Review: “The Great God Pan” in Petaluma

What was he doing, the great god Pan,   Down in the reeds by the river? Spreading ruin and scattering ban… These opening lines from the Elizabeth Barret Browning poem “A Musical Instrument” are spoken midway through Amy Herzog’s The Great God Pan, now running in a gripping production directed by Taylor Korobow at Petaluma’s…

MTJA Announces Award Winners at Third Annual Celebration of Sonoma County Theater

San Francisco North Bay theater artists gathered Monday night at the Juncture Taproom and Lounge in Santa Rosa for the Third Annual Marquee Theater Journalists Association Awards. Seventeen awards were given to local theatre artists and productions whose nominations were culled from the sixty-six Sonoma County productions attended by members from September 1, 2017 through…

Review: “Oslo” in Mill Valley

At a time when the language of diplomacy has been reduced to a 140-character tweet transmitted at 3 am, it’s good to be reminded of the men and women for whom the quest for peace demanded actual thought and personal interaction. J. T. Rogers’ Oslo, now running in its West Coast premiere at the Marin…

Review: “Hello, Dolly!” in Sonoma

When reviewing theatre, the technical elements involved in a production often take a back seat to a discussion of the story and the performances. People don’t go to a show because of the lights, right? There are times, however, when the poor execution of those elements so overwhelms the other components on stage that it…

Review: “The River Bride” in Kentfield

Marisela Treviño Orta’s The River Bride returns to Marin County as the season opener for the College of Marin’s Drama Program. Last seen in a bare-bones production in a vacant San Rafael storefront courtesy of Alter Theater, Orta’s play is an interesting combination of a Brazilian folk tale with an M. Night Shyamalan film script…

Review: “Guys and Dolls” in Santa Rosa

If you’re a theatregoer who missed having Summer Repertory Theatre around this year, 6th Street Playhouse’s current production of Guys and Dolls may hold you until SRT returns in 2019. It’s SRT Artistic Director James Newman who helms this production of the 1950 musical about colorful New York gamblers trying to avoid the police, a…