by Harry Duke * Audiences don’t go to jukebox musicals for their plots. The often threadbare and/or ridiculous storylines used as bridging material between popular songs by an artist or group are tolerated by audiences waiting to hear the next in a series of greatest hits, be they by Patsy Kline, the Go-Gos, or Neil…

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,…