by Barry Willis * Named “Playwright of the Year” in 2017 by the Wall Street Journal, Kate Hamill is among the new crop of trendy young writers. Her Sherlock Holmes spoof, Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson, Apt. 2B, is currently running at Ross Valley Players in Marin County. Publicity supplied with that show indicates that…
by Cari Lynn Pace It’s hallelujah and high praise for Sister Act, now running in Santa Rosa at 6th Street Playhouse through June 27. This stage version patterns the plot of Whoopie Goldberg’s popular 1992 movie. The movie’s rock ‘n roll soundtrack has been scrubbed to feature original rock and soul music by Alan…
by Barry Willis * A hardcore theater fan treats the audience to a fantastical retelling of his favorite early-20th century musical in The Drowsy Chaperone, now running in Napa at the Lucky Penny Community Arts Center through June 14. DC Scarpelli stars as the narrator (“Man in Chair”) who describes every aspect of a cast…
by Harry Duke * Adaptations of film and television shows into stage musicals range from the fairly faithful (The Producers, any Disney film) to the barely recognizable (The Addams Family Musical). Sister Act, now running at Santa Rosa’s 6th Street Playhouse through June 27, falls into the latter category. Sitcom writers Bill and Cheri Steinkellner…
by Harry Duke * Audiences don’t go to jukebox musicals for their plots. The often threadbare and/or ridiculous storylines used as bridging material between popular songs by an artist or group are tolerated by audiences waiting to hear the next in a series of greatest hits, be they by Patsy Kline, the Go-Gos, or Neil…
My guests on the 05/28/26 “Theatre Thursday” segment on The Drive on 95.5 were actor Hannah Passanisi, choreographer Jorey Cantu, and director Megan Bartlettt from the 6th Street Playhouse production of Sister Act. The show runs in the GK Hardt Theatre from May 29 through June 27. Click below to listen: ********** Click HERE for…
by Harry Duke * If you’re a fan of South Park and Team America: World Police, then the stage show Avenue Q should be right up your alley. It’s an adult send-up of Sesame Street, the children’s television classic where humans and puppets co-exist and life’s problems are acknowledged and solved with humor and song.…
My guests on the 05/21/26 “Theatre Thursday” segment on The Drive on 95.5 were Marketing Director Jonathan Wind and stage director Amy Kossow from The 222 in Healdsburg to discuss their West Coast premiere of Lauren Gunderon’s A Room in the Castle. The show has four more performances in the Paul Mahder Gallery from Friday,…
by Cari Lynn Pace * Marin County’s Larry Sultan took photos of his parents over a decade, creating a loving tribute to them and an often-annoying pain in the neck for them. Sultan travelled to his childhood home in Southern California each month seeking conversations and photographing his parents’ lives in search of a deeper…
by Cari Lynn Pace * When a stage musical is made into a hit movie, can local singers, actors, and the painted scenery match the excitement of the film’s special effects and celebrity cast? If the production is Mamma Mia!, now being presented by the Novato Theater Company through June 7, the answer is “Yes,…
By Cari Lynn Pace & Barry Willis * Where does embellishment belong in storytelling, if the goal is to create emotional truth? Theater veteran Libby Oberlin directs this extraordinary comedic drama filled with challenging questions on the Monroe Stage at 6th Street Playhouse. You won’t find better acting than this, with incisive dialog and a plot that took seven years to determine the outcome. The…
by Harry Duke * Who doesn’t love Dr. Seuss? The works of Theodor Geisel (under his medical nom-de-plume) have been entertaining children (and their parents) for decades be they books (The Cat in the Hat), television specials (The Grinch Who Stole Christmas), or film (The Lorax). Geisel, with a few notable exceptions, was reluctant to…
My guests on the 05/07/26 “Theatre Thursday” segment on The Drive on 95.5 were Emily Lynn Cornelius and Libby Oberlin from the 6th Street Playhouse production of The Lifespan of a Fact. 6th Street Executive Artistic Director Cornelius takes to the 6th Street stage for the first time under Oberlin’s direction in this fast-paced, blistering…
by Harry Duke * Where’s a playwright to go after exploring the bounds of outer space and the confines of a parrot cage? For award-winning playwright (and former Bohemian contributor) David Templeton, the answer is “back to school”. Templeton, whose most recent plays Galatea and Featherbaby were well received on both coasts, is premiering his…
by Barry Willis * Sonoma Arts Live continues its ambitious and mostly successful run of boy-meets-girl favorite The Light in the Piazza through May 10. A tale about an American woman and her daughter on a tour of Italy, with book by Craig Lucas and music by Adam Guettel, the stage show, based on the…
North Bay Stage and Screen 