Federico García Lorca’s Spanish Women Link 30s Fascism to US by Jenyth Jo After watching Stephen Colbert’s last show, I needed a good, old-fashioned Greek catharsis. CBS’s cancelled C…
Kate Hamill Camps Up Dracula with Victorian Vamps by Mary Lou Herlihy In a wildly entertaining goth romp, we join freedom fighting feminists, taking revenge on monstrous men. Dracula, the wo…
O’Farrell & Chakrabarti Impart Awe for Nature’s Magic by Mary Lou Herlihy In a brilliant reimagining of Anne Hathaway’s life, Royal Shakespeare Company’s “Hamnet” conquers th…
Wayne Harris Wittily Liberates Himself & All Armchair Activists by Mimi Pinson Not many know the term that Wayne Harris chose for the title of his latest solo show: “Drapetomania,” n…
Fierstein & Herman’s 80’s Musical Soars with Hope & Joy by Jenyth Jo In 2017, Michael Billingsley rightly claimed “no piece of theatre has done as much to encourage sexual tole…
Ted Lange Shakes His Spear with Four Geniuses in Tavern Debate by Jared Randolph Okay, stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a scientist, an earl, and a spy walk into a tavern. What do …
Sharr White Shows Corporate Greed Eroding Fragile Family by Mary Lou Herlihy For so many dads of the 50s generation, my own included, the message was clear: “Work hard for Corporate Amer…
Fox & Henriques’ Camp Counselors Grapple with Comic Catastrophe by Robert M. Gardner Down in La Val’s Subterranean, Theatre Lunatico brings us an exciting, dark comedy ripe for our t…
Tachis & Lo’s Woman-Centered Classic Upends Patriarchal Power by Jenyth Jo In a time when our trust for so-called ‘leaders’ is nearly non-existent, Berkeley Shakes’ “Cyrano” …
Ken Ludwig’s Comic Fantasy Brightens & Enlightens by Rachel Norby When classics professors Daphne and Ralph meet on a beach in Naxos, Greece, they have no idea of the adventures they w…
Dan Hoyle Still Running, Mingling Comedy & Honesty by Corey Finnegan & Barry David Horwitz This review was first published at Theatrius on October 9, 2024. It’s time again to en…
O’Farrell & Chakrabarti Celebrate Women’s Natural Wisdom by Mary Lou Herlihy In a brilliant reimagining of Anne Hathaway’s life, Royal Shakespeare Company’s “Hamnet” conquers…
Sankoff & Hein’s Musical Turns Crisis into Connection by Isa S. Chu A sign in the lobby informs us that our “layover” is 100 minutes long. Suitcases and pet carriers line the front…
Christopher Oscar Peña Casts Cringey Doubt on Immigrant Future by Rachel Norby A Honduran American dad seems to achieve the “American Dream.” He has worked his way up from poverty to ow…
Neil Simon Tempers Jewish Immigrants’ Grief with Youthful Laughter by Mary Lou Herlihy Generations of bitterness cast a pall over the Kurnitz family. But the unexpected arrival of an estra…
Ngozi Anyanwu’s Big Brother/Little Sister Tale Moves Us by Kheven Lee LaGrone Berkeley Rep’s production of Ngozi Anyanwu’s “The Monsters” seduced me from its beginning. Anyanwu has…
Candrice Jones’ Lady Train Scores Victory! by Jenyth Jo As a former Division 1 athlete from Stanford, I wondered whether watching a play about basketball would be as much fun as going to a…
Edward Albee’s Searing Tragedy Evokes Laughter, Tears, Revelation by Bevon Benet Brye In “The Goat or, Who Is Sylvia?” Edward Albee uses bestiality as a scorched-earth me…
Reynoso & Chepiga Spotlight Government as Force for Good by Andrea Libresco “Public Charge” feels like the foreign policy companion to Michael Lewis’ Who is Government?: The Untold…
Migdalia Cruz Adapts Shakespeare for Our Time by Jo Tomalin The Magic Theatre’s new vibrant production of “Macbeth,” in a modern version by Migdalia Cruz, directed by Liam Vincent, is …
Pearl Louise Gets Pulled into Parents’ Duplex Dream in 80s East Oakland by Mary Lou Herlihy “Pass the Nails and Shame the Devil,” is a love letter to Pearl Louise’s powerful mom. Sma…
Adam KuveNiemann Astounds in Reimagined Sondheim Musical by Jenyth Jo Oakland Theater Project has delivered a great run-up to the next No Kings March in “Assassins” preshow montage. Proj…
Josh Kornbluth Takes No Prisoners, Connecting Private & Public by Robert M. Gardner On Friday, August 15, at The Marsh in Berkeley, we were thrilled to attend a work-in-progress improvis…
Shakespeare in the Park Returns, Joyfully & Inclusively, to New York by Andrea Libresco As the performance begins, multiple helicopters fly over the Delacorte Theater. While not a part o…
Shakespeare's Sorcery Illuminates Island Power Struggles  by Jenyth Jo Prospero, the dethroned Duke of Milan, is a vengeful woman with magic in her hands. She conjures up a wild storm tha…