By HARRY DUKE, originally published in NORTH BAY BOHEMIAN What is the point of reviewing theatre? If you had asked me that question 90 days ago, my answer would be to provide potential audience members some information with which they could make informed decisions on which of the numerous North Bay productions they might choose […]
By JACK LYONS, Special from Desert Local News.com (PALM SPRINGS, CA.) – Coyote StageWorks, of Palm Springs, presents playwright Lucas Hnath’s A Doll’s House, Part 2 as the debut production in their new permanent home at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, formerly known as the Camelot Theatres. It was an inspired choice that sets the performing […]
By JACK LYONS, Desert Local News “Silly is as silly does,” could easily be the subtitle following the name of the current comedy/farce romp The Underpants, now on stage at the Old Globe’s Sheryl and Harvey White stage. However, when the playwright in question is the wildly talented and brilliant Renaissance man of comedy who […]
By JACK LYONS, Desert Local News There have been many love stories written about the redemptive power of love in all its art forms: poems, songs, odes, sonnets, essays, novels, movies, and stage plays over the centuries. Be it the 2500-year-old Greek theatre with its ancient plays and their paean’s to love and war– or the […]
By AARON KRAUSE He is entering his 50th and final season as TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s Artistic Director and has garnered many awards for his work with the Bay Area company. And to top off Robert Kelley’s five decades at its helm, one of the longest of any professional regional theater, the founding artistic director recently […]
By ALAN SMASON SAN FRANCISCO — Anyone who has ever seen a Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney film knows that the ills of the world can be transformed by putting on a show, raising needed revenue and, thus, saving the day. That was the premise behind the 1943 MGM film “Girl Crazy,” which contained quite […]
By JACK LYONS Ambition supposedly killed Caesar, according to Brutus. However, it also became a two-edged sword that cut both ways. Literature is bursting with characters who are infected with the “ambition” virus, who sometimes beat the odds, but usually die in the effort. Themes of love and death are intrinsically linked in literature. Thank […]
By HARRY DUKE Musicals are the bread and butter of community theatre. They’re usually crowd pleasers and, with their large casts, can bank on a crowd of family and friends to fill a good portion of the house. They require a certain amount of space and a certain level of talent. Directors often cast for […]
By AARON KRAUSE PALO ALTO, Calif. — Award-winning Bay Area playwright and composer Min Kahng thought his discovery several years ago was “fascinating” and “unique.” It would be “fun and interesting” to adapt for the stage, he further believed. Kahng has done that. His adaptation of one of the first-ever graphic novels has opened for […]
By HARRY DUKE It’s 1648 and the splendiferous Taj Mahal awaits its opening. Humayun and Babur, the two lowliest members of Emperor Shah Jahan’s royal guards, are assigned the lowliest duty at the worst post. They are stationed at the gate and forbidden to look in. Humayan dreams of being reassigned to the Emperor’s harem. […]