Premiering at the Aurora Theatre this past week was local playwright Anthony Clarvoe’s “Our Practical Heaven” — a family dramedy consisting of a mere cast of six female characters differing greatly in terms of generations and personalities but strung together by the word “family”. Think “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Read More…
Hats have a long history in professional theater. In Stephen Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park with George,” the artist Georges Seurat sings an entire three-minute ode to “Finishing the Hat.” “Look, I made a hat,” he says, “where there never was a hat.” And, in SF Playhouse’s newest production, a Read More…
The look, plot, dialogue, jokes and even the orchestral accompaniment of “Anything Goes” could easily seem dated. In Cole Porter’s famed 1934 musical, there’s a bit about Arrow shirt collars, Garbo’s salary and Mae West — references that have since gone the way of the cat’s pajamas. But, when you Read More…
Since its premiere in 1994, there has been one sound that retains the power to both excite and empower. It’s a piercing, raw and wholly bewitching chant that can stir even the most ornery of curmudgeons out of their embittered stupor. Out of silence, the words come thundering in: “Nants Read More…
We don’t live in the era of harebrained schemes. We live in the era of venture capitalism and innovative ideas and TED talks. So in this milieu of “anything is possible” — an idea that has persisted despite cries of “The economy! The death of American hegemony! Obesity!” — it Read More…
This year marks the 100th birthday of America’s traveling troubadour, a man literally born from dust and shaped by the land — a man named Woody Guthrie. In timely fashion, UC Berkeley’s Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies premiered “Woody Guthrie’s American Song” this past Friday in what was Read More…
Well, BareStage Productions’ musical comedy “Death and Other Hobbies” didn’t make me want to off myself, so that’s good. It focuses on Corbin Vickers (Alexander Kownatzki), who throws a party for his eccentric cast of friends and family before committing suicide. This soon unravels into a murder mystery party when Read More…
Writing a review of “Einstein on the Beach” is a profound challenge. The opera is hailed as one of the crowning artistic achievements of the 20th century and remains among the most important contributors to modern performance culture. And yet, despite the glitz and glamor surrounding the opera, the endless Read More…
With the presidential election only a few weeks away, it’s easy to see the battle between Romney and Obama becoming increasingly bitter, ruthless or, frankly, absurd. Forget about all of that. These boys are but docile lambs, feeble filibusters and infirmed old grannies compared to the badassery that is Andrew Read More…
There are a few reasons that the man seated next to me may have dozed off midway through Wednesday night’s performance of “An Iliad” at the Berkeley Rep. For one, it was the dead middle of the work week. For another, the average American’s attention span is shrinking. And third, Read More…