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"Indecent" at San Francisco Playhouse
Go. That would be my one word review. Because you don't want to miss this incredibly theatrical, moving, funny, heart-breaking, important play, currently staged in an equally incredible production directed by the very talented Susi Damilano.
My full review can be found at TalkinBroadway.
"To Kill a Mockingbird" at BroadwaySF's Golden Gate Theatre
Sure, you've probably read the book, and it was a long time ago, so you likely won't notice the changes Aaron Sorkin has made in his adaptation. But hey - it's an adaptation, you can't expect the whole book to make it to the stage. But being such a genius at dramatic structure, his work brings out the book's main themes with great power - as well as humor and pathos.
Want to know more? Read my full review at TalkinBroadway.
"Circle Mirror Transformation" at Novato Theatre Company
Call me old-fashioned, but I love a play with a plot. A play with something real at stake for the characters. Although Annie Baker has created an interesting set of characters for her Circle Mirror Transformation, the story of a small town community center's beginning acting class, there's no real story to draw you through the show.
That said, this cast (under stellar direction) does a really terrific job, and make even this slow-moving play a joy to watch.
Check out my full review at TalkinBroadway.
"Gala" by Transcendence Theatre Company
The venue is the same, the warm greetings from the staff are still there, the logistics are still handled with efficiency, the cast is still committed and energetic...but this last show of the TTC season simply didn't live up to their high standards.
My full review is up at TalkinBroadway.
Moulin Rouge! at BroadwaySF's Orpheum Theatre
Wow. Just wow.
For more wow, read my review on TalkinBroadway.
"This Much I Know" at Aurora Theatre
I will admit, I'm a little exhausted. Last night was Moulin Rouge!, the second of a four shows in a row. (Plus the heat has had me in the garden hand-watering some of the more thirsty plantings.) So I will be brief: This Much I Know (the first of the four) is one of those shows I hope to see again, in the hope I will be better able to plumb its intricate depths.
Want more? Read my review at TalkinBroadway.
"Oklahoma!" at BroadwaySF's Golden Gate Theatre
I'll admit, I've been a little lax at posting links to my reviews here. Partly it's the August doldrums (and lack of theatre this month) and partly just laziness!
Despite it being performed thousands, if not tens of thousands times a year (hundreds of thousands if we include all those high school productions), I've only seen the show once on stage.
Clearly a classic, it was perhaps time for a skilled director to stage the show with a new take on its text. While the great R&H songs are all here, director Daniel Fish took a decidedly darker approach to the show: sometimes literally, with several blackouts where we could hear the characters speak, but not see them at all.
Despite a significant change to the ending of the show, this diverse cast (and a great seven-piece backing band) were uniformly terrific. And though I've never been a fan of the dream ballet, it felt especially out of place in this production.
This one isn't for everyone, especially traditionalists, but it was still fascinating to see the darker aspects of the show brought to the fore.
"The Prom" at BroadwaySF's Golden Gate Theatre
I'm tempted to say The Prom is a bit of cotton candy - sweet, but short-lived. Except it was a hell of a lot of fun! Some terrific choreography by Casey Nicholaw, and a witty book by Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin. But the highlight was an astounding performance by Kaden Kearney as Emma, the teenage lesbian who just wants to take her girlfriend to the prom, and is helped in her effort by some narcissistic Broadway stars trying up their social justice cred.
Please, go read my full review at TalkinBroadway.
"Let's Dance!" by Transcendence Theatre Company
I've been a fan of Transcendence Theatre Company almost from the beginning. With very few exceptions, their shows have been terrific. The pros at TTC assemble terrific casts (often filled with talented chorus members from Broadway shows) and put them in entertaining revues with great songs, wonderful choreography and simple (but effective) stagecraft.
But the show is only part of the "Best Night Ever" (the company's tag line): the experience of an evening at the Winery Ruins at Jack London State Park is a big part of the magic. It's a gorgeous setting - and the flawless logistics (parking, ticketing, etc.) and ever-smiling staff only make it better.
My full review is up at TalkinBroadway.
"Cats" at Broadway SF's Golden Gate Theatre
Since this is only in town a week, I'm not doing a full review. But I do have some questions:
Why have people decided this is the cheesiest musical ever? Eliot's poetry set to ALW's music is often thrilling, even moving. Even 41 years later, I still get goosebumps from "Memory." Yes, the movie was apparently awful, but this. is. not. the. movie.
Is "Jellicle" the only adjective cats have? It's the jellicle moon, the jellicle choice, the jellicle ball...everything is bloody jellicle.
Why does Old Deuteronomy look like he's 23?
Will the non-equity players rue their decision to be in this show, given the rep it seems to have developed over the years? Their faces sure didn't show embarrassment, but rather joy in doing what they love: performing.
Have you seen the show? If not, now's your chance. The dancing is terrific, and the music is lovely, the poetry delightful, even if the "story" is thinner than a cat's whisker.
"Hello, Dolly!" at The Mountain Play
Ready for a fun outing this weekend? Then get yourself some tickets to Hello, Dolly!, this year's choice for The Mountain Play, a 100+ year old Marin County tradition.
Dyan McBride is Dolly Levi, the busybody who "arranges things." In this show she's after her most important arrangement - the marriage of Horace Vandergelder, the Yonkers "half-a-millionaire" to, well, Dolly - though Horace thinks she's fixing him up with a rich Manhattanite.
As Dolly and Horace, Dyan McBride and Randy Nazarian are wonderful. McBride's easy mezzo-soprano melds beautifully with Jerry Herman's score (and she somehow makes her mark on the role played by some of Broadway's all-time greats!), and Nazarian brings a curmudgeonly comic touch to Vandergelder.
Add a wonderful supporting cast, terrific choreography - and the stunning setting high on Mt. Tam - and you've got a perfect way to spend a sunny Sunday. Feeling energetic? Take the shuttle bus up, then hike down the mountain and avoid the crowds waiting for the return busses. Food and drink available, but bring a picnic if you like.
My full review is on TalkinBroadway.
A Doll's House, Part 2 at Novato Theater Company
Slowly but surely, with occasional hiccoughs here and there, Novato Theater Company is becoming quite an accomplished community theater. They did a terrific job with August, Osage County, and their production of Company included the best performance of "Not Getting Married" I've ever seen - and that included when I saw it on Broadway.
Except for one unfortunate performance (sadly, it's from the lead), their take on Lucas Hnath's jewel of a play, A Doll's House, Part 2, is well worth your time. Mark Clark, who plays Helmer, the abandoned husband of Ibsen's A Doll's House, really loses himself in the role. Every gesture, every line reading felt spot-on.
So get yourself a ticket - and try to ignore Alison Peltz's hyperactive performance as Nora.
Full review is on TalkinBroadway.
"The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin" at SF Playhouse
I think this is one I may need to see again. Two reasons for that: one, the play is dense with story and shifts back and forth across time; and two, I was suffering with an injured back, creating pain that prevented me from giving my full attention to Jessica Huang's intricately-constructed play.
Even without fully grokking everything that went on, fantastic performances from Jomar Tagatac and Carrie Paff made this worth watching.
Now, go read my full review at TalkinBroadway.
"Hotter Than Egypt" at Marin Theatre Company
Here's my thought: if you like Edward Albee's plays, I think you'll like this one. The way playwright Yussef El Guindi has his characters - especially the clueless tourist/businessman/husband Paul - bouncing off of each other with dialogue that never really allow them to connect puts me in mind of some of Albee's work. Hotter Than Egypt travels a zigzagging path that is incredibly compelling - that can, at times, be hilarious. Brilliantly acted, btw.
Read my full review at TalkinBroadway.
"Circle Mirror Transformation" by Custom Made Theatre Co. at Phoenix Theater
It would be quite easy to pass of Annie Baker's Circle Mirror Transformation as a bit of artistic navel-gazing. After all, it's about actors learning to become actors by playing a series of theatre games in an acting class at a community center in Vermont. But the games slowly and subtly reveal not simply the characters these students want to portray, but the characters they actually are in real life.
Director Ciera Eis does a marvelous job of pacing the production, segueing seamlessly between quiet, still moments and the occasional weirdness that often happens in improv games. On top of that, she's found a terrific, well-balanced cast to help her realize her vision.
Please read my full review at TalkinBroadway.
"Almost, Maine" at Spreckels Theatre Company
I first saw this show about 16 years ago when it first ran in New York. Was charmed by it then, am charmed by it now. Especially when director Anderson Templeton has assembled such a lovely cast who are giving their all.
This collection of 11 vignettes, each connected by being set in a fictional area of far northern Maine (one character's relative moves to Vermont because the winters are easier there), are heartwarming, touching, funny, silly, entertaining - and will take your mind off all the world's problems for a couple of hours.
I'd call that a bargain. (Maybe not "the best I ever had," but a bargain nonetheless. Apologies to The Who.)
Read my full review at TalkinBroadway.
"Water by the Spoonful" at SF Playhouse
Since this is the forum where I can really let loose, I'll just say it: what the hell is up with that set? So much about Water by the Spoonful is amazing: it's terrific structure and naturalistic dialogue from playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes (proving why the play deserved the Pulitzer), and especially its cast, which is brilliant across the board. But the set looks like something your local high school drama department could create. How did this happen?
Never mind, though, despite some lackluster direction, this is well worth seeing.
Go read my full review at TalkinBroadway.