by Harry Duke * Dysfunctional family dramas have been around since the beginning of theatre (Oedipus Rex, anyone?) Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night, and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman are prime examples of American playwrights’ takes on the genre. Leave it to a British playwright to steer…
My guests on the second of two “Theatre Thursday” segments on The Drive on 95.5 FM on 06/11/26 were director Clark Lewis and cast member Jared Wright from the Roustabout Theater Professional Ensemble production of Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming. The dark comedy runs through June 28 in the Carsten Cabaret of the Luther Burbank Center…
by Cari Lynn Pace * It’s hallelujah and high praise for Sister Act, now running in Santa Rosa at 6th Street Playhouse through June 27. This stage version patterns the plot of Whoopi Goldberg’s popular 1992 movie. The movie’s rock ‘n roll soundtrack has been scrubbed to feature original rock and soul music by…
by Harry Duke * Adaptations of film and television shows into stage musicals range from the fairly faithful (The Producers, any Disney film) to the barely recognizable (The Addams Family Musical). Sister Act, now running at Santa Rosa’s 6th Street Playhouse through June 27, falls into the latter category. Sitcom writers Bill and Cheri Steinkellner…
My guests on the 05/28/26 “Theatre Thursday” segment on The Drive on 95.5 were actor Hannah Passanisi, choreographer Jorey Cantu, and director Megan Bartlettt from the 6th Street Playhouse production of Sister Act. The show runs in the GK Hardt Theatre from May 29 through June 27. Click below to listen: ********** Click HERE for…
by Harry Duke * If you’re a fan of South Park and Team America: World Police, then the stage show Avenue Q should be right up your alley. It’s an adult send-up of Sesame Street, the children’s television classic where humans and puppets co-exist and life’s problems are acknowledged and solved with humor and song.…
My guests on the 05/21/26 “Theatre Thursday” segment on The Drive on 95.5 were Marketing Director Jonathan Wind and stage director Amy Kossow from The 222 in Healdsburg to discuss their West Coast premiere of Lauren Gunderon’s A Room in the Castle. The show has four more performances in the Paul Mahder Gallery from Friday,…
By Cari Lynn Pace & Barry Willis * Where does embellishment belong in storytelling, if the goal is to create emotional truth? Theater veteran Libby Oberlin directs this extraordinary comedic drama filled with challenging questions on the Monroe Stage at 6th Street Playhouse. You won’t find better acting than this, with incisive dialog and a plot that took seven years to determine the outcome. The…
My guests on the 05/07/26 “Theatre Thursday” segment on The Drive on 95.5 were Emily Lynn Cornelius and Libby Oberlin from the 6th Street Playhouse production of The Lifespan of a Fact. 6th Street Executive Artistic Director Cornelius takes to the 6th Street stage for the first time under Oberlin’s direction in this fast-paced, blistering…
by Harry Duke * Where’s a playwright to go after exploring the bounds of outer space and the confines of a parrot cage? For award-winning playwright (and former Bohemian contributor) David Templeton, the answer is “back to school”. Templeton, whose most recent plays Galatea and Featherbaby were well received on both coasts, is premiering his…
North Bay Stage and Screen 