Terry Baum Affirms A Woman's Love for Eleanor Roosevelt by Robert M. Gardner Lorena Hickock, the first woman reporter to have her by-line on the front page of the New York Times, meets Elean…
Jake Brunger Brings PRIDE & Sharp Eyes to Gay Couples by Barry David Horwitz There's more than one way to love, says Jake Brunger in his witty, British comedy "Four Play." His brilliant …
Kaija Saariaho's Masterpiece Exposes Infection of School Massacre by Mary Lou Herlihy Students' heads jerk backward in unison"a most horrifying moment, brilliantly staged. A sickening event …
Naomi Iizuka Sounds the Alarm in Beautiful New Poetic Drama by Mary Lou Herlihy Naomi Iizuka's "Garuda's Wing" takes us to Borneo, teaming with ghosts, orchids, and orangutans. She beckons u…
Steve Budd Reflects on Family Life Unrealized by Robert M. Gardner "Seeing Stars" is seventy minutes of interstellar and introspective exploration under the sure hand of master storyteller S…
Mozart Meets Chaplin in Jazz Age Animation & Flapper Fashion by Barry David Horwitz What's not to love about an evening with Mozart at SF Opera in silent movie style, intriguing animatio…
Michael Wayne Turner III Resurrects MLK, Writer & Performer by K. Marguerite Caronna The Reverend stands in the shadows, behind an imposing white pulpit on a raised red stage at Oakland …
John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer Play Remains Relevant  by Mary Lou Herlihy Before the play begins, I chat with the woman next to me. She shares a painful story about her local church whe…
Rotimi Agbabiaka Triumphs as Electric, Elegant Emcee by Barry David Horwitz If you see one musical this year, Center REP's "Cabaret" would be the one. There's no bigger thrill than seeing ma…
Carroll & Snider's Affectionate Acrobats Thrill & Inspire  by Barry David Horwitz You can only see "Dear San Francisco" at Club Fugazi in North Beach. Born out of Cirque du Soleil…
Stefano Massini's World-Wide Hit Unmasks Capitalist Bravado by Barry David Horwitz With a magnificent rafter-reaching glass and steel revolving cube, "The Lehman Trilogy" depicts American ca…
Lauren Gunderson Imagines a Play for Rich and Poor by Lynne Stevens The French Revolution is raging. We hear sounds of crowds, shots, and the woosh of Madame Guillotine outside a French woma…
Jonathan Larson's Musical Blossoms with Youthful, 90s Passions by Barry David Horwitz "tick…. tick…. Boom!" is more than the origin story of "Rent." It's a witty and brilliant commentary…
Strong, Weiner, Sarnak's New Musical Faces Mighty Challenges by Mary Lou Herlihy & Barry David Horwitz "Galileo" bursts onto the stage like a grand gold-wrapped gift with a big expensive…
Harvey Fierstein's Classic Gay Comedy Touches Our Hearts by Barry David Horwitz Lend an ear and you will hear an authentic argument between a gay, New York drag queen son and his disappointe…
Karen ZacarÃas Explores How Books Expand Our Lives by Mary Lou Herlihy Fill your glass, take a seat, open to Chapter 13, and enjoy a juicy discussion about this week's book selection. Ros…
Amy Freed Adapts Shakespeare for Modern Times by Robert M. Gardner At the opening of African American Shakespeare Company's "Taming of the Shrew," I expected a retelling of Shakespeare's fam…
Tennessee Williams Reflects American Memories & Dreams by Lynne Stevens Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" came to the stage in 1944. He called it "a memory play" because it recal…
Joyful Raven's Hilarious, High-Spirited Solo Fits the Moment by Kim Waldron This review was first published on September 4, 2022, for Joyful Raven's "Breed or Bust" at Playground-sf.org at P…
Brian Copeland Returns in 20th Anniversary Triumph! by Barry David Horwitz Brian Copeland's "Not A Genuine Black Man" reminds us of our nation's history through his own personal history of r…
Algiin Ford's Solo Show Embraces Resilience & Hope by Robert M. Gardner I went to the Marsh looking for insights and inspiration from veteran actor and writer Algiin Ford. I left with a …
Tanya Barfield's Professor Faces His Demons, Brings Us to Tears  by Lynne Stevens After a bout of terrible insomnia, math professor Lewis (the stellar Michael J. Asberry) is visited by th…
Amelio Garcia Tells Passionate Queer Coming Out Tale  by K. Marguerite Caronna There's no escaping those Greeks. "Red Red Red" is based on Greek scholar Anne Carson's queer coming of age …
Michael R. Jackson Creates Bold, Black, Queer Meta-Musical by Kim Waldron "A Strange Loop" is a musical about a Black queer writer writing a musical about a Black queer writer, who happens t…
Ghassan Kanafani Exposes Endless Pain in Palestine & Israel by K. Marguerite Caronna Golden Thread Productions courageously dedicates their season to Palestine. In its West Coast Premier…