SAN FRANCISCO / BAY AREA THEATER REVIEWS

At 67, this King is timely and timeless in a lush tour based on the Tony-winning Lincoln Center Theater revival directed by Bartlett Sher. As on Broadway, Lady Thiang steals the show....

In an age of angst, with an administration that threatens the fabric of our communities, Broadway San Jose presents RENT and all of sudden, it's all about LOVE! We will survive!...

Theatre, at its best, can entertain you so much you forget all your troubles for a blissful two hours before remembering your dental appointment the next day. It can also cause you to delve deeply into questions about life, human nature and the gut-wrenching misery that human beings can visit upon o...

If you're looking for a holiday confectionary delight then get prepared to be dazzled by ALADDIN, playing now thru Jan. 7, 2018 at SF's Orpheum Theatre....

This weekend saw the TheatreWorks world premiere of The Prince of Egypt, which first came to life almost 20 years ago as a DreamWorks animated movie of the same name. Taking its cue more from Cecil B. de Mille's 'The Ten Commandments' and less so from the Bible, Philip LaZebnik's musical book creati...

Delicious dancing, gorgeous design, and great Gershwin songs are a joy but can't mask the musical theatre shortcomings of another film-to-stage transfer in AN AMERICAN IN PARIS....

There's not a lot to be written about The Book of Mormon that's new but the tour currently in San Jose is definitely worth another joyful, irreverent look....

Playwright Min Kahng's 'THE FOUR IMMIGRANTS: AN AMERICAN MUSICAL MANGA' is a World Premiere Masterpiece. Get your tickets now at www.theatreworks.org. This show is not to be missed!...

With more than 900 wineries combined, Napa Valley and Sonoma County are truly a wine lover's paradise.  But more than wine, these regions offer the best of Northern California, including miles of Pacific coastline, towering redwoods, breathtaking views, luxury resorts and spas, world class restaura...

While not particularly illuminating on the life of the singer, A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN (now extended to July 9) delivers powerful vocal performances from Kacee Clanton and a strong supporting cast including Sharon Brown....

“Roman Holiday” is a sweet confection of a show for sure, though in its present form, it lacks the meaty bite needed to make it a Broadway special....

Deborah Cox and company make THE BODYGUARD easy to consume pop nostalgia in a slick production that makes few demands and delivers on the expected soundtrack highlights....

Alexander Hamilton Lin was waiting just to sing for you. Alexander Hamilton We're so happy that your life rings 'new!...

Based on a children's book and built with a mostly adult audience in mind, Peter and the Starcatcher isn't the sort of show you can put in a defined box. The J.M. Barrie-inspired play utilizes an unusual narrative style dependent on a versatile cast and imaginative staging. And of course, familiarit...

This production offers the very best of Lamplighters Music Theater.  As of last week's opening, Barbara Heroux has now directed every Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. Once again, she brings the finest ensemble (with leads double-cast) and a pleasant, character-driven staging....

Playing now through February 26, 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' is at once haunting and hopeful; shattering and uplifting and will surely open people's hearts and minds to the plight of women in the world today....

Sherlock Holmes relocates his flat on 'Baker Street' to 42nd Street Moon and the Eureka Theatre for an elementary musical adventure, now through November 20....

Disney's The Lion King, in all its magic and majesty, roared into San Francisco's Orpheum Theater and will be here now through December 31. If you're one for keeping a bucket list of must-see things to do and see before you 'exit stage left,' then this show is surely one for the list. Directed and l...

San Jose opened their season with the reimagined production of Phantom of the Opera. For going on three decades this show has enthralled audience members young and old and has once again captured the minds of Bay Area audience members at the beautiful San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. Playi...

There has been plenty of talk about the "lack of sensitivity" in Gilbert and Sullivan's British farce, "The Mikado," set in a Japan most often comprised of a white ensemble. But - as ready as this critic may be to defend the "great and virtuous man" - this review must sing the praises of a "new," al...

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Enchants at the Orpheum Now Thru July 10!...

San Francisco's Orpheum Theatre plays host to the provocative and still darkly daring, Cabaret now through July 17. Set in 1931 Berlin, on the cusp of all that was to come with the rise of the Nazis, the Kander and Ebb musical revolves around the Kit Kat Club and its cast of characters who are deter...

Northern California is home to miles of gorgeous Pacific coastline, over 50 parks with hiking and cycling trails, world-class restaurants, boutique shopping, and of course, majestic vineyards. Sonoma, in particular, offers the rustic charm of down-to-earth locals, farmers, winemakers, tasting rooms...

Broadway San Jose's Motown the Musical is a solid gold hit and played to an enraptured audience last night at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. Motown the record company was dreamed up by Berry Gordy in 1959 and the music world has never been the same. Gordy and his cavalcade of artists...

For a director known as opera's bad boy, Calixto Bieito turned to something awfully familiar in CARMEN for his US debut. Then again, he didn't actually show up for it, tied up with a new production of Aribert Reimann's LEAR in Paris and dispatching one of his top collabortors, Joan Anton Rechi, to p...