Clinton Stark

Clinton shoots videos for Stark Insider. San Francisco Bay Area arts, Ingmar Bergman and French New Wave, and chasing the perfect home espresso shot 25 seconds at a time (and failing). Peloton: ClintTheMint. Camera: Video Gear

Gone in 60 Seconds: Cinequest, On Location, Animals Out of Paper

https://vimeo.com/9122395 Another week of West Coast living here in the San Francisco Bay Area gone in just 60 seconds. Well, okay, again that doesn't  include the extra blooper stuff at the end, my favorite part. Fans of Cinequest will see a sneak of what's to come in our continuing coverage of...

Theater review: ‘Animals Out of Paper’ unfolds beautifully at SF Playhouse

The best play in the Bay Area is now playing at SF Playhouse. It's called Animals Out of Paper. The most pleasant surprise is how well it works with such obtuse, yet intriguing, subject matter: origami. That's right. This is the first play I've ever seen that is based...

Theater review: Irish storytelling in ‘The Weir’ haunts, mesmerizes

Faeries, a lost child, forlorn love and haunting tales warm a small pub outside Dublin, Ireland in The Weir that opened Friday at the San Jose Repertory Theatre. Conor McPherson's play is intense, an emotional roller-coaster that leaves you somewhat winded, and drained. As the wind howls, a group of...

Sunday Espresso: Tradition! Gadget hype, Wayne Gretzky

The Chronicle, The Chronicle, Tradition! The Mercury, The Mercury, Tradition! For some reason, after about 12 events/shows in the last 14 days I find myself going, as Ed Grimley would say, "slightly mental... I must say!" Humming Fiddler songs is a great way to keep myself grounded. Still, I enjoy every...
Harvey Fierstein and the Company Photo by Carol Rosegg

Theater review: Harvey Fierstein milks ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ for every delicious ounce

His name is above the marquee. And just about everywhere else. There is no escaping, Harvey Fierstein is the star of Fiddler on the Roof. It's reaffirmed the second he saunters onto stage, part Russian Santa, part Fred Flintstone, part Dom DeLuise. Plus, that voice! If you just landed from...

Theater Review: ‘The First Grade’ a most con·ge·nial play

The opening scene of Aurora Theatre's The First Grade indeed sends us back to the classroom, with Sydney (Julia Brothers) introducing the word of the day, "congenial." Repeat after me, she says with exuberence: con-ge-nial. It's one of several wonderful moments in the world premiere of Joel Drake Johnson's...

Android App of the Day: Squeeze Commander (aka Sonos for Droid)

For over 10 years now it's filled the home with everything from Duran Duran and Echo & The Bunnymen, to Green Day, Gwen Stefani and Bizet.

Stark Insider Presents: Interview with cast of ‘The Weir’ @sjrep (Part 2)

https://vimeo.com/9050951 Nothing like a pint of Guinness beer to loosen up actors for an interview. Listen in as the cast of The Weir by Conor McPherson, opening tomorrow at the San Jose Repertory Theatre, share stories on the set of the upcoming production. What is a weir? How is American culture...

iPad Hangover: Did Apple miss the mark?

After I soaked in the Apple marketing juice—and it tastes so good—I'm feeling slightly underwhelmed the day after. The iPad announcement had all the trademark pomp and circumstance including live demos, flashy presentations and marketing magician himself Steve Jobs, holding court. But after all the veneer is torn away,...

Theater Guide: Welcome Pear Avenue Theatre, Center REP Theatre, Cirque du Soleil and Palo Alto Players

The Bay Area Theater and Arts Guide continues to grow. Today, I'm pleased to announce that we've added four new theaters to the guide which you can find here. Welcome to Pear Avenue Theatre (Mountain View), Center REP Theatre (Walnut Creek), Cirque du Soleil (OVO in San Jose, opening...