84 stories by "Leslie Katz"
Jasper Patterson's got an excellent seasonal vocation. He gets to be the villain clown in "Mittens and Mistletoe." "It's been fun the past two years," says Patterson, of his role »
The …
For more than 70 years, the Blind Boys of Alabama have remained at the forefront of gospel. Led by founding member Jimmy Carter, the vocalists who met as children at »
The post Gospel g…
Though it may seem counterintuitive that a hoary American short story should provide the basis for an innovative new opera production, that is the case with San Francisco Opera's U.S. »…
Christopher Swan has inviting words for theater patrons attending the musical "A Christmas Story," particularly for the many who love the charming 1983 film on which it's based: "It's going …
Pioneering American psychologist Helen Thompson wrote, "In riding a horse, we borrow freedom." And in watching "Odysseo," we experience the incredible freedom of spirit between horse and hum…
Wagner's "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" is perhaps the most quintessentially nationalistic of German operas, and at about five and a half hours, is one of the longest in the repertoire &#…
Bay Area Musicals! founder and artistic director Matthew McCoy admits that he hasn't undertaken the sanest endeavor, but he's quite positive about the future of his new local theater troupe.…
It’s the 21st century, and Elizabeth seems to have it all. She's actually Liz and Beth, and she's the protagonist of "If/Then," the pleasant if somewhat perplexing new musical onstage …
Ruth Felt, founder of San Francisco Performances, is about to step down after 36 years. The esteemed arts presenter, responsible for local recital debuts of cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinists Anne…
Elizabeth Irwin's "My Mañana Comes" brings to light what goes on behind the scenes at a high-class Manhattan eatery. And it ends with a big, effective jolt that clearly illustrates »…
There are hundreds of choruses in the Bay Area, but only one professional group singing a cappella music from all periods of the choral repertoire. That's the niche Cappella SF »
The po…
Dance Theatre of San Francisco's Dexandro "D" Montalvo is nothing short of ecstatic in his new gig as artistic director of the young contemporary ballet troupe. "It's a dream of »
The p…
As advertised, Megan Timpane's one-woman show "Having Cancer is Hilarious" isn't a downer. Telling her story of being diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin's lymphoma at age 22, then undergoing six…
The thing vocalist Lisa Fischer is enjoying most about her upcoming world-premiere collaboration with San Francisco-based choreographer Alonzo King is the freedom permeating the project. "Wh…
"Arctic Requiem," an intimate world premiere based on true events, is educational, evocative, and, perhaps most important, entertaining. Subtitled "The Story of Luke Cole and Kivalina," the …
Despite the lofty title, there aren't many huge revelations about the nature of space in Joe Goode Performance Group's newest production "Poetics of Space." Granted, the site-specific piece …
Mozart's "The Magic Flute" is filled with allegorical elements that deftly disguised taboo subjects of his era, such as reigning monarchs, the shadowy order of the Freemasons, and the concep…
It's really hard to determine exactly which part of Madonna's "Rebel Heart" tour, which hit San Jose's SAP Center on Monday night, was the best. Was it when she emerged »
The post Madon…
Three dynamic performers comprise "Heromonster," a one-of-kind production, both earthly and other-worldly, in the chapel at San Francisco's Fort Mason Center. The piece is the latest creatio…
After San Francisco Opera opened its 2015-16 season with "Luisa Miller," in which a meddlesome man interferes with the happiness of his relative, and proceeded to the musical thriller "Sween…
Choreographer Rosy Simas admits that "We Wait in the Darkness," a solo piece based on her grandmother's struggles as a Native American, isn't happy. Yet the process of telling its »
The…
A love story with unorthodox, yet real, characters is a rare thing " and "Dogfight" is one of them. San Francisco Playhouse began its 13th season ("It's our bar mitzvah," »
The post 'Do…
Stars and show tunes sparkled in Davies Symphony Hall on opening night of the San Francisco Symphony's 104th season. While festivities typically are high and programs are light at the »…
Now entering its second decade in a new format, Tuesday Night Live! Comedy is an extraordinary hybrid. "We don't have a drink minimum and the audience faces the stage," says »
The post …
udging by the new short plays comprising the first segment of its 2015 ReOrient Festival, Bay Area theater troupe Golden Thread Productions is clearly fulfilling its mission to offer compell…
