SAN FRANCISCO / BAY AREA THEATER REVIEWS

In this latest revival of "Richard," now playing at San Francisco's Curran Theater, director Sam Mendes and Kevin Spacey do everything in their power to make sure that we do see. As a result, Richard III is a gripping, intense tour de force and hits troublingly close to home in these times of crime...

A bucket of New Orleans Mardi Gras beads, now a mocking memory of happier times, sit in front of what remains of a house - and one family - in the lower Ninth Ward after the storm of the century: Hurricane Katrina. ...

The San Jose Stage Company opened its season with the provocative and still darkly daring, Tony-winning Cabaret. Set in 1931 Berlin, on the cusp of all that was to come with the takeover of the Nazis, the Kander and Ebb musical revolves around the Kit Kat Club and its cast of characters who are det...

The small and intimate Altarena Playhouse has got something big and outrageous to sing about and it's proving that little can sometimes be better if it's done right. Tucked away in the quiet suburban city of Alameda on the East Bay side of San Francisco, this Playhouse is packing them in - and for ...

The national tour of "Shrek the Musical," in all its gassy green glory, opened Broadway San Jose's new season and captivated the audience from start to finish. Hilariously funny and heart-warming, "Shrek's" musical message about friendship, love and acceptance, delivered with the story's trademark ...

At age 79 the svelte Puerto Rican triple threat from Hollywood's bygone golden age continues to bring the house down. Currently starring in a new TV show (Happily Divorced) she is also simultaneously starring in her spectacular one-woman show Rita Moreno: Life Without Makeup, which had its world pr...

Stuffed and Unstrung combines the magic of muppetry with the instant insanity of improv, all to great, R-rated effect. Playing at San Francisco's Curran Theater, now through August 27th, Stuffed and Unstrung is a muppets gone wild, great night out on the town!...

The winner of the 2009 Tony Award for Best Musical (plus nine other Tonys) Billy Elliot the Musical will have you reaching for the ballet barre - or at least reaching out for your own dreams again if you've happened to set them aside. Playing now through September 17th, Billy Elliot is nothing shor...

Original and inventive, Fly by Night is a fantastical and lyrically rich play that bears clear signs of genius as it asks us to ponder the paths we take - both unplanned and chosen....

The winner of the 2009 Tony Award for Best Musical (plus nine other Tonys) Billy Elliot the Musical will have you reaching for the ballet barre - or at least reaching out for your own dreams again if you've happened to set them aside. Playing now through September 17th, Billy Elliot is nothing shor...

In this world that we call theater, there are three main things devotees look for. First, you need a good script. Well, as anyone familiar with the musical "Little Shop of Horrors" by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken knows, this show has one of the best scripts around. Plus you want a good cast and ...

Playing now through July 10th, Let Me Down Easy bears witness to battles with illness, shares hard truths about healthcare and, when death is inevitable, talks about who gets let down easy and who does not. It will make you think, laugh and cry and it might even change the way you look at your life....

Mamma Mia! won't win any prizes for in-depth, philosophical story-telling, but its delightful mix of frothy, bouncy, romantic fun and disco/pop chart hits by ABBA make it a not-to-be missed theatrical event....

Capturing the charm of the original source material, TALES OF THE CITY benefits from a strong cast fully committed to the work. Yet if Broadway is the goal, quite a bit of retooling, balancing and focusing remains, all within the grasp of this talented team....

Making its regional premiere with TheaterWorks Silicon Valley [title of show] is a fresh, funny and fabulous production about - what else - two guys writing a show about writing a show - on deadline. ...

A great premise for an evening of music from an iconic singer, RICKIE LEE JONES AT SFJAZZ brought great vocal chops but undermined her gains with a lack of organizational skills as well as taking out her frustrations on the band in front of the audience. Dressed in attire you might roll out of bed i...

Glamour. Style. Poise. Presence. Voice. These are the first five things that are abundantly apparent in the opening moments of VERONICA KLAUS SINGS THE PEGGY LEE SONGBOOK. Tammy Hall Trio provides accompaniment, with the ever-magnificent Hall's multi-dynamic piano mastery, Daniel Fabricant's bass pr...

An insightful, dynamic look at our [dis]connect through technology with high-octane rock 'n roll banged out on instruments as unconventional as the players; you'll never look at PVC piping the same way again. Fresh, powerful, slammin' rock with a decidedly Blue Man Group groove....

Blue Man Group is full-throttle fun, deliriously served up and flung out into the audience - which is why the front row people are given plastic ponchos to wear!...

Seattle Shakes is rounding out their 20th Anniversary season with Shakespeare's comedy "The Merry Wives of Windsor". And after starting out their Anniversary season with the sublime "Hamlet" (which I still can't stop thinking about) and then putting up their rollicking version of "The Threepenny Op...

Berkeley Rep's 'Three Sisters' is a powerful adaptation of Chekhov's classic that captures the lyricism and ennui of his work in an accessible and compelling production that is sure to be talked about for years to come....

Equally at home at San Diego's Comic-Con as he is on Broadway, Hugh Jackman charmed all of his fans in the world premiere of, Hugh Jackman In Performance. The showman par excellence took his San Francisco audience through a dazzling musical scrapbook of his life and career singing songs from past s...

Berkeley Rep's 'Three Sisters' is a powerful adaptation of Chekhov's classic that captures the lyricism and ennui of his work in an accessible and compelling production that is sure to be talked about for years to come....

The Tony-nominated musical, Rock of Ages, is rocking stages across the country as it continues its Constantine Maroulis-led national tour. The Broadway favorite found its way into San Francisco's Curran Theater last week and promptly brought down the house. Playing now through April 9th in the city ...

Liza Minnelli admits she was not the most well-spoken person in her younger days. 'The songs [I sang] said what I couldn't say,' she said during her concert, 'An Evening with Liza Minnelli,' on December 5 at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco....