by Harry Duke A middle-aged British woman, wife, and mother wonders whatever became of herself and sets out to rediscover life in Willy Russell’s Shirley Valentine. Jennifer King stars in the one-woman show now running on the Rotary Stage in the Sonoma Community Center through Feb. 22. We meet Shirley in her Liverpool home kitchen…
by Harry Duke An upside-down family gets right-sided with the help of a practically perfect nanny in P.L. Travers classic Mary Poppins. In between the 1964 Disney film adaption and its belated 2018 sequel, Cameron Mackintosh put together a Broadway musical that featured elements of the Disney film along with new material. Santa Rosa’s 6th…
by Cari Lynn Pace A middle-aged housewife tosses her worn apron aside and packs a silk kimono for the Greek Islands. Meet Shirley Valentine, a charming woman in Liverpool, England who does everything for everyone, including her spoiled daughter and demeaning husband. Shirley doesn’t complain as she talks aloud, examining her life and the choices…
by Beulah F. Vega Santa Rosa’s 6th Street Playhouse delves into the world of Shakespeare once more with its production of Romeo & Juliet running through Feb. 15 on their Monroe Stage. Director Drew Bolander’s adaptation is a traditional (almost) fully uncut production. If you don’t know Romeo & Juliet, the simplest explanation of the…
My guest on the second of two 02/05/25 “Theatre Thursday” segments on The Drive on 95.5 FM was Jennifer King, currently appearing in Sonoma Arts Live’s production of Shirley Valentine. The show runs on the Rotary Stage of the Sonoma Community Center in Sonoma through February 22. Click below to listen: ********** Click HERE for…
My guests on the first of two 02/05/25 “Theatre Thursday” segments on The Drive on 95.5 FM were Caroline Flett and Celina Kegerreis from the 6th Street Playhouse production of Mary Poppins. The show has two casts of main characters appearing on diffferent nights through March 1 in the GK Hardt Theatre of Santa Rosa’s…
by Cari Lynn Pace Marin Theatre’s Boyer stage holds a magnificent set by Nina Ball populated with characters from somewhere in Russia. They lounge around while gossiping about their expected guests. When the house guests arrive, their long-absent relationships are sorted out. The arriving drama queen is Liubov, in a flighty and capricious role done…
by Cari Lynn Pace During WWI, communication in the field of battle was critical to the Army. Soldiers could not work the plug-and-cord switchboards fast and efficiently, causing poor results and failed coordination with our Allies in Europe. Desperate, the Army reluctantly recruited female switchboard operators who could translate calls between English and French. These…
My guests on the 01/29/26 “Theatre Thursday” segment on The Drive on 95.5 were YWCA of Sonoma County Chief Executive Officer Madeleine Keegan-O’Connell and Press Democrat columnist Chris Smith to talk about their upcoming benefit performance of A. R. Gurney’s Love Letters. The one-night-only performance will be held Friday, February 13 in the Carsten Cabaret…
by Harry Duke Two men are conversing while one of them fishes off of a Chesapeake Bay dock. The fisherman regales the stranger with tales of fishing with his son. The stranger seems somewhat confused by the conversation. A woman soon approaches. As they converse, we learn they’re not strangers at all. They’re a family.…
by Cari Lynn Pace Novato Theater Company’s highly imaginative presentation of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, running now through February 15, opens with a clever B&W film reel, spoofing the actors, establishing the mood, and setting the time squarely in the 1940’s. This inventive intro is just one of several creative special effects…
My guests on the 01/22/26 “Theatre Thursday” segment on The Drive on 95.5 were director Drew Bolander and actor Tina Traboulsi from the 6th Street Playhouse production of William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. The show runs January 23 through February 15 on the Monroe Stage of Santa Rosa’s 6th Street Playhouse. Click below to listen:…
My guests on the 01/15/26 “Theatre Thursday” segment on The Drive on 95.5 were Brittany Law and Trevor Hoffmann from the Cinnabar Theater production of My Fair Lady. The show runs in the Warren Theater on the campus of Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park from January 23 through February 8. Click below to listen:…
My guests on the 01/08/26 “Theatre Thursday” segment on The Drive on 95.5 were Stage Director Elizabeth Craven and Music Director Tom Martin from the Mercury Theater production of Woody Guthrie’s American Song. The show runs January 9 through January 25 in the former Cinnabar Theater in Petaluma. Click below to listen: ********** Click HERE…
Marin theatre companies reach back to 1904,1942, and 2018 for shows to draw audiences into their houses in 2026. A classic drama, a Pulitzer Prize-winning allegory, and a modern musical look at the U.S.’s first women soldiers are what’s on tap for the New Year. The Novato Theater Company is first out of the gate…
North Bay Stage and Screen 