Review: “A Night with Janis Joplin” in Sonoma

by Harry Duke Jukebox musicals, with few exceptions, are not known for their intricate plots or dramatic surprises. They exist to provide their audiences with musical comfort food. Case in point, the Sonoma Arts Live production of A Night with Janis Joplin. The show is heading into its closing weekend on the Rotary Stage in…

MTJA Announces Nominees for 2025 Norbay Theater Awards

The Marquee Theater Journalists Association has announced the nominees for their 2025 MTJA Norbay Theater Awards. The Association, originally formed by a group of Sonoma County-based theater journalists in 2015 but dormant since the COVID pandemic in 2020, has reformed and restarted their awards program in affiliation with the North Bay Bohemian. There are 16…

Interview – “Eureka Day” at Raven Players

My guests on the second of two “Theatre Thursday” segments on 09/04/25 on The Drive on 95.5 were Steven David Martin and Chelsea Jennings Bell from the Raven Players production of Eureka Day. The audience will join the cast on stage at the Raven Performing Arts Theater in Healdsburg from September 5 through September 28.…

Review: “A Chorus Line” in Santa Rosa

by Cari Lynn Pace A Chorus Line opens with a backstage look at dozens of dancers trying out for a part in a new show. The live music is energizing and brassy; the director of the audition is pushy and demanding. After dance eliminations, only seventeen remain onstage. They’re exhausted and nervous as they urgently…

MTJA Announces Resumption of Annual Theater Awards

The Marquee Theater Journalists Association, a North Bay-based critics group originally formed in 2015 but dormant since the pandemic, has announced their “rebooting” and the resumption of their annual theater awards program. The following message was emailed on September 1 to the leaders of the North Bay theatre community from MTJA member Harry Duke: Back…

Review: “Featherbaby” in Rohnert Park

by Cari Lynn Pace Where do playwrights come up with the ideas for such laughable plots? Featherbaby, David Templeton’s latest play, features a young woman and her foul-mouthed and aggressively possessive parrot, a bird who schemes to separate its owner from her suitors. Just imagine Spreckels Theatre Company having a casting call to audition actors…