The affair in the world premiere in Second Weekend in September, which opened last week at City Lights Theater in San Jose, is smoldering, unique and, yes, even nudity-filled. Best of all, it debunks the stereotypes and cliches so often used to portray the gay lifestyle. While Michael (Christopher...

For a moment it felt like I was in one of those great outdoor amphitheatres in Greece. Or maybe it was Rome. But when I saw the sun shimmering across the Pacific Ocean through the majestic Redwood forest I knew this could only happen in one magical place on...

A good friend often asks why I subject myself to the same musical over and over again. That’s a fair question, especially when the show in question is as silly a bit of fluff as Little Shop of Horrors. Watching the same show done by different companies trains the...

Some rules are made to be broken. Several months back, I decided never to review children’s theater. On one hand, I didn’t want to be hamstrung by an inability to be critical and on the other, it wouldn’t be fair holding kids to an adult standard. Fortunately, neither of...

Politics. Just about any other subject is a better choice at a social gathering. However, in the world premiere of In the Wake at Berkeley Rep, railing about anything related to the system—be it the Republican agenda, the lack of Liberal organization or even tax policy—repeatedly crashes the most festive of...

The world premiere of director/playwright Stuart Bousel's Giant Bones, a clever assimilation of four stories by author Peter S. Beagle, opened over the weekend at EXIT Theatre in San Francisco. It's an intriguing and challenging piece that once again demonstrates the power of small, black-box theater. In the tech world,...

Sonia Flew adds an emotional exclamation mark to the end of the San Jose Rep's 2009/2010 season, and does so with such riveting performances and heartfelt drama, that it's impossible not to be moved. Set alternatively against the backdrop of post-9/11 America and the Cuban Revolution, it elevates our consciousness. What does it mean to...

The Curran Theatre in San Francisco was one heck of a fun place to be last night. Touring Broadway show (by SHN) In the Heights opened here to an enthusiastic crowd and did not disappoint, demonstrating why it nabbed a 2008 Tony for best musical, and a Grammy for best...

Everything but the kitchen sink gets tossed into the high-tech version of Peter Pan that opened yesterday at Ferry Park in San Francisco. With a 360-degree jumbo video screen and exciting flying acrobatics it should fulfill the dreams of any starry-eyed youngster looking for adventure and thrills. Everything is larger than...

Throughout the first act of the Hillbarn’s Gypsy, I wondered why it seemed so lackluster. Annmarie Martin (Rose) is a commanding vocalist. Dan Kapler (Herbie) and Annmarie are perfectly cast together. The child dancers, especially in the newsboy scene, are incredibly well-focused. The busy opening was hard to pull...