All stories by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent on BroadwayStars

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Classic Wilde comedy ‘Earnest’ sparkles at Berkeley’s Aurora Theatre by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest' is a classic comedy in every sense, and Aurora Theatre gives it a great staging.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 11:00AM
Monday, April 29, 2019

‘Vanity Fair’ is a madcap and memorable adventure at ACT in SF by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

Kate Hamill's wildly inventive adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's novel "Vanity Fair" plays at ACT through May 12.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 08:20PM
Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Great American playwrights collide in SF historical drama by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

A new play SF's New Conservatory by Philip Dawkins imagines a night of drinking and chatting between playwrights Tennessee Williams and William Inge.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 05:55PM

Meet ‘Julius Caesar’ as you’ve never seen him, in Berkeley by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

Cal Performances presents French director Arthur Nauzyciel's unique production of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," set in the JFK era.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 05:16PM

LBJ drama ‘All the Way’ comes to El Cerrito’s CCCT by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

Robert Schenkkan's "All the Way" captures LBJ's turbulent first year as president; it's playing in El Cerrito through May 5.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 11:30AM
Friday, April 19, 2019

Why Kate Hamill decided to get ‘radical’ with ‘Vanity Fair’ by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

ACT in San Francisco is staging playwright and actress Kate Hamill's feminist re-invention of "Vanity Fair."

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 01:00PM
Thursday, April 18, 2019

The many faces of ‘Irma Vep’ haunt Danville Village Theatre by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

Charles Ludlam's fast-paced two-person comedy "The Mystery of Irma Vep" spoofs all manner of horror and gothic shows -- it plays at Danville's Village Theatre through April 28.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 07:38PM

New play updates Russian classic to Oakland homeless camp by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

Playwright and actress Lisa Ramirez updates a 19th-century Russian classic to examine Oakland's homeless problem in "Down Here Below."

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 04:31PM
Tuesday, April 16, 2019

‘Charlie and Chocolate Factory’ tour brings 2 SF Bay Area actresses home by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

... And they're both portraying spoiled brat Veruca Salt in the touring production of "Charlie and the Chocolate factory."

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 11:15AM
Monday, April 15, 2019

Roald Dahl musical ‘Matilda’ rules the school in Walnut Creek by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

Contra Costa Musical Theatre presents "Matilda," the musical based on Roald Dahl's beloved book, at Walnut Creek's Lesher Center.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 11:30AM
Friday, April 12, 2019

Review: This house will haunt you in Magic Theatre’s ‘Old Age’ by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

Part of Mfoniso Udofia's sweeping Ufot Cycle, following a Nigerian immigrant family, 'Old Age' finds characters facing ghostly forces.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 11:45AM

Chekhov’s ‘Three Sisters’ stuck in limbo in delightful ‘Debbie Downers’ in Berkeley by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

Chekhov's "Three Sisters" are back and stuck in limbo in the thoroughly entertaining "Debbie Downers" at Berkeley's Ashby Stage.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 11:00AM
Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Luis Valdez delivers a flashy new history play in ‘Mamá Carlota’ in San Jose by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

Theatrical legend Luis Valdez debuts "Adios Mama Carlota," another colorful world premiere with an eye on Mexican history, at San Jose Stage.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 10:30AM
Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Hershey Felder adds surprise character to his Debussy play — Hershey Felder by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

Hershey Felder works a lot of his own history into "Paris Love Story," getting its world premiere at TheatreWorks.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 11:00AM
Monday, April 8, 2019

Time literally melts away in Ragged Wing’s stage fantasy in Oakland by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

Oakland troupe Ragged Wing Ensemble revives its fantasy stage hit "Time Sensitive," in which melting ice blocks capture the passing of time.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 02:16PM

Music legends star in ‘Spoonful of Sherman’ revue in San Jose by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

The cabaret show "Spoonful of Sherman" pays tribute to a legendary songwriting family (think Mary Poppins") gets U.S. premiere in San Jose.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 12:00PM
Thursday, April 4, 2019

New Concord play addresses divisions in LGBT community by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

"Pinned Butterfly" at Concord's nomadic B8 theater company asks whether bisexuals are the Rodney Dangerfields of the LGBT community.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 06:55PM

Review: ‘Anne Frank’ at Center Rep keeps focus on humanity amid horror by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

Center Rep in Walnut Creek presents "The Diary of Anne Frank," which seems almost strangely uplifting even as the Holocaust approaches.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 05:40PM
Wednesday, April 3, 2019

New Luis Valdez play delves into Mexican history — by way of Belgium by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

Theater legend Luis Valdez presents a new play, “Adiós Mamá Carlota,” looking at a lesser-known chapter of Mexican history.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 08:56PM

Cutting Ball Theater gives ancient sex play ‘La Ronde’ a (really) new look by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

"La Ronde," a 19th-century play about sex, gets a complete re-imagining by Cutting Ball Theater in S.F.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 04:00PM
Saturday, March 30, 2019

Has hip-hop lost its way? New play in SF explores the music and its meanings by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

A. Zell Williams' play "Urban Retreat" explores whether hip-hop has lost its true purpose; it shows in SF through April 6.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 01:00PM
Friday, March 29, 2019

Sondheim’s musical ‘Company’ finds a host in Alameda by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

The Stephen Sondheim musical "Company," revolving around a conflicted bachelor, opens March 29 at Altarena Playhouse in Alameda.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 12:00PM
Thursday, March 28, 2019

Sandwich workers unite in SF stage comedy ‘American Hero’ by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

Custom Made Theatre presents Bess Wohl's dark comedy "American Hero" in S.F. through April 16.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 07:12PM
Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Review: House teems with life in nonverbal Berkeley Rep’s ‘Home’ by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

Geoff Sobelle's unusual play constructs a house on Berkeley Rep's stage and explores the concept of "home" in unique ways.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 06:10PM

Lamplighters revives early Gilbert & Sullivan farce — and adds a sequel by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

Lamplighters Music Theatre adds a sequel as part of its production of Gilbert and Sullivan's "Trial by Jury."

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 04:58PM

Black pilots of World War II get hero’s welcome in SF show by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

African-American Shakespeare Company presents Leslie Lee’s play about World War II-ers Tuskegee Airmen.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 04:14PM
Monday, March 25, 2019

‘The Jungle’ at SF’s Curran takes audience inside a refugee camp by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

"The Jungle," playing at The Curran in SF, re-creates a refugee camp in an immersive show meant to humanize the plight of the dispossessed.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 08:37PM

‘Actually’ at Aurora Theatre in Berkeley explores gray areas of sex consent by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

Anna Ziegler's troubling "he said, she said" drama about an alleged sexual assault on a college campus gets a deft production at Aurora Theatre in Berkeley.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 05:31PM
Friday, March 22, 2019

Review: Revived ‘Falsettos’ feels dated in new SF run by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

"Falsettos," the 1992 musical comedy about a husband and father coming out as gay was revived in 2016 and is now playing at SF's Golden Gate Theatre.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 11:30AM
Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Review: 'WaistWatchers the Musical' is as silly as it sounds by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

'WaistWatchers the Musical' subverts classic and contemporary songs in a 90-minute comedic revue about women with body issues; it's playing in Walnut Creek and San Jose through Sept. 25.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 10:26AM
Friday, August 12, 2016

Review: 'Chicago' will slay you at Woodminster by Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

Woodminster Summer Musicals' production of the classic Kander and Ebb musical 'Chicago' is a first-rate production that's a blast from start to finish.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 09:07AM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards