-
Continue reading →: Review: Despite flaws, ‘Newsies’ brings about a youthful energy
There is certainly much to like in the touring production of the Disney musical “Newsies,” currently running through March 15th at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco. It has a spirit and a gusto that is raucous, youthful and loaded with energy. Yet the musicals fatal flaw is that it is…
-
Continue reading →: Review: San Jose Stage’s ‘Venus in Fur’ a delicious pas de deux
Thomas Novachek doesn’t waste any time with his critique of actresses today. They are self-absorbed. Lacking of skill. And not just acting skill, but skill of life. Shortly after sharing his feelings on the phone with a friend after a dizzying day of craptastic auditioners, into his audition room walks…
-
Continue reading →: Alameda’s DeGuzman returns to his roots with SHNSF’s ‘Newsies’
Call Julian DeGuzman’s dad Joe something of a visionary. When Julian was growing up in Alameda, Joe spent many hours, days and years driving his son around to dance class after dance class. Ballet in Castro Valley. Tap in San Francisco. Gymnastics at UC Berkeley. Transmissions were not safe in…
-
Continue reading →: Trust is a key component in ‘Venus in Fur’ at San Jose Stage
It was Oscar Wilde who said, “Everything in the world is about sex except sex. Sex is about power.” The intellectually gifted and suffocatingly arrogant playwright Thomas Novachek seems to understand this oh so clearly. He is the author of a new play adapted from the 1870 novel “Venus in…
-
Continue reading →: Review: A myriad of issues at the heart of America’s game in ‘X’s and O’s (A Football Love Story) at Berkeley RepI grew up in a barbaric time for young men. Battle Royals on a bed and the quest to not get thrown off, ACTUAL pile drivers on thin carpet, and boxing in the garage inside of rings made with yarn, wearing socks for gloves. The sock was supposed to take the…
-
Continue reading →: Review: Lansbury brings grace and charm to Coward’s classic ‘Blithe Spirit’
The delectably cheeky Noel Coward sure has a sense of humor. The witty and pretty “Blithe Spirit” is certainly in a wonderful place as it makes its way through San Francisco, led smartly by the wonderful direction of Michael Blakemore and starring Angela Lansbury as séance guru and all-around nutbag…
-
Continue reading →: Parry finds the zany in Coward’s farcical ‘Blithe Spirit’“Blithe Spirit” is a play that never seems to age. It’s a play that still maintains its freshness and hilarity despite being written in six days in 1941 by prolific playwright Noel Coward. That’s certainly how Charlotte Parry feels. The ultra-busy stage actor, interpreting the role of Ruth in a…
-
Continue reading →: Pulitzer Prize winner ‘Clybourne Park’ moves to 6th Street in Santa Rosa
In 2014, issues of race continued to dominate headlines. The deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner sparked nationwide protests, with the epicenter in Ferguson, Missouri, the city where Brown was killed by police officer Darren Wilson. The protests have brought forth heated conversations on both sides of the issue, with a fierce examination…
-
Continue reading →: The Drama Guy’s Top 10 of ’14
This has been another solid year of play going for yours truly. It’s always great to get out to different areas of the Bay and be a part of an art form that generates so much passion with so many giving of themselves on and behind the stage. This year…
-
Continue reading →: Bay Area’s holiday happenings to end 2014
A final few tidbits for the last few days of 2014… SCROOGE RUNS THE BAY A few days left for a holiday tradition that is served up in every corner of the Bay Area. Popular versions of the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol” are running in Walnut Creek, San…
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
Let’s connect
Join the fun!
Stay updated with our latest tutorials and ideas by joining our newsletter.
Bay Area Plays.com 