”

The Marsh Berkeley - February 10, 2024 through March 02, 2024

Following a successful East Bay run and a transfer to San Francisco, “Aren’t You…?” returns to The Marsh Berkeley, written and performed by Fred Pitts, directed by ShawnJ West, with dramaturgy by David Ford. In this lauded solo work, Pitts recounts his hilarious journey to visit all 21 California Mission churches, where he discovers that being Black makes him an instant celebrity – the question is which one? “Aren’t You…?” follows Pitts on a summer-long tour to one Mission after the next, experiencing docents and fellow tourists. In this riotous reflective solo show, Pitts describes his startling encounters with experts on the Catholic Church, Native American history, and practically everything else, who all have one thing in common: they are all pros on which famous Black person he resembles. Full of Pitts’ personal experiences and love of history, “Aren’t You…?” perfectly blends delightful insights into the Missions, cogent thoughts on early California settlers’ interactions with Native Americans, and the experience of walking in the shoes of an African American male.

For tickets: click here.

From Page to Stage: A Night of New Musicals

Feinstein's at the Nikko - February 03, 2024 through February 03, 2024

Feinstein’s is thrilled to present an exciting evening of new musical theatre by local favorites, The Kilbanes and Jen Coogan. These Bay Area writers will present selections from musicals in progress and give you an inside look into the development of today's musical theatre. Whether you prefer intimate ballads or a full rock experience, this show encapsulates the full spectrum of storytelling. The Kilbanes are Kate Kilbane and Dan Moses, a married musical theater writing and performing team. Their rock musical Weightless (WP Theater, ACT, Public Theater’s Under the Radar) was nominated for Lucille Lortel (Best Musical), Drama Desk (Best Music), and Off-Broadway Alliance (Best New Musical) awards in 2023. Other works include The Code, My Antonia, and Eddie the Marvelous Who Will Save the World. Jen Coogan began writing musicals in her desire to create more roles for women. Her work includes The Last Open Mic (Wild Horse Stage Co.’s Musical Development Initiative) The Morning After (Left Coast Theatre Company), The New Teacher (Superbad Theatre Company), Pharma Girls and The Oregon Trail Pages, as well as creating The Women in Theatre Project- a song cycle based off of interviews with some of the most influential women in theatre.

For tickets: click here.

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