SAN FRANCISCO / BAY AREA THEATER REVIEWS

A musically gifted daughter feeling neglected and invisible. A dutiful husband struggling to cope, and the ghost of a dead child waiting for recognition before ascending. These are the emotionally devastated characters orbiting Diana Goodman, wife, and mother coping with mental illness....

Before JVB was a sensation in New York City ( Tony-nomination (2007) GLAAD (2000), Obie (2001), Bessie (2004), Ethyl (2007), and a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists (2012) awards, and 2024  MacArthur Fellow), they were a cherished counterculture  icon in San Francisco....

SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER at Altarena Playhouse is a slow burn of a Tennessee Williams’ play that never fully catches fire. It is a challenging play that delves into darker themes while retaining some of the lyricism of William’s style. With a focus on mental illness, manipulation, perversion, pride,...

A true story of unspeakable injustice is beautifully realized in Parade, deservedly winner of the 2023 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. Like its dramatic courtroom cousins Inherit then Wind and To Kill a Mockingbird, Parade brings humanity to a tragedy, faces to the pictures projected on a ...

JC Lee’s 2022 To My Girls continues the tradition of a group of gay guys getting together to trade snarky barbs, renew friendships and uncover hidden grudges....

Andrew Bergh’s The Radicalization of Rolfe, winner of a 2016 FringeNYC Overall Excellence Award, might have had its germination by observing the naïve American white males joining the MAGA movement of our current president. ...

San Francisco Producing Director and co-founder Susi Damilano has done a remarkable job of imagining the world of fifteen-year-old mathematics genius Christopher who just happens to be autistic....

The San Francisco Mime Troupe, founded in 1959, started with movement 'Events' with visual art elements and music, segued to commedia dell’arte, and now presents fully fledged outdoor political musical theatre with a decidedly “left” bent. ...

Jiehae Park’s World Premiere of her memory play the aves is gorgeously presented with a remarkable scenic design by visual artist Marsha Ginsberg. That the setting, and some fanciful avian puppetry by Erik Sanko becomes the focal point of the play is problematic. The story, set in a number of vign...

It’s hard not to be swept up in the Mamma Mia juggernaut. Since its Broadway premiere in 2001, it’s grossed over $4.5 billion,  been seen by 70 million people, turned into two record-breaking movies with productions in 16 different languages. ...

A sensational rape trial with high profile participants, the female accuser’s reputation besmirched, the alleged rapists’ pals piling on the dirt - a he said, she said scenario being played out in the male dominated courts. ...

Two Trains Running is the seventh work in two-time Pulitzer winning author August Wilsons Pittsburg Cycle and continued his chronicling of the Black experience post migration to the North. Set in Pittsburgh’s once prosperous Hill District, the play focuses on diner owner Memphis Lee, facing the pr...

What did our critic think of BROKEN LOVE at San Francisco Ballet? BroadwayWorld reviews the program of two contrasting ballets that runs through April 18th at the War Memorial Opera House....

What did our critic think of VAN MANEN: DUTCH GRANDMASTER at San Francisco Ballet? BroadwayWorld reviews the mix-rep program of 4 works by the celebrated choreographer running through April 19th....

The apocalypse just wouldn’t be any fun without the rapier wit ruminations of actor/comic/performance artists David Mills, here in San Francisco for two shows as part of his ‘four-show national tour.’ After decades in London, Mills is back in NYC and his acclimation isn’t as joyous as you’...

THE ROOMMATE is a melting pot of ideas that lands some laughs, touches on some deeper topics, but never quite finds its identity. Some solid performances and excellent staging help the show move along and make the most of a flawed script. THE ROOMMATE meanders through several possibilities of comedy...

What did our critic think of THE HEART SELLERS at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley?...

Solo performances of major works are hot these days -  Isabelle Huppert, Sarah Snook and Andrew Scott have all performed their own solo shows recently. Izzard herself tackled Great Expectations, also directed by Hamlet’s Selina Cadell, and adapted by brother Mark. This Hamlet, trimmed down for a ...

What did our critic think of SAN FRANCISCO GAY MEN'S CHORUS - BROADWAY, OUR WAY at Curran Theatre?...

What did our critic think of FAT HAM at SF Playhouse?...

The tasty smells of frying onions, garlic, and Indian spices waft throughout the space at Marin Theatre’s Boyer Theatre reconfigured into a party space to celebrate Onam, the Southern Indian harvest festival. The interactive piece has the audience participating as guests surprising Mrs. Krishnan w...

A.C.T. Artistic Director Pam Mackinnon directs this revival of Itamar Moses and Gaby Alter’s 2013 musical satire of reality TV dating shows, adding a -749-2228uhoo few more songs and fleshing out the character of Jenny to a starring role. The result is a smash hit – refreshing, witty, thoughtful...

What did our critic think of WILD WITH HAPPY at New Conservatory Theatre Center?...

What did our critic think of HAPPY PLEASANT VALLEY: A SENIOR SEX SCANDAL MURDER MYSTERY MUSICAL at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley?...

What did our critic think of LILLIAS WHITE: DIVINE SASS, A TRIBUTE TO SARAH VAUGHAN at Feinstein's At The Nikko?...