The name Damon Runyon probably means little to most today, but in the early to mid-twentieth century he was a celebrated journalist, sports columnist, and author. His short stories about New York and Broadway contained such colorful characters that the term “Runyonesque” was coined to describe the type of gamblers, gangsters, hoods, and show people…
If Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has the feeling of a school show done large, it should come as no surprise that it was originally commissioned by a London Prep School as a piece for their boys’ choir. This early collaboration of a then-teenage composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and twenty-something lyricist Tim Rice started…
The Venn diagram that displays the relationship between lovers of the works of William Shakespeare and musical theatre probably shows very little overlap. Nevertheless, if you’re in either category – and especially if you’re in that overlap – you should head to Santa Rosa’s 6th Street Playhouse and catch one of their remaining performances of…
The 222 is a non-profit, member-supported arts, culture, and entertainment venue that’s housed in the Paul Mahder Gallery in Healdsburg. Open since 2021, to date it’s presented musical programs, literary readings, film presentations, and other community events. Professional theatre now enters that mix with a series of productions programmed by well-known Bay Area theatre artist…
Watch it, Mill Valley! Your quiet little burg is currently under siege from what may be (according to some pundits and politicians) the greatest threat our nation faces in these troubled times. Lock your windows and bolt your doors because attendees of the latest show at the Throckmorton Theatre have reported multiple sightings of… drag…
Conversations overheard during the intermission of a show often provide fascinating insights into an audience’s immediate reaction to what they’re experiencing. Topics can range from the temperature in the theater (“too cold”) to the running time of the first act (“too long”) to the volume level of the actors when delivering dialogue (“too low.”). All…
Eccentric families have long been a source of humor for popular entertainments from TV’s Addams Family to film’s Royal Tenenbaums. Kaufman and Hart’s You Can’t Take It with You may be the preeminent stage production on the subject and is one of the most produced plays since its premiere in 1936, but Noël Coward beat…
Large-scale, family-friendly musical theatre returns to the North Bay with the Spreckels Theatre Company’s production of Tuck Everlasting. The stage adaptation of Natalie Babbitt’s 1975 children’s novel about immortality had a very brief life on Broadway in 2016. If the Spreckels production – running in Rohnert Park through May 21 – is any indication, the…
Lovers of musical theatre in general and the works of Stephen Sondheim in particular would do well to head out to Sonoma and catch Sonoma Arts Live’s Side by Side by Sondheim. The musical revue runs on the Rotary Stage in Andrews Hall through May 7. Like most musical revues, there’s not much of a…
When it comes to jukebox musicals, Always… Patsy Cline may be North Bay theatergoers’ favorite. That’s evidenced by the number of productions put on in the area in recent years. Sonoma Arts Live reprised their 2018 production late last year, and now Santa Rosa’s 6th Street Playhouse has mounted a Jared Sakren-directed production that runs…
