Review: “Mamma Mia!” in Novato

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,…

Review: “The Lifespan of a Fact” in Santa Rosa

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 production…

Review: “Seussical” in Rohnert Park

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…

Preview: David Templeton’s “All in Favor” in Santa Rosa

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 latest work at Santa…

2nd Review: “The Light in the Piazza” in Sonoma

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…

Review: “X” in Santa Rosa

by Harry Duke * Dramatic plays in the sci-fi/horror genre are few and far between. Whether it’s budgetary restraints or the difficulty in getting audiences to suspend their disbelief that much, folks interested in seeing that stripe of show usually have limited opportunities to do so. 6th Street Playhouse’s recent production of Marjorie Prime and…