Review: “The River Bride” in Santa Rosa

Folks who like their fairy-tale endings in the “and they lived happily ever after” vein may find themselves challenged by Marisela Treviño Orta’s The River Bride. Part Brazilian folklore and part Brothers Grimm at their grimmest, it’s the tale of two sisters and the men in their lives. Santa Rosa’s 6th Street Playhouse has a…

Review: “Clybourne Park” in Healdsburg

The roots of racism run deep in the American housing market. Playwright Lorraine Hansberry addressed the issue in 1959 with A Raisin in the Sun, the first play written by an African-American woman performed on Broadway and the first to have an African-American director. Playwright Bruce Norris took Hansberry’s story and in 2010 wrote a…

Review: “Misery” in Petaluma

Adaptations of the works of Stephen King for film and television have been hit or miss over the years. For every The Shining or ‘Salem’s Lot, there’s a Firestarter or The Langoliers. Mainstream theatrical adaptations have been limited to a 2018 musical version of Carrie (a major Broadway flop but cult hit) and Misery, which…

KSRO Interview – “Misery”

My guest on the October 20 “Theatre Thursday” segment of The Drive with Steve Jaxon & Harry Duke on KSRO was Tim Kniffin, director of the Cinnabar Theater production of Stephen King’s Misery. Click below to listen: ********** Click the graphic below for more info:

KSRO Interview – “Stand and Deliver”

My guests on the September 22 “Theatre Thursday” segment on The Drive with Steve Jaxon & Harry Duke on KSRO were Elizabeth Dale and Miriam Valencia from the SRJC Theatre Arts production of Stand and Deliver. Miriam’s dad Carlos joined in the conversation to tell of his experience meeting Jaime Escalante. Click below to listen:…

Review: “Circle Mirror Transformation” in Novato

If you’ve ever glanced at a flyer hanging from a community center bulletin board that offers an acting   course and worried about the time commitment required, playwright Annie Baker’s got you covered. In Circle Mirror Transformation, now running at the Novato Theater Company through September 25, Baker covers in two hours what most courses do…

KSRO Interview – “Cabaret”

My guests on the September 15 “Theatre Thursday” segment of The Drive with Steve Jaxon & Harry Duke on KSRO were Erin Solorio and Michael Strelo-Smith for a conversation about the 6th Street Playhouse production of Cabaret. Click below to listen: ********** Click the graphic below for more info:

Review: “The Realistic Joneses” in San Anselmo

Will Eno’s The Realistic Joneses is a difficult play to categorize. Is it a drama or a comedy? Realistic or surrealistic? Life-affirming or death-obsessed?  The answer to all these questions is “yes”. You can decide for yourself by attending the Jolee & Too Soon Old production that’s running at the Playhouse in San Anselmo through…