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Reflections: Latest CHICAGO Tour Has Strong Leads in MacLeod, Marroquin
CHICAGO on Broadway's Terrra C. MacLeod and Bianca Marroquin are back on the road as the accused celebrity killers and reluctant vaudeville partners Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart, respectively, whose combination delivers equally strong lead performances....
BWW Reviews: THE BOY FRIEND is the Best Friend Around
Today women go to college to get their MRS degree, but apparently, back in the day, the youthful elite traveled to the south of France for school, and with great hopes of finding the perfect boyfriend. Such is the setting for 42nd Street Moon's latest production, "The Boy Friend," a delightful romp ...
BWW Reviews: 6th Street Playhouse's THE ADDAMS FAMILY
As for The Addams Family musical, the 6th Street Playhouse does the show justice. The production values are high - a live band, well-done lighting and sets, and great costumes - and the acting is very good....
BWW Reviews: MASKED BALL in San Francisco
Verdi was a master at crescendo. In "Masked Ball," the score foreshadows and defines even while characters defy fate. As Count Anckarstrom laments his wife's betrayal in the opera's third act, the harp and violin take turn in old romance and revenge, building to a grand determination. Like Verdi's "...
BWW Reviews: Say a Happy Hello to BYE BYE BIRDIE in Walnut Creek
Contra Costa Musical Theatre knows how to put on a happy face. You will, too, after two and a half hours of living with Bye, Bye Birdie. Inspired by the likes of Elvis Presley, Ed Sullivan and the bright colors and square designs of the 1950's, CCMT's production features its usual high-tech scenic d...
BWW Reviews: DO I HEAR A WALTZ Plays A Flat Tune
When Broadway actress Emily Skinner takes the stage and opens 42nd Street Moon's current offering, the next two hours look bright and worthwhile. Venice, Italy, as displayed on stage by set designer Hector Zavala promises magical, mystical miracles. Yet as the musical progresses, rather slowly at th...
BWW Reviews: PIPPIN Revival Hits the Heights - Now thru October 19th
The air was crackling with excitement on opening night for the much anticipated revival of Pippin at San Francisco's Golden Gate Theatre. And for good reason. The show won four Tony Awards last year including Best Musical Revival, with Diane Paulus taking home the Tony for Best Director. Patina Mill...
BWW Reviews: SF Opera's SUSANNAH a Stunning Masterpiece
Set in Tennessee around the time of the Dust Bowl, 'Susannah' takes its inspiration from a story in the book of Daniel. Composer Carlisle Floyd's decision to remove the original's redemptive prophet seems to condemn Christianity, but also gives his revised version the dramatic thrust needed to explo...
BWW Reviews: Hillbarn Theatre's FUNNY GIRL is Fabulous, Now Through 9/21
'Hello gorgeous.' The Hillbarn Theatre in San Mateo kicked off its 2014-2015 season with the sensational Funny Girl. Based on the life of Fanny Brice, Funny Girl originally starred Barbra Streisand in the icon role of the famous vaudeville and Ziegfeld Follies legend. It was a part that catapulted...
BWW Reviews: WICKED Defies Gravity Once Again Now Thru September 14th
Glinda and Elphaba have flown into San Jose to appear in Wicked and have broken box office records at San Jose's Center for the Performing Arts, grossing $1,516,245 during the first week of its three-week engagement. The two witches will be in town (along with a phenomenal cast) through September 14...
BWW Reviews: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF Brings Tradition to Merced
Great theatre is tradition in Merced, where Playhouse Merced just opened its 2014-2015 season with "Fiddler on the Roof," now in its 50th Anniversary. The classical musical has become a tradition of its own in theatres across the world....
BWW Reviews: PIRATES OF PENZANCE a Glorious Thing
A paradox! A paradox! A most ingenious paradox! Only the ridiculous humor and unpredictable circumstances of Gilbert and Sullivan could make so much sense. In the capable hands and clear diction of Lamplighters Musical Theatre, it is, indeed, a glorious thing to be a pirate king, or the audience of ...
BWW Reviews: PIXAR in Concert at SF Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony plays Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, A Bug's Life, WALL-E, Cars, Up, The Incredibles, Monsters Inc. and Brave through Sunday July 20 at the building with perfect acoustics, Davies Symphony Hall. Film clips accompany their counterparts, and even the few Pixar films t...
BWW Reviews: JERSEY BOYS Breaks Box Office Records at Broadway San Jose - Playing Now thru July 20!
When you hear the term The Four Seasons and you think of 'Sherry,' 'Big Girls Don't Cry,' 'Oh, What a Night,' and 'Walk Like a Man' instead of snow, leaves, rain or sunshine, then the hit musical Jersey Boys is a must see!...
BWW Reviews: SCT's SPAMALOT Full of Character
Stockton Civic Theatre's Spamalot is an animated musical well-fitting the over-the-top humor of its Monty Python inspiration. With golden facial expressions from Bill Yee as King Arthur's manservant Patsy, a myriad of accents from Tom MacDonald's multiple characters, and even a conductor (of Stockto...
BWW CD Review: San Francisco Symphony's WEST SIDE STORY is a Triumph
When it comes to contemporary classics in American musical theatre, just the sheer mention of Leonard Bernstein's WEST SIDE STORY is enough to get any fan of the medium listening. His clever orchestrations, drive and ambition, and unique construction made the show a hallmark of the genre that is sti...
BWW Reviews: ORPHAN OF ZHAO at ACT-SF is Intense Powerful Drama
Beginning with small truths and oral tradition, legend eventually turns to the written word. At the heart of this process is Ji Junxiang's ancient play, The Orphan of Zhao, rooted in real events and a resonating theme of loyalty and justice. Currently reworked for American Conservatory Theatre (co-p...
BWW Reviews: TheatreWorks' MARRY ME A LITTLE Has Humor and Appeal
Reset to San Francisco with a technology-inspired flair, TheatreWorks' current production of 'Marry Me A Little' is at once charming and original....
BWW Reviews: FANTASIA at SF Symphony
Classical music and drawn animation might be considered things of the past, but they had glorious relevance at the Davies Symphony Hall this past weekend. The Disney cartoons of 1940's revolutionary Fantasia played in brilliant, restored, high-definition color alongside clips from Fantasia 2000 with...
BWW Reviews: Hodges & Hodges Review JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT!
Hodges and Hodges were on the scene at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts for the opening night of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. 'Joseph' is part of Broadway San Jose's current season and if you haven't been to this venue to take in a show, then you're missing something spec...
BWW Reviews: Oakland Youth Chorus Dazzles at their Broadway on Broadway Performance
It was a night to remember as the Oakland Youth Chorus (OYC) took to the risers and promptly raised the roof on the 1st Presbyterian Church on Broadway in Oakland, belting out some amazing Broadway tunes and putting on an all-around great show for the sold-out crowd. This was not just a concert for ...
BWW Reviews: 42nd St Moon is PAINTING THE CLOUDS WITH SUNSHINE
42nd Street Moon's Greg MacKellan and Mark D. Kaufmann wrote 'Painting the Clouds with Sunshine' as a tribute to musical films of the depression era, but their end result may very well have been a successful film of that time....
BWW Reviews: Merced Offers New Version of THE THREE MUSKETEERS
If an Alexandre Dumas version of the San Francisco Charles Dickens Christmas Fair existed, I imagine its skits would look somewhat like Playhouse Merced's current production of "The Three Musketeers." That's no surprise, since writer, director Micah Chandler specializes in sword fights and teaches h...
BWW Reviews: WICKED Defies Gravity in Fresno
'Wicked' arrives in Fresno this week with two new witches at the broom and wand. They share their experience with children and adults new to the musical's magic, and the special quality of the leads' first week of performances makes the production enjoyable for the more familiar, familial audience m...
BWW Reviews: CCMT's LES MISERABLES is Master of the House
Based on Victor Hugo's classic novel, the often-called 'epic' musical 'Les Miserables' sets a high standard, especially for theatre companies with smaller budgets. While that budget does affect Contra Costa Musical Theatre's production in minor ways, the company follows through on its promise to onc...
Videos
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Anastasia the Musical Douglas Morrisson Theatre (5/22-5/31) |
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Comedy Oakland at Elbo Room Fri June 19 7:30pm Elbo Room Jack London (6/19-6/19) |
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3Girls Theatre Presents: The Hortense Mancini Project by Kristy Lin Billuni iMPACt Center for Art & Dance (6/14-6/14) |
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TILT: Midnight Sun Grace Cathedral (6/20-6/20) |
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Comedy Oakland at Quinn's Lighthouse Sat June 13 8pm Quinn's Lighthouse (6/13-6/13) |
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Broadway Under the Stars - Radio Recall: The Soundtrack of Your Life Transcendence Theatre Company (7/10-7/12) |
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Comedy Oakland Late Show at Quinn's Lighthouse Sat May 30 9pm Quinn's Lighthouse (5/30-5/30) |
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James Garner's Tribute to Johnny Cash Native Sons Hall (6/26-6/26) |
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Pictures from Home Marin Theatre (5/07-5/31) |
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Iphigenia in Splott Shotgun Players Ashby Stage (7/25-8/30) |
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