by Cari Lynn Pace If you are a fan of Stephen Sondheim, you will be delighted with this Throckmorton Theatre production of Company. If you don’t care for Sondheim’s repetitive musical style, you will still be delighted with this production. It’s a show filled with non-stop energy. Company focuses on bachelor Bobby’s 35th birthday and…
Berkeley Rep’s Uneven “All My Sons” by Barry Willis A week has passed since the press opener of Berkeley Rep’s revamp of Arthur Miller’s enduring family drama All My Sons. Presumably some of the hysteria around this production has faded a bit, but during opening week there was plenty of it among the critical community.…
By Beulah F. Vega Napa Valley College has opened it’s two weekend (02/27- 03/08) run of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods. The almost three-hour-long show tells the story of a baker (Gabriel Logan Reyes) and his wife (Lindsay Stark) who must go into the woods to gather the ingredients needed to lift a curse their…
by Beulah F. Vega Napa County’s Valley Players presents the Jones Hope Wooten comedy The Savannah Sipping Society at the Rutherford Grange through March 15. Directed by Debbie Baumann, this look at women of a certain age brings a perspective often missing from the stages around our area. Middle-aged Randa Covington (Christina Julian) finds herself…
by Cari Lynn Pace A Parisian bachelor, armed with only an airline flight schedule and a disapproving maid, successfully juggles simultaneous romances with three gorgeous flight attendants. It’s a setup for international disaster when an American buddy visits and endeavors to learn relationships from the master. Marc Camoletti’s Boeing Boeing, directed by Justin Smith, is…
by Cari Lynn Pace Ten contestants vie for a shiny red pickup, a publicity gimmick by a car dealership in Longview, Texas. Whoever can keep a hand on the truck the longest wins the keys to drive off with it. Hands on a Hardbody keeps you guessing how long the contestants will last and who…
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 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…
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…
North Bay Stage and Screen 