Steve Murray - Page 10

Harrison David Rivers continues his characterization of Jesse Howard, first introduced four years ago in This Bitter Earth, who has now returned home to conservative Manhattan, Kansas, and his childhood home full of unresolved memories and a welcome chance at redemption and closure.

Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's iconic rock opera celebrates its 50th Anniversary with a spectacular re-staging of the 2017 Olivier Award-winning Best Musical Revival production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Re-imagined through the eyes of director Timothy Sheader (Crazy for You, Into the Woods) and choreographer Drew McOnie (King Kong, Strictly Ballroom) this JCS dazzled with religiously frenetic choreography and wonderful supporting performances.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley opens its much-anticipated 51st season with a sensational production of Lizard Boy, first time playwright-actor-composer Justin Huertas' quirky mythological hero journey that is both a universal and deeply individual story of accepting oneself.

Those of us too young to have identified with the Rat Pack of the 50's and 60's, a group of Hollywood A-listers including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop, can easily resonate with the themes of the 1980's teen-oriented coming of age films whose soundtrack defined the era. Excellently crafted and superbly performed, this all-new production-built specifically for Feinstein's at the Nikko by the original creative team, crackles with energy and timeless emotional catharsis.

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Re-starting theatre after the pandemic shutdown is a bit of a challenge; theatregoers are still wary of live performances and seating is limited. Not a sustainable outlook, but it is encouraging that companies are proceeding and hopefully the outlook will improve. SF Playhouse's choice of presenting a reworking of David Shire and Richard Maltby, Jrs. 1976 musical revue Starting Here, Starting Now is successful in its modern gender bending embellishments and economy of scale.

As I reported last year, SF Mime Troupe has revived the good old days of episodic radio serials, a perfect genre for shelter in place entertainment. In the comfort of your home, you can listen to these funny, left-leaning, provocative broadcasts that allow your imaginations to soar.

The story of Gordon Hirabayashi's five-decade struggle for justice for the forced detention of Japanese-Americans during WWII is powerfully recreated in Jeanne Sakata's lovingly researched historical drama buoyed by a stellar performance by Jomar Tagatac.

I can't remember how many times I've joked 'Shoot Me if.... Shoot me if I ever wear my pants below my underwear. Shoot me if I eat this entire pint of Haagen-Dazs, etc. Writer Ruben Grijalva uses this usually non-actionable catchphrase as the catalyst for this untypically light drama about the effects of dementia on both the victim of the disease and the family.

BWW Review: [HIEROGLYPH] at SF Playhouse

It's the dark ugly days of August 2020 and COVID isolation and the specter of a 2nd Trump election loom large over writer Jesse Howard who's hunkered down at his childhood home in Manhattan, Kansas with his conservative Christian parents. What transpires in this beautifully written and spoken audio drama is a rumination on where he's bound existentially and practically.

Ah the simple holiday joys of benevolent capitalism! Probably the most popular of the Xmas productions, Dicken's novella A Christmas Carol has been praised by socialists for its anti-capitalist sentiments.

Chicago-based Loy A. Webb's The Light is much more than a sweet proposal tale between African American couple Rashad (Kenny Scott) and Genesis (Leigh Rondon-Davis). Their two-year anniversary and gift giving evening is a jumping off point for a very heavy socio-political didactic on domestic violence and the plight of Black women. Not your typical holiday fare you'd think, but there is an uplifting denouement that provides hope for not just this couple, but for society at large.

SF Playhouse continues its steaming on demand season with its 2nd re-telling of Brian Copeland's 2013 alt-Xmas tale The Jewelry Box. I consider this an alternative to the typical Christmas fare and for that purpose it deserves consideration for its simple lesson of holiday giving seen through the perspective of a naïve six-year-old East Oakland boy.

Marin Theatre Company partners with Working Theatre (NYC) and five other theatre companies in presenting the West Coast Digital Debut of Leila Buck's interactive theatrical experience, American Dreams. In the year of COVID-19, digital productions are the new medium and companies are experimenting with available styles, either live recorded productions or in this case, a Zoom presentation similar to our work at home business meetings.

One friend's purchase of an expensive painting is the catalyst for darkly comic examination of friendships and how easily the bonds can be stretched and broken. Yasmina Reza's sharp, clever script is delivered by three outstanding actors to create a searing metaphor on the deep divisions in our nation. Originally produced in 1994, Art went on to win the Molière Award for Best Author and the 1998 Tony Award for Best Play. SF Playhouse's Bill English directs this digital presentation with multiple camera angles and a minimalist set that allow the stellar cast to mine the dialogue for all its gold.

Straight out of recent headlines of #metoo, Bill Cosby, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein comes the World Premiere of Kate Cortesi's Love, a clever, well-acted examination of sexual abuse from the perspective of abuser and victim that challenges the black and white image of right and wrong by adding in heavy shades of grey. The results are a thoughtful, yet perplexing look at the dynamics of sexual power politics.