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BWW Reviews: SF Ballet's CINDERELLA is Beautiful and Fresh
Christopher Wheeldon's playful choreography perfectly matches Sergei Prokofiev's talent for combining characters, story and music. Both artists have a unique quality that makes their work instantly recognizable. So it's only fitting that Wheeldon should take on Prokofiev's 'Cinderella.' And he partn...
BWW Reviews: Playhouse Merced Makes a Believer With Fun, Original SHREK
Playhouse Merced continues to prove itself with challenging material and increasingly talented casts. Having opened their season last fall with the epic Les Miserables, they now turn to the imaginative Shrek the Musical, and their new season is just around the corner with a special announcement even...
BWW Reviews: SF Symphony Hosts A NIGHT AT THE OSCARS
"Beautiful." "Overwhelming." "Beyond description." All simple words to explain music and its connection to our souls. But Jon Burlingame has a natural, pleasant way of describing music. The leading writer and expert on film and television scores began San Francisco Symphony's Night at the Oscars wit...
BWW Reviews: Entertainer Extraordinaire Sam Harris Presents 'Liter-usical' - Now That's Entertainment!
Riding the wave of enthusiasm for his newly released book 'Ham: Slices of a Life,' singer and entertainer extraordinaire Sam Harris played to a sold-out crowd at Feinstein's at the Nikko in San Francisco. They came expecting a great show and he did not disappoint. Calling his performance a 'liter-us...
BWW Reviews: Joan Ryan Brings Down the House at Feinstein's at the Nikko
Tucked away in a corner of the Nikko Hotel is Feinstein's - a 140 seat, intimate nightclub with cozy banquettes and tables graced with crystal chandeliers and a stage on which the Steinway holds pride of place. As the 8 o'clock hour approached, smartly dressed San Franciscans along with tourists i...
BWW Reviews: ACT's MAJOR BARBARA a Major Triumph
Politics and humor go hand in hand throughout George Bernard Shaw's classic, but rarely performed "Major Barbara." Shaw's work includes, not the kind of politics and humor that lends itself to one side mocking another, but English wit that bookends passionate speeches and dialogue. Although Shaw's s...
BWW Reviews: WEST SIDE STORY Still Shows Many Faces
The day Leonard Bernstein died, a sense of gut-wrenching loss pervaded the musical world. Anyone who had watched and listened to his extraordinary music making could not help but be affected by his passion and reverence for music. Those of us lucky enough to have known and worked with him and availe...
BWW Reviews: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Enchants Now Through Jan 5
The enchanting musical Beauty and the Beast delighted audiences at San Francisco's Curran Theater on opening night and is the perfect dose of holiday entertainment for children of all ages. Disney's timeless tale of love and transformation is touring the country and will be in San Francisco through ...
BWW Reviews: TERRACOTTA PRINCE A Fresh Take on Nutcracker
My mother took me to the ballet when I was young. I came home with a souvenir bouquet and would not stop listening or dancing to the score, imagining a giant Christmas tree and those nasty rats scurrying across my living room floor. I like to imagine the magic of theatre and the arts creating that s...
BWW Reviews: Burt Bacharach and the San Francisco Symphony Enchants Audiences
On Friday and Saturday of the past weekend composer Burt Bacharach appeared at Davies Symphony Hall with the San Francisco Symphony. Burt Bacharach is a household for many generations and audiences, and even those who don't know his name certainly know his music. He achieved fame scoring many Hollyw...
BWW Reviews: CHRISTMAS CAROL at Center Rep The Best Around
The most Scrooge among us would crack a smile at Center Rep's 'A Christmas Carol.' Although the old miser may balk at the cost of extravagant special affects and lovely costumes, or even at the time-honored message of hope and love, it's impossible to avoid laughing when the unseen Ghost of Christma...
BWW Reviews: Hillbarn Theatre Celebrates Christmas with MAME
Everyone needs a little Christmas. Agree or disagree with her life ethics, but Mame possesses a zest and optimism for life that most people desire and require....
BWW Reviews: It's That Time of Year with CHRISTMAS CAROL at A.C.T.
Tradition continues with Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" at American Conservatory Theatre, surrounded by the magic of San Francisco tourist hot spots decked out in holiday decor....
BWW Reviews: SNOW QUEEN One of A Kind
Not a typical Broadway musical, San Jose Repertory Theatre's world premiere of "The Snow Queen" is a unique experience. The Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale does not lend itself naturally to stage. Without its country-twanged score, San Jose's production could pass as a mere children's play. But t...
BWW Reviews: LITTLE WOMEN Has Big Charm
Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women" has made its way into American hearts as a classic holiday children's novel, film and musical. Although Christmas plays only a small role in the story's events, a common warmth and familial atmosphere finds its way onto every page, into every line, and, in Theatrew...
BWW Reviews: SNOOPY a Fun and Energetic Dog Treat
You're a good man, Charlie Brown, but Snoopy is pretty good, too. In fact, he's the head beagle, and he's played with excellence, honor, smarts and lots of puppy charm by Keith Pinto, who so wonderfully portrayed the same character last year in another Peanuts-based musical at the Bay Area's Retro D...
BWW Reviews: THE BOOK OF MORMON Is Freakin' Awesome
'The Book of Mormon' has been hailed as one of the top musicals of the decade and now through January 19, 2014, San Francisco audiences will have the opportunity to judge for themselves as to whether a musical about Mormons on a mission to win converts to the Church of Latter-day Saints deserves su...
BWW Reviews: Playhouse Merced Presents One of the Best Carols Around with CHRISTMAS CAROL
For one of the best Ebenezer Scrooges you're ever likely to see on stage, make a stop in Merced, CA. For a most enjoyable version of Charles Dickens' classic, 'A Christmas Carol,' visit Playhouse Merced's intimate and friendly theatre. The company's current production of Keith Ferguson and Bruce Gre...
BWW Reviews: THE GERSHWIN'S PORGY AND BESS Will Capture Your Heart: Now Thru Dec. 8
San Francisco audiences were delighted to welcome a powerful and wistfully evocative production of The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess to the bay area and to the stage of the Golden Gate Theatre where it plays now through December 8. Opening night was also the launch of the much anticipated national tour ...
BWW Reviews: Cirque's AMALUNA an Artistic Triumph
Cirque du Soleil's newest creation, "Amaluna," has a lyrical feel, like the grand dance of the peacocks it so beautifully uses in much of its imagery. Similar to other traveling Cirque shows, it has a grand beginning and finale where the ensemble gathers all at once on the stage for a dance of sorts...
BWW Reviews: SHNSF's PETER AND THE STARCATCHER Enchants Now thru December 1
Swashbuckling adventure and hilarious hijinks await patrons of SHNSF's Curran Theatre with 5-time Tony Award winning Peter and the Star Catcher, which has sailed into San Francisco for a magical turn before returning to Neverland or other parts unknown. This clever prequel to J.M. Barrie's beloved P...
BWW Reviews: A.C.T.'s UNDERNEATH THE LINTEL Delights Through November 23
San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater's Production of 'Underneath the Lintel' has extended its run due to advance ticket sales. Catch this solo performance by Academy Award nominee David Strathairn now through Nov. 23....
BWW Reviews: NORM LEWIS in Concert at Bay Area Cabaret
Norm Lewis' amiable charm immediately makes him the best friend, next-door neighbor type. As he opened an evening of song at Sunday's Bay Area Cabaret concert, the Tony Award nominated performer endeared himself to his audience with appropriate selections of "The Best is Yet To Come" and "I Left My ...
BWW Reviews: CCMT's TARZAN Swings to Stunning Lesher Center Stage
With a cast that seems to come straight from Broadway, Contra Costa Musical Theatre's production of Disney's Tarzan is a visual spectacle. That's what Disney does best: creates magic on stage - at least in what it calls for visually and in its casting....
BWW Reviews: BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL - A Hit Show with a Bullet
SHNSF's Curran Theatre in San Francisco hosts the world premiere of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical - a hit-filled bio-musical about the woman whose songs epitomized the late 60s and early 70's. Her album 'Tapestry' (with songs like 'It's Too Late,' 'I Feel the Earth Move,' and 'You've Got A Frie...
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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