Bay Area Reporter :: Theater News

'The Tutor' - passion play's penetrating perspectives at NCTC

April 16, 2024 | by Jim Gladstone

"The Tutor," Torange Yeghiazarian's hardly mellow drama, commissioned by New Conservatory Theater Center, plays with a love triangle as sharp and spiky as the dagger-like points on a backgammon board.

'Forever Plaid' - pitch-perfect melodies from beyond the grave

by David-Elijah Nahmod
Apr 16, 2024

A show that begins with the deaths of its lead characters might not seem like a fun evening at the theater, but that's exactly how "Forever Plaid" begins. 42nd Street Moon will stage a revival of the 1989 play at the Gateway Theater.

'Bitch Slap!' - 'Dynasty' in drag at Oasis

by David-Elijah Nahmod
Apr 16, 2024

In 2017, Oasis staged "Bitch Slap!," a live-on stage homage to "Dynasty" with a touch of "Days of Our Lives" and novelist Jackie Collins thrown in for good measure. "Bitch Slap!" proved to be so popular that Oasis is doing it again.

'Kristina Wong: Sweatshop Overlord' — an inspiring agit-pop monologue at the Strand

by Jim Gladstone
Apr 9, 2024

In "Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord," the titular, jocular, Inner Sunset-raised performance artist's latest solo show, now playing at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater, that short hop back to the pandemic years feels shockingly epochal.

Rumi Missabu: original Cockettes member and performing artist, Nov. 14, 1947-April 2, 2024

by Jim Provenzano
Apr 7, 2024

Rumi Missabu, one of the last original Cockettes, and a film, music and theater artist, died in his Oakland home on April 2. He was 76. Missabu performed in several of the shows, but later went on to many other artistic accomplishments.

John-Andrew Morrison returns to 'A Strange Loop' at A.C.T.

by Jim Gladstone
Apr 2, 2024

John-Andrew Morrison returns in "A Strange Loop," the Tony and Pulitzer-winning musical being remounted by American Conservatory Theater with its original Broadway creative team, beginning later this month.

Going Out, March 28-April 5, 2024

by Jim Provenzano
Mar 28, 2024

Sure, we've got some serious plays, concerts and art exhibits. But don't miss the Mrs. Roper bar crawl on March 30 in the Castro. Get out your wigs and caftans! It's just one of many fun nightlife events, including Easter fun, in Going Out.

'Beyond Ridiculous' - Kenneth Elliott's theatrical tell-all

by Jim Provenzano
Mar 28, 2024

In "Beyond Ridiculous: Making Gay Theatre with Charles Busch in 1980s New York," Theatre-in-Limbo's actor, director and producer Kenneth Elliott recounts the history of a unique art movement, the drag camp plays written by Charles Busch.

Shotgun Players' 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' - fairies, romance, and a memorable Bottom

by Jim Gladstone
Mar 26, 2024

You can call it a romance. You can call it a comedy. But there's probably no better way to describe Shotgun Players' new production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" than to just call it a Play.

Birds, balls & battles: Opera Parallèle pairs two one-act operas

by Philip Campbell
Mar 26, 2024

Innovative Opera Parallèle is re-teaming with SFJAZZ April 5-7 for a world premiere double bill. Two one-act operas, "Vinkensport, or The Finch Opera" and "Balls" extend the partnerships' repertoire of edgy contemporary works and clever musical hook-ups.

'Cocktails with George and Martha'- Philip Gefter's book on Edward Albee's acrimonious play and film

by Brian Bromberger
Mar 25, 2024

Philip Gefter's new book, "Cocktails with George and Martha," an analysis of both the play and the 1966 Hollywood film, uses this now classic drama to explore how recent movies have depicted marriage.

Playwright Roger Q. Mason on their 'Pride of Lions'

by Jim Gladstone
Mar 19, 2024

The Los Angeles-based writer discusses their play, "The Pride of Lions," a sharp, funny and heart-wrenching portrayal of trans folk in 1920s Manhattan, which will have its world premiere at Theatre Rhinoceros March 28.

'The Far Country' at Berkeley Rep: Lloyd Suh's straight-ahead theatrical satisfaction

by Jim Gladstone
Mar 19, 2024

Playwright Lloyd Suh's sturdily carpentered, gimmick-free "The Far Country," now at the Berkeley Rep under the seamless direction of Jennifer Chang, examines the struggles Chinese immigrants to San Francisco in the early 20th Century.

'Unpacking in P'town' premieres at New Conservatory Theatre Center

by Jim Gladstone
Mar 12, 2024

Watching "Unpacking in P'town," a New Conservatory Theater Center commission now having its premiere production feels a bit like screening a black-and-white movie that's been colorized.

'Dirty White Teslas Make Me Sad' at the Magic Theatre

by Jim Gladstone
Mar 12, 2024

Naima, the 29-year-old protagonist of "Dirty White Teslas Make Me Sad," now premiering in a Magic Theatre/Campo Santo co-production extended through March 24, may be depressed and directionless, but she wields a wicked analogy.

Arts & Culture :: Theater