by Harry Duke* Local audiences seeking a solid presentation of an American theatrical classic actually have two very diverse choices right now. The Raven Performing Arts Theater hosts the Raven Players’ production of Stephen Sondheim’s massive macabre musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street while The 222 offers Sam Shepard’s more intimate fraternal…
by Woody Weingarten * Harold Pinter sure packs a brainload into his plays. Take Betrayal, which is on stage at Marin Theatre through Nov. 15, for example. • It’s tautly dramatic, with its pinpoint focus on a seven-year affair, predominantly in the ‘70s, between Emma, an art gallery owner played by Liz Sklar, one of…
by Cari Lynn Pace * Harold Pinter penned 29 plays on his way to becoming a major dramatist of the 20th century and earning the 2005 Nobel Prize in Literature. Marin Theatre has taken on the British playwright’s challenging Betrayal. Carey Perloff directs the production running in Mill Valley through Nov. 15. Perloff has a…
by Harry Duke * When I see a show late in its run, or the run itself is short, I’ll take some time and provide a short take on the production… Dear Evan Hansen – Spreckels Theatre Company, Rohnert Park Pluses: excellent performances by veterans and new talent, technical elements Minuses: a wretchedly irresponsible book…
by Cari Lynn Pace * Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller’s powerful drama about a man spiraling into oblivion, is the latest triumph for Ross Valley Players at The Barn Theater above the Marin Art & Garden Center in Ross. Director Adrian Elfenbaum notes that nearly 100 actors auditioned for roles, an amazing turnout yet…
by Harry Duke * To many, Death of a Salesman is the classic American play. From its Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Broadway debut in 1949 through multiple revivals, theatre companies return again and again to Arthur Miller’s dissection of the American dream to draw audiences. The Ross Valley Players open their 97th season with…
by Barry Willis * Theatergoers have a few more days to see CenterREP’s bold reimagining of the Tennessee Williams classic The Glass Menagerie. Performed by an all-Equity cast on a shabby-elegant multi-tiered set by Yi-Chien Lee, the show closes Sunday September 27 at Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts. Directed by Matt M. Morrow…
by Harry Duke * The age-old art versus commerce debate takes center stage in The 222’s production of John Logan’s Red. Amy Kossow directs the factually-based but fictionally woven two-hander about artist Mark Rothko that’s now running at the Paul Mahder Gallery in downtown Healdsburg through Sept. 20. For those unfamiliar with Rothko, he’s generally…
by Barry Willis * Decades of Cuba’s revolution unfold in the microcosm of an elaborate kitchen in a stately old home in Eduardo Machado’s The Cook, at Berkeley Rep’s Peet’s Theatre through October 11. The perfect focal point for the venue’s steeply-raked three-sided seating, Tanya Orellana’s huge stunning set exquisitely captures the decadence of old…
by Cari Lynn Pace * I was hesitant to invite my friend to join me for Marin Theatre’s Bay Area premiere of The White Chip, now running in Mill Valley through Sep. 20. This semi-autobiographical comedy, written by Sean Daniels, is billed as “a humorous and human play about addiction and recovery.” The title refers…
