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Continue reading →: Downing, Swanson find many thrills in ‘Real Women Have Curves’ at 6th Street PlayhouseGetting to direct a play that captures a group of marginalized Latinas who find themselves trapped on the wrong end of the economic business scale is a delight for Marie Ramirez Downing. Yet the play’s exploration of exploitation may be the least important issue that is examined. After a lengthy…
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Review: Eight is enough in celestial ‘Octet’ at Berkeley Rep
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Continue reading →: Review: Eight is enough in celestial ‘Octet’ at Berkeley RepMany folks call it scrolling. It can also be called doom-scrolling. Surfing, scanning, you can call it anything you want, because whatever it’s called, it’s never enough. I need some connection. How about a date? Gimme some of that trollin’, message board toxicity. How about some scores for all the…
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Continue reading →: Apostol’s new (old) normal – juggling ‘sloths’ at the Magic while having ‘fun’ at the MoonDoing two shows at the same time isn’t anything new for actor Rinabeth Apostol. It’s exhausting, certainly. But at the very least, both her current shows are in the same city, which cuts down some drive time for the popular Bay Area performer. That convenience isn’t always the case. Back…
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Review: ‘Fefu and her Friends’ confounds and thrills at A.C.T.
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Continue reading →: Review: ‘Fefu and her Friends’ confounds and thrills at A.C.T.The one thing I cannot do is pretend to understand a ton about the greatness of María Irene Fornés. Without a doubt, there is genius in the strokes of the Cuban-American master’s mighty pen, a playwright who is equal parts aura and author. The weight of each calculated word builds…
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Continue reading →: Review: ‘I, Too, Sing America’ at SFBATCO displays the power of restorationThere are so many life-affirming moments in the exuberant production of “I, Too, Sing America,” produced by San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company, it’s hard not to walk out of Brava Theater and feel as if you just went to church. The power of the show lies in its defiance…
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Continue reading →: Review: Maladies aplenty in challenging ‘Heroes of the Fourth Turning’ at SF PlayhouseThere is a moment in the haunting and eerie production of “Heroes of the Fourth Turning” at San Francisco Playhouse that speaks to a larger reality. While a group of conservative friends chat about their feelings on abortion, Emily brings forth a bit of a nuanced view. You see, she…
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Continue reading →: Review: Harrowing ‘Swept Away’ at Berkeley Rep navigates difficult choices on rough watersWitnessing the extreme circumstances in “Swept Away” at Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a stressful evening of theatre. Men at sea search for balance on a massive, weather-beaten vessel, then struggle for space on a tiny lifeboat. Viewing such a harrowing story, one can easily become claustrophobic and uncomfortable. Yet the…
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Continue reading →: Review: Freestyle Love Supreme at ACT brings ’em back with ebullient barsBack in January of 2020, “Freestyle Love Supreme” performed at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco as part of SF Sketchfest shortly after their 2019 Broadway run concluded. As is the case with every one of their shows, they lean on the audience to provide suggestions, their dizzying word play…
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Continue reading →: Review: Art and soul make for a magical ‘Band’s Visit’ in San FranciscoIt is the silence that deafens in the quirky yet delightful production of “The Bands Visit,” running through Feb. 6 at the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco. There is no major glitz on the stage – a simple, functional turntable and the set showing a worn down building which…
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Continue reading →: Teatro Alebrijes and their new production brings the holidays home/Teatro Alebrijes y su nuevo producción trae las Días festivos a casaOver in a corner of a garage that sits in East San José, there’s a ton of food. Tacos, pizza boxes, onions, cilantro and chíle are ready to feed the hungry actors who sneak over to the blanket-covered washing machine and snag a snack before moving just inches away to…
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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