143 stories by "Chuck Louden"
A REAL-LIFE ESPIONAGE SCANDAL BECOMES A MEDITATION ON POWER, IDENTITY, & ILLUSION A gripping, well-acted drama that explores gender, fantasy, and cultural collision M. Butterfly, the 198…
SHAKESPEARE AS LIFELINE Jacob Ming-Trent turns the Bard into a blazing solo tour de force at Berkeley Rep We are all on our personal journeys of living and being in the world. Everyone encou…
EVEN MORE TO DESIRE A stripped-down Streetcar that proves Tennessee Williams needs no scenery. Since struggle for power among the classes is one of the central themes in Tennessee Williams' …
KILLER KIDS, STAGE MOMS, AND CAMP TO DIE FOR NCTC revives a deliciously wicked cult musical Just in time for some holiday mischief, New Conservatory Theatre Center brings back the 1992 Off-B…
DOTS, DEDICATION, AND THE ART OF BEGINNING AGAIN Shotgun Players takes on Sondheim and Lapine's most painterly meditation with exquisite results Shotgun Players presents Sunday in the Park w…
ESCAPISM AT THE EDGE OF COLLAPSE A Kit Kat Club that feels uncomfortably close to home Since its founding in 2012, Oakland Theater Project has set out to create theater experiences that insp…
THANK YOU FOR BEING A QUEEN Four drag icons, two episodes, and twenty years of perfectly timed shade Now celebrating its 20th consecutive year, The Golden Girls Live: The Christmas Episodes …
THE MONKEY KING LANDS WITH A ROAR A dazzling, design-driven premiere expands what opera can be Every now and then an opera house unveils something that doesn't just premiere " it shifts the …
HOOK, LINE & SEQUINER Presidio's Peter Pan Panto soars on camp, color, chaos, Christmas cheer, and unapologetic silliness ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ �…
STILL CASTING ITS SPELL Sondheim and Lapine's fractured fairytales find fresh magic at San Francisco Playhouse Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into the Woods may be one of the most belov…
MISERY LOVES COMPANY " BUT WE DIDN'T BUY TICKETS FOR THAT A solo show so full of angst it forgets to entertain. I mean, there's baring your soul… and then there's burying the comedy Since …
THE RED-HEADED OPTIMIST IS BACK Just in time to nudge everyone into the holiday spirit, The Berkeley Playhouse is presenting Annie through most of December. This classic musical has been par…
BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL INTO THE WHITE HOUSE This play-within-a-play probes power, mythology, and who gets to tell the story Making its West Coast premiere at Marin Theatre Company is Sally…
FAITH, FLIGHT, AND THE FIGHT TO ENDURE In our current state of political unrest " with government shutdowns and widespread uncertainty about how to make ends meet " stories about the power o…
JUST HOW I LIKE MY THEATER " HOT, SWEET, AND SAUCY Now playing at New Conservatory Theatre Center, The Hot Wing King is a spicy tale of love, friendship, and a cooking contest gone gloriousl…
NOW STOCKING LAUGHTER AND FAMILY FUEDS ON AISLE ONE Like a lot of people, I first met the Kim family through Netflix. During the pandemic, I streamed more than a few episodes of the hit sitc…
AN AUTHENTIC, FUNNY ACCOUNT OF SOBRIETY, STUMBLES, AND SURVIVAL Recovery from substance abuse isn't just about putting down the drug of choice and living happily ever after. The "recovery" p…
HOPE IN THE GLOW OF DISASTER Five years ago this month, Sept. 9, 2020, was the infamous day when the Bay Area sky literally did turn orange. Smoke from multiple wildfires blocked the sun, ca…
A DROP-DEAD DELIGHT Fall is officially here. Kids are back in school and Halloween is just around the corner. Thus it feels like the perfect time for Berkeley Playhouse to open their new sea…
MORE LIKE 9 TO 9, THIS MUSICAL IS AN OVERSTUFFED BUT FUN DOLLYFEST Ray of Light Theater is known for putting a spin on musicals that are big in popular culture. Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Th…
EUREKA! Private school children often grow up in a carefully protected bubble. Their privilege shields them from many of life's cruelties, creating a world of like-minded students, parents, …
CANDACE JOHNSON IS AN ADHDIVA! ATTENTION MUST BE PAID (EVEN IF IT WANDERS) Now playing at The Marsh Berkeley is Scat-ter Brain: The Music of ADHD, written and performed by Candace Johnson. T…
OPERA'S FUTURE UNVEILED: A DAZZLING GRAND FINALE The San Francisco Opera capped its summer season with the annual Merola Grand Finale, a glittering showcase of the next generation of opera s…
SHANKS FOR THE MEMORIES Currently packing in audiences"and now extended"at The Independent Theater, Luigi: The Musical is a sharp, clever, and gloriously irreverent parody of pop culture and…
SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT UNDER A WEEPING MAGNOLIA: SHOTGUN'S HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL STUNNER Now playing with an extended run in Berkeley, Shotgun Players' Magnolia Ballet by Terry Best is the best …
