Arts & Culture :: Theater

Invigorating 'Passing Strange' at Shotgun Players

Invigorating 'Passing Strange' at Shotgun Players

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Mar 22, 2022

'Passing Strange,' Stew and Heidi Rodewald's Tony-winning show that travels from Southern California to West Berlin, returns to the Bay Area in an invigorating new production at Berkeley's Shotgun Players.

Harvey Fierstein's 'Better' than ever: theater and film fave's memoir 'I Was Better Last Night'

Harvey Fierstein's 'Better' than ever: theater and film fave's memoir 'I Was Better Last Night'

  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Mar 22, 2022

Award-winning writer and actor Harvey Fierstein qualifies as someone who has a distinctive voice and while reading his revelatory memoir, 'I Was Better Last Night,' you'd swear he was in the room with you, dishing away.

Stars in the House to host 10-hour star-filled marathon Ukraine benefit

Stars in the House to host 10-hour star-filled marathon Ukraine benefit

  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Mar 18, 2022

Stars in the House, the hit YouTube series hosted by Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley, announced that they will host a 10-hour March 26 telethon to raise money for those affected by the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Going Out, Homing's In, March 4-11, 2022

Going Out, Homing's In, March 4-11, 2022

  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Mar 3, 2022

Count yourself lucky that you're in a relatively free country, at least free enough to attend arts and nightlife events like those listed here. Do what you can, donate to Ukraine relief efforts, then count your blessings at a theater, art gallery, or bar.

50 years in 50 weeks: Marga Gomez' 2018 new year

50 years in 50 weeks: Marga Gomez' 2018 new year

  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Mar 1, 2022

When Marga Gomez' 'Latin Standards' premiered at the Brava Theater Center in early 2018, not only did she do an interview with Sari Staver for our January 11 issue, Gomez also enjoyed a half-page spread in The New York Times' Arts & Leisure section.

Colman Domingo's 'Dot' at NCTC

Colman Domingo's 'Dot' at NCTC

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Mar 1, 2022

Colman Domingo got his first ever stage role at the New Conservatory Theatre Center. Now, amid a successful career on Broadway and TV ('Euphoria'), his play, 'Dot' opens at the company where he got his start.

Enemy lines: 'Heroes of the Fourth Turning' at SF Playhouse

Enemy lines: 'Heroes of the Fourth Turning' at SF Playhouse

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Feb 22, 2022

At times when society feels divided into radically opposed camps, theater can remind us of a common humanity that transcends any singular ideology. But Will Arbery's play, 'Heroes of the Fourth Turning,' is a non-Kumbaya if ever there was one.

Lorraine Hansberry: two biographies on the life of 'A Raisin in the Sun' lesbian playwright

Lorraine Hansberry: two biographies on the life of 'A Raisin in the Sun' lesbian playwright

  • by Brian Bromberger
  • Feb 15, 2022

Two biographies of Black lesbian playwright Lorrain Hansberry, one new, the other recent, offer insightful perspectives on the writer whose singular success and difficult life were cut short.

50 years in 50 weeks: 2015's Sylvester musical

50 years in 50 weeks: 2015's Sylvester musical

  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Feb 9, 2022

In an interview published in February 2015, Richard Dodds talked to Anthony Wayne, the creator and star of the rousing 'Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical,' which was performed at Brava Theater.

Zaccho Dance Theatre: finding a 'state of grace'

Zaccho Dance Theatre: finding a 'state of grace'

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Feb 8, 2022

Zaccho Dance Theatre's long-delayed site-specific performance installation brings an aerial, ethereal new breath to the spiritual haven of Grace Cathedral.

San Francisco Ballet's two dramatic mixed bills, through Feb. 13

San Francisco Ballet's two dramatic mixed bills, through Feb. 13

  • by Paul Parish
  • Feb 8, 2022

San Francisco Ballet is back in the Opera House, looking strong, with two very different yet captivating programs of premieres and repertory works by choreographers Helgi Tomasson, Cathy Marston, William Forsythe, George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins.

Billy Porter's memoir 'Unprotected' - Broadway & TV actor's life story

Billy Porter's memoir 'Unprotected' - Broadway & TV actor's life story

  • by Brian Bromberger
  • Feb 1, 2022

After reading 'Unprotected,' Porter's frank, blunt, raw memoir, no one can ever accuse him of dissembling on a 30-year rocky circuitous journey to reach his current level of fame.

'Swept Away' - Avett Brothers' musical sets sail at Berkeley Rep

'Swept Away' - Avett Brothers' musical sets sail at Berkeley Rep

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Feb 1, 2022

There are sparkling bits of beauty bobbing on the surface, and treasures that one hopes will eventually be salvaged, in 'Swept Away,' an earnest, engrossing new musical with songs by the Avett Brothers now in its world premiere at Berkeley Rep.

Going Out, Homing's In, Jan. 28-Feb.4, 2022

Going Out, Homing's In, Jan. 28-Feb.4, 2022

  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Jan 27, 2022

The ins & outs and ups & downs of scheduling changes for arts and nightlife events are certainly keeping us on our toes, but we'll try to keep up with happenings around the Bay Area this week. If you're making plans, call ahead or check venues' websites.