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 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…
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 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…
by Beulah F. Vega The Gift of Nothing, now running at Marin Theater through Tuesday, Dec. 23, begins on a special day when the residents of the Mutts world celebrate by giving gifts to their friends and families. But Mooch the cat (Jordan Covington) has a problem: what to get the dog that has everything?…
North Bay Stage and Screen 