CALIFORNIA THEATRE

by Steve Murray - February 25, 2026

The Paranormal Activity franchise (seven films from 2007 -21), while critically panned, proved people love to be scared, then laugh at their foolishness. Now a theatre piece, the crowd anticipated the expected thrills of supernatural goings on in a live experience....

by Steve Murray - February 14, 2026

What did our critic think of THE NOTEBOOK at Orpheum Theatre?...

by Steve Murray - February 12, 2026

What did our critic think of M. BUTTERFLY at SF Playhouse?...

by Kelly Rogers Flynt - February 11, 2026

IMPROBABLE FICTION at Masquers Playhouse is a tale of two parts. Don’t let the easy-going first half lull you into complacency. When the action hits, it comes in quick succession with quippy lines, funny costumes, over the top dramatics, and plenty of belly laughs....

by Steve Murray - February 04, 2026

Change is hard, we all know that. We get stuck in patterns and the comfortable, even if that inertia is destructive. Watching Chekhov’s Cherry Orchard, brilliantly directed by American Conservatory Theatre Artistic Director emerita Carey Perloff and starring an all-star cast of local legends, will...

by Steve Murray - February 02, 2026

Heidi Schreck’s award-winning 2019 homage to the US Constitution couldn’t be timelier than at this moment of political crisis in America. Written as a remembrance of her 15-year-old self as a debater in love with the constitution, the present-day Heidi narrates the play which links her family’...

by Linda Hodges - January 28, 2026

Opening Night of The Wiz at Broadway San Jose was dazzling, the kind of evening that reminds you why musical theater, at its best, feels communal, electric, and alive. From the moment the curtain rose, the production burst onto the stage with color, rhythm, and unmistakable joy, offering a vibrant a...

by Jim Munson - January 26, 2026

San Francisco Ballet is kicking off its 2026 repertory season with the massively ambitious world premiere of Yuri Possokhov’s Eugene Onegin. It’s a tall order to create a full-length contemporary classical ballet to compete with the warhorses we’ve seen a zillion times, but SFB has given it th...

by Steve Murray - January 16, 2026

Trey Parker and Matt Stone are on a high recently, with their long- running animated series South Park skewering the present administration in their inimitable profane and darkly surreal style. 2011’s The Book of Mormon brought their irreverent humor to Broadway in what at the time seemed shocking...

by Linda Hodges - January 05, 2026

Dog Man: The Musical fetches laughs, heart, and legit Broadway-level craft in a show that never talks down to its audience. Read our review here!...