My Kingdom for Cliff’s Notes: ‘Gatz’ West Coast premiere at Berkeley Rep
The famous staged reading of the entire ‘Great Gatsby’ is nothing more than a flickering green light.
Ebony Powers: ‘Manifesto’ at Brava
Rotimi Agbabiaka delivers another winning solo show satirizing race, sexuality, and hunger for fame.
The Pain Ends with Death: ‘The Children’ West Coast premiere at the Aurora
Top-notch acting and direction opens Aurora’s 2020 with a well-written play that doesn’t stick the landing.
The ‘Things’ We Say have Meaning: ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ Bay Area Premiere at SF Playhouse
Cheryl Strayed’s tenure as an advice columnist makes for an excellent 2020 opener for the Playhouse.
This Waking Life: ‘Wakey, Wakey’ at the ACT
ACT kicks off 2020 with Will Eno’s darkly comic one-act (and short) celebrating why the little things matter most.
Comfortably Numb: ‘Ways to Leave a Body’ world premiere at Cutting Ball
Cutting Ball starts off the new decade with two one-act dreams about women whose bodies aren’t theirs.
We are all Made of Stars: The Inaugural StarCrash at the DNA Lounge
I caught the first-ever show of the DNA Lounge’s new monthly EDM showcase. Not bad at all.
Sleaze Company: ‘PolySHAMory’ at The Marsh – SF
Kate Robards’ latest is a show about marriage and sex that – wouldn’tcha know it? – finishes too soon.
Not the Worst Witch: ‘Becky Nurse of Salem’ World Premiere at the Berkeley Rep
The second Witch Trial play I’ve seen in a week is an imperfect misfire for Sarah Ruhl and the Rep.
Virtual Insanity: ‘An Invitation Out’ West Coast Premiere by Quantum Dragon
An overlong, clichéd script is saved by great direction, a super cast, and eye-popping creative choices.
The Thinking Man's Idiot (Charles Lewis III) 