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Continue reading →: Soprano Adams’ passion for Puccini leads her to Opera San Jose’s ‘La Boheme’
Julie Adams had dreams of being a Broadway star. The big bright lights of the Great White Way were her destiny, singing the show-stopping power ballad while flying through the air. And when she landed back on the stage, she would start dancing and…. Well, that’s kind of where that…
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Continue reading →: Bay Area high school students don’t throw away their shot to see ‘Hamilton’ through ‘EduHam’
For young Diana Falcón, the moment was overwhelming. The 17-year-old junior from Downtown High School in San Francisco rarely speaks in front of a crowd and says she struggles with social anxiety. So for Diana to set foot on the stage of “Hamilton: An American Musical,” the hottest show on Broadway,…
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Continue reading →: Review: African-American Shakes’ powerful ‘Jitney’ showcases the brilliance of Wilson’s words
The tableau is powerful. For all the talking that takes place at the jitney station in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, it is that moment of stoic calm that contrasts so perfectly with the constant cacophony of life amongst the jitney drivers. August Wilson’s play “Jitney,” produced with magnificent splendor…
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Continue reading →: Center REP’s ‘Sisters Matsumoto’ no longer simply a play of history
For Mina Morita, making theatre is a very personal endeavor. She is the artistic director of Crowded Fire Theater in San Francisco, a company that is spearheaded entirely by passionate women, producing plays written exclusively by women and other traditionally marginalized populations. So if her full time gig’s work is…
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Continue reading →: African-American Shakespeare Company drives ‘Jitney’ onto the stage
“This was the very first play in which I listened to the dialogue as opposed to trying to force it into the mouths of characters, and once I got the characters talking, it was difficult to shut them up. “ –August Wilson In the PBS documentary about the late great…
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Continue reading →: Review: Devastating and powerful ‘Eclipsed’ asks its audience to do one thing
During the tender moments of levity amongst the three women who live in a bullet riddled shanty, laughs are shared and bonding is cemented. And yet, within multiple instances, the women stop dead in their tracks and merely stare into the abyss, eyes panning slowly and precisely across the landscape.…
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Continue reading →: Review: Fiasco’s ‘Into the Woods’ at SHN uses the simple for the grand
Cinderella has dreams of going to the King’s festivities, yet her two stepsisters and her horrendous stepmother go without her. Instead of going to the grand, majestic ball, Cinderella enters the woods to visit her mother’s eternal resting place, looking to feel a spirit that may guide her. The hapless…
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Continue reading →: Kramer stays busy as Fiasco’s ‘Into the Woods’ comes to San Francisco
So there’s this incredible budding rapper making her way to San Francisco, and she’s ready to be a part of a major national touring show that’s now in the Bay Area. And no, the show is not about the first treasury secretary of the United States. While Broadway sensation “Hamilton” is…
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Continue reading →: Review: San Jose Stage’s compelling ‘Disgraced’ does not allow for an escape
Amir Kapoor identifies as an apostate. In this case, he denies his former religion, and denies his heritage. In the cutthroat world of law and partnerships, trying to make partner in a Jewish law firm, this is not the time or place to go around advertising your Muslim beliefs. Amir…
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Continue reading →: Review: Hilarity and hypocrisy the focus of Berkeley Rep’s brilliant ‘Hand to God’
So after witnessing the sublimely entertaining and wildly maniacal Berkeley Repertory Theatre production of “Hand to God,” I have a few questions: What the hell did I just witness? What the hell was happening up there? How did those puppets make all that sweet love, and why was it kinda…
David John Chávez
Bay Area theater critic/reporter, Executive Chair – American Theatre Critics/Journalists Association, Two-time Pulitzer Prize for Drama jurist (’22-’23). Follow me on socials and say hi! #hellatheatre
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