Broadway musicals continue to draw massive audiences. Hamilton, no doubt, is the most recent example to demonstrate that we still pine for good song and dance, along with a compelling story. That tickets are so outrageously priced (in many cases) and hard to come by further the notion that perhaps the...

The American Conservatory Theater’s newest offering, John, is almost a ghost story. Creepy dolls, spooky stories, battlefield lore, flickering lights, and temperamental rooms all feature, but the story stays within the natural (no “super”). That’s not a bad thing: there are plenty of good shows about crumbling relationships. Pulitzer...

Society Cabaret musical presentations at the Hotel Rex have been called “the essential San Francisco experience,” with quality performers in an acclaimed venue featuring excellent cocktails and food. The Hotel Rex is a “boutique” hotel owned by Joie de Vivre and located near Union Square. A recent visit to the...

Khaled Hosseini’s novel A Thousand Splendid Suns tells the story of two Afghani women, Laila and Mariam. Both end up married to the abusive Rasheed during the oppressive reign of the Taliban, but their friendship flourishes in these harsh conditions. Ursula Rani Sarma’s theatrical adaptation, currently receiving its world...

Fun Home doesn’t need my praise. The show, by Jeanine Tesori (music) and Lisa Kron (lyrics and book) won rave reviews and the 2015 Best Musical Tony Award for its Broadway run. But I can’t restrain myself: go, go, go see this! I laughed, I teared up, I sunk...

Celebrating the Holydays.

Of all the Christmas pageants performed in the Bay Area during the holiday season, A.C.T.’s annual offering of A Christmas Carol has evolved into a must-see event, required viewing for the entire family. Some have called Charles Dickens “the man who invented Christmas.” After experiencing his novella adapted for...

Every theater company (and symphony and ballet) seems to want to put on a good Christmas show. This results in the predictable November and December line-up of Christmas Carols, Messiahs, and Nutcrackers. Make no mistake—those are excellent works. But it’s nice to see something different. One solution: a world...

Cirque du Soleil’s latest mind-bending creation is Luzia – A Waking Dream of Mexico, currently being performed in the Grand Chapiteau tent behind AT&T Park. The world tour of Luzia kicked off in Montreal in April of this year. The tent is new, elaborate and specially designed for the unique...

In Spanish Luzia means light ("luz") rain ("lluvia"). If you're Cirque du Soleil, it means intricate, poetic, acrobatic art. In this "waking dream" light quenches the spirit and rain soothes the soul. According to organizers Cirque's new, visually stunning show will feature "a cast of 44 performers from diverse artistic backgrounds, Luzia...