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There’s no better way to mark the almost-end of a season than with a party. Premiering in late May and running through early July at SF Playhouse is Mike Leigh’s renowned “Abigail’s Party,” a British satire and black comedy of terrible manners. The disco music is playing, the cigarettes are
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Last week, Disney’s “Mary Poppins” musical premiered at San Francisco’s Orpheum Theatre. The Daily Californian spoke with Madeline Trumble — a native of Berkeley and the star of the touring production — about growing up in the Bay Area, the struggles of working on a touring show and the magic
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In 2006, Impact Theatre debuted the very first edition of “Jukebox Stories” — a two-man show featuring stories and songs performed and written by playwright Prince Gomolvilas and singer-songwriter Brandon Patton, respectively. What began as an experiment in the basement theatre underneath La Val’s Pizza, which Impact calls home, is
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What happens when the elements of musical theater, science fiction and original student creativity are combined into one? The product is “NOVA: An Original Music Drama.” The 2013 recipient of the UC Berkeley department of music’s annual Musical Theater Prize, NOVA is an original music drama written, directed and produced
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There is no one more deserving of an “A for effort” than Josh Rivedal. He wrote and stars in an ongoing one-man show about his life in which he sings and acts as a variety of characters, and he performs without inhibition. It’s the kind of show that people really
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Here’s how to put on a disturbingly hilarious and outrageously entertaining musical in a confined basement-slash-student-theater: Take six socially awkward and sensationally idiosyncratic elementary school students, give them each a Red Bull or two and have them battle it out in a local spelling bee put on by equally strange
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Since opening in 1951, Frank Loesser’s “Guys and Dolls,” based on the stories of Damon Runyon, has been hailed as one of the greatest musicals of all time. Director Jon Tracy revives the fun romantic comedy for the Berkeley Playhouse, offering impressive musical numbers, lively dancing and plenty of laughs.
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There are many words in the English language that can be used to describe SF Playhouse’s latest production, “Reasons to Be Pretty.” However, “pretty” may not be one of them. Edgy? Yes. Hilariously entertaining? Yes. Pretty? Not quite. Written by American playwright Neil LaBute, the play is a witty and
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If you know Patti Lupone, you know she’s not someone to be messed with. For more than 30 years, this diva has ruled Broadway with an iron-clad grasp and a voice that says, “Fuck you, I’m amazing,” with every soaring note. Even as a child, Ben Rimalower could sense this
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How do you come to terms with the legacy of an idol? The same way we always have — write a play about the person and emphasize relentlessly his or her weaknesses. Break the person down, and boldly confront all the things you were afraid to consider when he or
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