‘The Aliens’ is pretty far out, man
There's a Kevin Smith vibe to Annie Baker's presentation that soaks the affair with a gritty, slow motion tension of sorts.
Theater and Stage
Reviews and coverage of theater and performing arts in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Berkeley, and beyond. Written by ATCA critic Clinton Stark.
An American Terrorist: ‘Cat’s-Paw’ features intense, unpredictable finale
Perhaps leaders of small radical organizations have the same issues as men of short stature, masking insecurity with bluster.
Review: ‘High’ starring Kathleen Turner
The deep exploration of the necessity for forgiveness, and how forgiveness itself redeems is a central axis of this work. However, this approach is not…
Review: Darkest Africa brings forth a new Caesar
The African-American Shakespeare Company version of Julius Caesar was effective, in part because the love of the original language seemed palpable.
Review: ‘Now Circa Then’ at TheatreWorks
This show is hugely effective, in part because Matt R. Harrington and Kimiye Corwin deliver flawless performances. Moreover, the richly appointed set, costuming, and music…
Review: A gut-wrenching, visceral ‘Scorched’
The centerpiece is an impressive performance by David Strathairn; one that anchors the production with much needed levity, and sly charm. He's a bit aloof…
Devised theatre at the Cutting Ball: ‘Tontlawald’
This extended duration provided the cast with time to ripen into these roles – making the the work like a perfectly ripe fruit, bursting the…
Disney on Ice Toy Story 3: A Critical Analysis
This flicker of intelligence ended in act II, which proffered a steady drumbeat of bad dinosaur rock. Suffice to say if you’ve had enough of…
American Dream deconstructed Casey Anthony style in ‘Buried Child’
By the time slacker Bradley is crawling, semi-chasing Vince through the house in an attempt to recover his prosthetic leg, the family is in full…
Review: ‘A Doctor in Spite of Himself’ a mishy-mashy mash-up
There's a neat trick involving puppets at the beginning of the show, which repeats at the end under a striking moon lit evening sky. Once…