Food & Wine: Fred’s Diner in San Francisco
Fred's Diner is kind of a quirky joint. That's my initial gut reaction after spending time at one of San Francsico's newest eateries.
The vibe is distinctly 1950's Americana. A jukebox at one end tees up no shortage of Elvis, and Buddy Holly. And the wait staff -- entirely good...
Nothing’s ugly about ‘Dogfight’
"The ugliest girl wins the dough for the guy who brought her."
On their last night before deployment, six Marines make a bet—a dogfight. The tough-talking Eddie Birdlace finds a waitress for his entry, but he quickly discovers himself falling for her in spite of her appearance. As produced by...
Wildly Exuberant & Coyly Petulant at Smuin Ballet’s season opener
This seductive dreaminess even penetrates the second movement, but dreamy woodwinds yield to more assertive sounds, and the dancers (starting with a group of four men and a woman) respond in kind.
No Waiting Period Required: Brian Copeland at the Marsh
Suicide is never too far from anyone’s mind in Silicon Valley, especially here in Palo Alto where most of us are either nursing scar tissue or harboring a worrisome suspicion that we’ve created a coal mine for so many canaries.
‘This is Our Youth’ amuses and moves at The Custom Made Theater
Kenneth Lonergan’s This is Our Youth is about rich, bored, high kids in the Upper West Side of New York City in the Reagan era with a bundle of cash and a good drug dealer network. This goes about as well as you’d expect. Kicked out of his house...
‘ReOrient’ your perspective on the Middle East (Review)
Some of the best experiences I've had covering the San Francisco Bay Area theater scene over the years share a common characteristic: that of the unexpected. Perhaps it's a new, never-before-scene work. Or a play that pushes the envelope. Or, maybe, something that challenges your perspectives, and stomps all over your comfort...
Eco-Theater: ‘Flying Ace and the Storm of the Century’ coming to San Francisco
UPDATED 9.19.15: High resolution photos added.
Flying Ace and the Storm of the Century, created in collaboration with scientists from Columbia University’s Earth Institute, is a one-act play for audiences of all ages inspired by Snoopy and Hurricane Sandy, exploring hope in the face of extreme climatic events.
Organizers tell Stark...
American Theatre remembers director Mark Rucker
"Living on in the love he not only inspired but actively cultivated—that is so Mark Rucker." – Catherine Sheehy, Yale School of Drama.
Samantha Barks stars in charming Amélie musical (Review)
UPDATE 9.14.2015 11:55am PT - We've been informed 8 new performances of Amélie, A New Musical have been added, and the show now runs through October 11.
Amélie, Jean-Pierre Jeaunet's 2001 hit film (5 Oscar nominations), has landed on the stage.
The new production opened over the weekend at Berkeley Rep, and, if...
Laughter and death at Ann Randolph’s ‘Loveland’
Ann Randolph’s greatest strength as a performer is her utter willingness to look foolish. In Loveland, her alter ego Franny dances awkwardly, speaks nasally, and says whatever she happens to be thinking—even if that’s recounting her experiences masturbating in massage chairs at Whole Foods. Franny’s vocation and “special talent” is...