The humor in many Sedaris pieces comes from the obvious anguish of social misfits forced to contort themselves into a publicly presentable form, or, conversely, the observer's schadenfreude in having the misfit revealed for their true, damaged self. Neither of those elements is really present in San... (more...)
A Bronx Tale has been a "family" affair for decades. This musical adaptation is its next evolutionary step following the 1993 non-musical film, which was drawn from an earlier autobiographical one-man Off-Broadway and later Broadway play written by and starring by Chazz Palminteri.... (more...)
BWW Review: A CONVERSATION WITH EDITH HEAD at Pear Theatre is an intimate evening of Hollywood backstory with the acclaimed costume designer... (more...)
In Pike St., now at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, playwright and actor Nilaja Sun single-handedly presents a stage full of dynamic, three-dimensional characters engaging with each other in rapid-fire conversation and scenes of vigorous interaction.... (more...)
Broadway San Jose welcomed the touring company of Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella, which made a short stop at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, bringing with it the magical music of Rodgers and Hammerstein.... (more...)
Volta, the latest Cirque du Soleil tour never stints on athleticism but leaves your breath mostly untaken and your heartstrings unplucked.... (more...)
There's magic brewing at the Bank's home on 17 Cherry Tree Lane courtesy of the new enchanting nanny Mary Poppins, who as her name suggests, 'pops in' and 'pops out' of her wards lives in SF Playhouse's delightful production of the award-winning Broadway musical based on the similarly titled Mary Po... (more...)
All aboard for Jaclyn Backhaus' thrilling, testosterone-filled expedition down the Colorado River and through the wonderous gorges of the Grand Canyon in her sly and very funny take on macho adventuring mid-19th century America. Based on the journals of one-armed Civil War veteran John Wesley Powell... (more...)
Latin Standards is a belly-laugh funny and loving, side-by-side tale of Willy Chevalier and what he did for laughs and love - and about Marga Gomez - the daughter who followed in his comedic footsteps.... (more...)
Roger Grunwald has brought THE OBLIGATION, his solo performance on the Holocaust, directed by acclaimed Bay Area theatremaker Nancy Carlin back to Potrero Stage in a welcome and powerful revival.... (more...)
It would be easy to make FUN HOME a dour polemic about LGBT oppression from within and without, but the gifts of Kron, Tesori, Bechdel - which director Robert Kelley artfully deploys - are the moments of lightness and pure joy that make the losses all the more tragic.... (more...)
Currently playing at San Jose's 3Below, 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood' is at once a dramatic tour-de-force and a Vaudevillian comedic masterpiece that will have you laughing (not to mention cheering and hissing) and leave you thoroughly entertained. Playing now through November 11, it's a grand, must-... (more...)
The Berkeley Repertory Theatre production of fairview is disturbing. That's good. If you are white and liberal and experiencing mild to major discomfort by the end of the performance, that's even better.... (more...)
SWEAT neither romanticizes nor demonizes the factory worker or their situations. You know most of these people voted for Trump, but they are at worst, desperate, not deplorable. They face hard choices with honesty and determination, understanding the limited cards they have been dealt.... (more...)
Red Scare on Sunset is a high-camp and all-to-relevant play by Charles Busch, currently playing at the New Conservatory Theatre Center in San Francisco.... (more...)
Broadway San Jose is serving up some hot Latin Salsa with the hit Broadway show 'On Your Feet,' a jukebox musical that follows the life -- and rise to stardom -- of Gloria and Emilio Estefan and their band, Miami Sound Machine.... (more...)
I highly recommend this modern-day war of the roses. If NATIVE GARDENS is a prognosticator of things to come in this country, then the art of compromise and not the art of the deal is what will be needed to overcome all our border disputes and prejudices.... (more...)
Woodminister Summer Musicals is closing its season with a dynamic production of In the Heights, which won four Tonys (Best Musical, Score, Choreography and Orchestrations) in 2008. The show was conceived in the heart and soul of composer and lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda, who was homesick for his Wash... (more...)
Bay Area Musical's production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame came to glorious life on opening night in San Francisco's Victoria Theatre in the heart of the Mission district this past weekend. The show, written by Peter Parnell with music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, is based on Vi... (more...)
SCHOOL OF ROCK is a fleetingly affable evening composed by Lloyd Webber for lyrics by Glenn Slater (Sister Act) and a book by Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey). The kids are more than alright, saving the night and earning an 'A' for natural talent and a refreshingly unaffected stage presence.... (more...)
The new musical A WALK ON THE MOON, based on the 1999 film written by Pamela Gary, does a fine job of telling its story, and patrons will have a good time at this nice musical. In the era of making things great again are fine, good, and nice enuf?... (more...)
'Every Moment Counts' as Director/Choreographer Tony Gonzalez reminds us to embrace the sights and sounds and soak up every second of life as we climb the 'Stairway to Paradise' -- the theme of this year's 'Broadway Under the Stars' by the incomparable Transcendence Theatre Company.... (more...)
The San Diego Symphony, along with many others, is this year celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Leonard Bernstein. The first half of the Symphony's 'Dances Suites and Serenades' concert consisted of 'Three Dance Variations' from Bernstein's ballet Fancy Free, and Serenade (After Plato... (more...)
BWW Review: THE SANTALAND DIARIES Lose Something in Translation at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley
BWW Review: A BRONX TALE Is a Trip To A Very Familiar 'Hood at the SHN Golden Gate
BWW Review: A CONVERSATION WITH EDITH HEAD at Pear Theatre is an intimate evening of Hollywood backstory with the acclaimed costume designer
BWW Review: DAMES AT SEA at 42nd Street Moon is a zany spoof of 1930s movie musicals
BWW Review: It takes Nilaja Sun to Build a Breathtaking Village on PIKE ST. at Berkeley Repertory Theatre
BWW Review: Rodgers + Hammerstein's CINDERELLA is Magical at Broadway San Jose
BWW Review: THE WICKHAMS: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY at Marin Theatre Company is wonderful alternative holiday fare
BWW Review: Cirque Du Soleil's VOLTA is Athletic But Not Particularly Moving
BWW Review: MARY POPPINS at SF Playhouse
BWW Review: MEN ON BOATS at Strand Theater
Marga Gomez Lights Up the Night with LATIN STANDARDS Now Thru Nov. 18
BWW Review: THE OBLIGATION is a reminder to never forget at Potrero Stage
BWW Review: FUN HOME at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley puts the home and the heart in dysfunction
BWW Review: THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD THRILLS AND DELIGHTS NOW THRU NOV. 11 at 3Below
BWW Review: FAIRVIEW Tears It Down For Good At Berkeley Repertory Theatre
BWW Review: SWEAT tests loyalty and identity at the Geary Theater
BWW Review: RED SCARE ON SUNSET at New Conservatory Theatre Center
BWW Review: ON YOUR FEET! Thrills Now Through October 14th at Broadway San Jose
BWW Review: NATIVE GARDENS Sows Mayhem Through Comedy Through 9/16 at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley
IN THE HEIGHTS Hits All the Right Notes at Woodminster Now Thru Sep 9
BWW Review: Bay Area Musical's THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME is Glorious
BWW Review: SCHOOL OF ROCK is an easy roll at the Orpheum Theatre
BWW Review: A.C.T. Takes a Nice WALK ON THE MOON at Geary Theater
BWW Review: Transcendence Theatre's 'Broadway Under the Stars' Triumphantly Climbs the 'Stairway to Paradise'
BWW Review: THE SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY CONDUCTED BY FABIEN GABEL at The Jacobs Music Center
