2nd Review: “Shirley Valentine” in Sonoma

by Harry Duke * A middle-aged British woman, wife, and mother wonders whatever became of herself and sets out to rediscover life in Willy Russell’s Shirley Valentine. Jennifer King stars in the one-woman show now running on the Rotary Stage in the Sonoma Community Center through Feb. 22.     We meet Shirley in her Liverpool home…

Review: “Shirley Valentine” in Sonoma

by Cari Lynn Pace * A middle-aged housewife tosses her worn apron aside and packs a silk kimono for the Greek Islands.  Meet Shirley Valentine, a charming woman in Liverpool, England who does everything for everyone, including her spoiled daughter and demeaning husband. Shirley doesn’t complain as she talks aloud, examining her life and the…

2nd Review: “Scrooge! The Musical” in Sonoma

by Harry Duke * What’s Christmas without a production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) on a local stage? Sonoma Arts Live fills the bill with their production of Scrooge! The Musical. The SAL production runs at the Sonoma Community Center through Dec. 21. The stage version, which Leslie Bricusse…

Review: “Scrooge! The Musical” in Sonoma

by Cari Lynn Pace * Scrooge! The Musical is Charles Dickens’ timeless story A Christmas Carol shined up by Leslie Bricusse with a book, music, and lyrics. It’s Sonoma Arts Live’s holiday show, now running on the Rotary Stage at the Sonoma Community Center through Dec. 21 The show gives several children and teens their…

Preview: 2025 North Bay Holiday Theatre

If there’s one word to describe North Bay theatre companies’ choices for their 2025 holiday productions, it’s “familiar”. One company is repeating their selections from last year while two others bring back chestnuts whose memories still linger from their successful mounting on other local stages. Rohnert Park’s Spreckels Theatre Company is the company with two…