‘Anastasia’ is lively, flawed historical adventure
Emily Bi/Senior Staff
In wanting to be a wholly original musical, “Anastasia” has been stuck failing to please both those who want a faithful adaptation and those who want a fresh take.
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Top UC Berkeley alumni in the arts world to name-drop
While references to famed engineer Butler Lampson or physicist Barry Barish may be hard to fit into a conversation, here are a few of the best UC Berkeley alumni in the entertainment world to bring out the next time you see your high school friends.
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Welcome to Dreamland?
Doors of Perception
Because I am a basic Broadway bitch and am all about Asian representation in media, “Miss Saigon” had always been on the back of my mind to watch.
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12 million minutes later, ‘Rent’ 20th anniversary tour remains problematic but still slaps
The 20th anniversary tour… doesn’t reinvent the wheel as much as it treats its source material like a well-loved, dog-eared book.
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From the Bay to Broadway: Broadway shows that started in Berkeley
The Berkeley Repertory Theatre, located in the heart of Downtown Berkeley, has seen many productions make it to the Big Apple …
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‘Waitress’ at SHN Golden Gate Theatre satisfies sweet tooth
The act of baking a pie lends itself to pitfalls. The filling can’t be too watery; the crust can’t be overbaked; the result can’t be too sweet or too bitter. But in “Waitress,” now playing at the SHN Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco, the recipe is simple: sugar, butter, flour.
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‘Legend of Banbury Cross’ is quintessential fun family theater
At its best, family theater is exuberant and engaging for all family members from young to old. It avoids the saccharine or the too-obvious puns. While it is a tricky balance to maintain, this is what “Legend of Banbury Cross” brought to the Lesher Center for the Arts for a run from Oct. 11 to 13.
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Tragedies of Vietnam War crushed under miniature copter in ‘Miss Saigon’
Following, even perhaps overshadowing, the long thread of issues with “Miss Saigon” is its appraisals — the dazzling show tunes and choreography, sumptuous stage design and the undeniable technical feat of the production.
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‘1984’ lacks development needed for a gripping political drama
The play, which first premiered in the U.K. in 2013 before spreading to Broadway in 2017 and then BareStage this past weekend, progressed in much the same way, attempting to adapt the book as closely as possible for the stage.
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To all the dreams I’ve had before
Off the Beat
When I was in seventh grade, I watched ABC Family’s “Make It Or Break It” and became obsessed with gymnastics. I was convinced that I could be the next Nastia Liukin or Shawn Johnson — all I needed to do was have a few lessons and I would totally be
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