Bay Area theatre talk with a Drama Guy
The opening seconds of “Ripped” are loaded with foreboding. The young woman who lies beneath the cool, white sheets rustles with uncomfortable agitation. This woman, who we learn is named … Continue reading Review: Z Space’s powerful ‘Ripped’ is scintillating and challenging
Eugene Ionesco might not have been thinking of mind-numbing dances like the Macarena or the Floss when he penned his great play “Rhinoceros” in 1959. But that one moment, when … Continue reading Review: A.C.T.’s powerful ‘Rhinoceros’ warns of the dangers of conformity
The month of May is a thrilling time for a college-bound high school senior. College decisions sweep through the latest senior class, graduations and summertime looms large, and campuses big … Continue reading Bublitz’ ‘Ripped’ at Z Space looks at the complexities of consent
Paul S. Flores draws a clear delineation between the stories of Cuban exiles and those of Cuban immigrants. An exile story has themes such as Fidel Castro and the city … Continue reading Musica y raíces of the Bay Area’s Afro-Cuban community on full display in Flores’ very personal ‘We Have Iré’
It only takes a single viewing of the opening tableau of the Palo Alto Players production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Flower Drum Song” to feel the richness of what’s to come. … Continue reading Review: A foggy Chinatown the backdrop for Palo Alto Players’ delightful ‘Flower Drum Song’
Like so many artists who marry, musicians Kate Kilbane and Dan Moses met, made beautiful music together, fell in love as a result, and are now creating shows all over … Continue reading For the Kilbanes, A.C.T.’s ‘Weightless’ is a marriage made in music heaven
“You have to understand, that no one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land.” – Warsan Shire It is a haunting, brutal image. Blue … Continue reading Review: Curran’s white-hot ‘Jungle’ forces us to look within our souls
Chocolate for a little child is purely joyful. Unless you’re Charlie Bucket. The little lad, who is on the cusp of another birthday, loves chocolate, loves its taste, loves its … Continue reading Review: Decadence on display in SHN’s delightful ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’
His name was Otilio. To her, he was Tio Otilio. Irma Herrera’s aunts and uncles came from a generation where names like Dominga, Socorro and Epifania were commonplace. Those were … Continue reading Review: Lend an ‘ear’ to Herrera in the Marsh’s ‘Why Would I Mispronounce My Own Name’
In the tiny living room that Abasiama occupies, there lies a puzzle. It’s not one of those 500-piece deals you buy at Target, mind you, but a homemade puzzle at … Continue reading Review: A painful puzzle is put together in A.C.T. San Francisco’s ‘Her Portmanteau’
Words, words, words. When Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls engaged in an epic, genre-changing feud resulting in two raw-as-hell diss tracks in the ‘90s, the viciousness and furious, visceral nature … Continue reading Review: If you don’t know, now you know that juicy ‘Hamilton’ reigns supreme
There is a charming moment in “Hello Dolly!” which is simplistic in its approach but feels like big, old-school Broadway. The show’s structure is all about its title character, the … Continue reading Review: Despite some issues, SHN’s ‘Hello Dolly!’ is big, old-school Broadway fun
