The name Damon Runyon probably means little to most today, but in the early to mid-twentieth century he was a celebrated journalist, sports columnist, and author. His short stories about New York and Broadway contained such colorful characters that the term “Runyonesque” was coined to describe the type of gamblers, gangsters, hoods, and show people…
Lovers of musical theatre in general and the works of Stephen Sondheim in particular would do well to head out to Sonoma and catch Sonoma Arts Live’s Side by Side by Sondheim. The musical revue runs on the Rotary Stage in Andrews Hall through May 7. Like most musical revues, there’s not much of a…
My guest on the first of two “Theatre Thursday” segments on the April 20 broadcast of The Drive on KSRO was Andrew Smith, director of the Sonoma Arts Live production of Side by Side by Sondheim. Click below to listen: ********** Click the graphic below for more information:
Sonoma Arts Live brings a little retro-television to the Rotary Stage in Sonoma with Sidekicked, a one-woman show about actress Vivian Vance. Vance is best known as America’s favorite TV neighbor Ethel Mertz, a character she played for nine seasons alongside Lucille Ball. The Michael Ross-directed show runs in Sonoma through Feb. 19. It’s 1960…
My guests on the first of two February 2 “Theatre Thursday” segments on The Drive with Steve Jaxon & Harry Duke on KSRO were Michael Ross and Libby Oberlin from the Sonoma Arts Live production of Sidekicked. Click below to listen: ********** Click the graphic below for more info:
My guests on the first of two ‘Theatre Thursday” segments on the December 1 broadcast of The Drive with Steve Jaxon & Harry Duke on KSRO were Michael Ross and Karen Pinomaki from the Sonoma Arts Live production of Always… Patsy Cline. Click below to listen: ********** Click the graphic below for more info:
My guests on the September 1 “Theatre Thursday” segment on The Drive with Steve Jaxon & Harry Duke on KSRO were Aja Gianola-Norris and Serena Elize from the upcoming Sonoma Arts Live production of Ain’t Misbehavin’. Contrary to what I say at the opening of the interview, the show opens on September 9. Click below…
A fun interview on today’s The Drive with Steve Jaxon on KSRO with Blake McIver and Emerson Collins about their show I Dreamed a Dreamgirl, running this weekend at Sonoma Arts Live. Click below to listen: Click the graphic below for more information:
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced the theatre community to be even more creative than usual to survive, a struggle for many companies even in the best of times. As theatres dealt with dwindling audiences, theatre artists dealt with dwindling opportunities as theatres postponed or cancelled performances or worse, shut their doors completely. Streaming theatre was…
“I hate theatre.” No, that’s not the long-suspected confession of a theatre critic. It’s the opening line from Sonoma Arts Live’s production of The Drowsy Chaperone. The show runs through July 31. That line, followed by a litany of complaints about modern theatre (shows are too long, actors shouldn’t interact with the audience, Elton John,…
North Bay Stage and Screen 