The Words on Plays synopsis I read in the passenger seat by a dimly lit book light did not prepare me for what transpired on stage at A.C.T.'s World Premiere of The Caucasian Chalk Circle. Playwright Bertolt Brecht's creation tells the tale of a mother's love in a period of...

Tom Stoppard's Rock 'n' Roll is an epic, historical journey that explores the impact of rock and roll on the democratic movement in Eastern Block Czechoslovakia from the Spring of 1968 to the Velvet Revolution of 1989. Even though the play is about three hours long with a 15 minute...

As a guy it pains me sometimes to use adjectives such as cute, charming, delightful. But these are entirely appropriate for the latest Cinequest screener I watched called Raspberry Magic. Of a strong group of films so far, it may be the best yet. The story is centered around a...

Sophocles' Greek tragic tale of Oedipus, a man who dared believe he could steer his own fate against the curses of the Gods, has seeped into many literary works since it was first performed c. 429 BC. The timeless themes of fate and love are constructed in such a...

San Francisco Opera released their FY 2008-2009 results. There is some good news, and not-so-good news. First, the good: the budget is balanced at about $67M, with an operating income of $416,032. Summer season ticket sales were strong, according to the press release. Contributions to the annual fund accounted...

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...

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...

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...

I can't imagine many things worse in life than losing a child. We would all agree it is horrible, devastating. But as we find out in the moving production of Rabbit Hole by Palo Alto Players, the process of grieving is individual, painful, and, perhaps for this family, a...

Guest post by Pat Reardon. “Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me… Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”  – Shel Silverstein And, anything does happen at Dragon’s latest production, An...