All stories by Barry Willis on BroadwayStars

Monday, December 16, 2024

Theater Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Center Repertory Company at The Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek) by Barry Willis

THERE’S A LESSON HERE: EVEN WITHOUT THE BIG PARTY, THE MESSAGE RINGS CLEAR Charles Dickens’ beloved A Christmas Carol is among the holiday season’s most welcome recurring theater produ…

SOURCE: stageandcinema.com at 06:36PM
Saturday, November 30, 2024

Theater Review: WAITRESS (San Francisco Playhouse) by Barry Willis

IF THE HEAT IN AMERICA’S KITCHEN IS GETTING YOU DOWN, HEAD TO WAITRESS AT SF PLAYHOUSE San Francisco Playhouse has delivered an incredible gift for the winter holiday season: Waitress, Jes…

SOURCE: stageandcinema.com at 07:07PM
Thursday, November 21, 2024

Theater Review: THE 39 STEPS (Masquers in Point Richmond) by Barry Willis

MASQUERS KNOWS THE STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL, MAGICAL COMEDY Alfred Hitchcock gets a good-natured but thorough pummeling in The 39 Steps at Masquers Playhouse in Point Richmond, through December…

SOURCE: stageandcinema.com at 08:59PM
Thursday, November 7, 2024

Theater Review: DRAGON LADY (Lesher Theatre, Walnut Creek) by Barry Willis

DRAGON LADY ROARS AT CENTER REP Sara Porkalob’s solo tribute to her grandmother is both an astounding theatrical event and a master class in storytelling. Part biography, part autobiograp…

SOURCE: stageandcinema.com at 09:47PM
Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Theater Review: FALLEN ANGELS (Aurora Theatre in Berkeley) by Barry Willis

COWARD’S ANGELS ARE A LAUGH RIOT Almost one hundred years after its somewhat scandalous debut, Noël Coward’s Fallen Angels is enjoying a revival at Berkeley’s Aurora Theatre, where it…

SOURCE: stageandcinema.com at 02:28AM
Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Theater Review: BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL (Spreckels Theatre Company in Rohnert Park) by Barry Willis

A BEAUTIFUL MUSICAL GEM IN SONOMA COUNTY Carole King is unquestionably one of the most influential American songwriters of the late 20th century. Through October 13, Spreckels Theater Compan…

SOURCE: stageandcinema.com at 12:21AM
Sunday, June 16, 2024

Theater Review: GARUDA’S WING (Magic Theatre) by Barry Willis

A COMPELLING ECO-DYSTOPIAN STORY The destruction of tropical ecosystems has been a worldwide concern since the 1960s. Through June 23, San Francisco’s Magic Theatre examines the crisis in …

SOURCE: stageandcinema.com at 03:01AM
Sunday, January 14, 2024

“Fences” Astounds—at 6th Street Playhouse by Barry Willis

August Wilson’s Portrait of a Man at War with Himself  by Barry Willis Meet Troy Maxon, Pittsburgh garbage collector, former baseball talent, father of two sons, and a man grappling might…

SOURCE: Theatrius at 02:05AM
Monday, June 26, 2017

“Hamilton”: An Amazing, Baffling Spectacle, at The Orpheum, S.F. by Barry Willis

Miranda’s Rap Extravaganza Makes Pop Art of History by Barry Willis When tickets for the national touring production of “Hamilton” went on sale this past spring, at $200 for the cheape…

SOURCE: Theatrius at 05:16PM
Thursday, February 16, 2017

Barry Willis by Barry Willis

Barry Willis is a writer, editor, and artist living in Sonoma County. A theater critic for the Marin Independent Journal, and formerly an art and theater critic with the Pacific Sun, he has …

SOURCE: Theatrius at 03:55PM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic
TBA: Ragtime