Arts & Culture :: Theater

'Goddess' opening night @ Berkeley Rep

'Goddess' opening night @ Berkeley Rep

  • by photo by Steven Underhill
  • Aug 27, 2022

Opening night of the new musical "Goddess" on August 24 drew numerous local and national celebrities to see the acclaimed production at Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

'Dynasty' never says die: stars of the TV favorite to play Feinstein's

'Dynasty' never says die: stars of the TV favorite to play Feinstein's

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Aug 23, 2022

Three of the actors who co-starred in the lavishly lathery soap opera 'Dynasty' —Jack Coleman, John James and Gordon Thomson— have reunited for a rat pack-inspired evening of drollery and dish that they're calling "Cocktails with the Carringtons."

Attendees at Castro Theatre town hall demand seats be saved

Attendees at Castro Theatre town hall demand seats be saved

  • by Eric Burkett
  • Aug 12, 2022

The new-ish managers of the Castro Theatre got an earful at a town hall they hosted at the beloved movie palace Thursday night, an event that easily drew several hundred people and went on more than an hour longer than planned.

Not your grandma's "Oklahoma!" - a radical new staging at the Golden Gate Theatre

Not your grandma's "Oklahoma!" - a radical new staging at the Golden Gate Theatre

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Aug 9, 2022

The "Oklahoma!" that comes sweeping into the Golden Gate Theatre next week on a national tour is a dark, radically reimagined take on the show that debuted on Broadway in 1943.

'Drag Becomes Her' returns to the Castro Theatre

'Drag Becomes Her' returns to the Castro Theatre

  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Aug 4, 2022

It's back. Peaches Christ's hilarious parody of the comedy film "Death Becomes Her" returns to the Castro Theatre August 27. Peaches will be joined by drag stars Jinxx Monsoon and Bendelacreme in a live parody of the hit film.

Help Is On The Way... back! REAF's star-studded biannual benefit returns

Help Is On The Way... back! REAF's star-studded biannual benefit returns

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Aug 2, 2022

The 26th Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation (REAF) "Help Is On The Way" concert, the first to be held in person since 2019, promises a stellar array of Broadway, film, cabaret and TV stars.

Unreal Estate: 'Dream Hou$e' at Shotgun Players

Unreal Estate: 'Dream Hou$e' at Shotgun Players

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Aug 2, 2022

"Dream Hou$e," being presented by Shotgun Players through August 14 has been written with no more coherence than a recollected dream. There are some incredibly vivid fragments and themes in play here. They just don't hang together.

Kevin Rolston's 'Deal With The Dragon'

Kevin Rolston's 'Deal With The Dragon'

  • by Christopher J. Beale
  • Jul 26, 2022

"Shame is a really tricky beast," said gay playwright and actor Kevin Rolston. "It hides things from you and whispers in your ear that you're not good enough." Rolston's new solo play, "Deal With The Dragon," explores many emotions.

Still here: SF Playhouse mounts the local premiere of 'Follies'

Still here: SF Playhouse mounts the local premiere of 'Follies'

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Jul 26, 2022

Seeing "Follies" is like spotting the Bigfoot of Broadway history: It's the stuff of legend, even when it lumbers a bit. The current San Francisco Playhouse production more than does justice to this rarely revived classic of the Sondheim canon.

Bay Area Playwrights Festival 45: exposing new plays, on stage and online

Bay Area Playwrights Festival 45: exposing new plays, on stage and online

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Jul 26, 2022

With in-person readings at Potrero Stage, and online viewing, the 45th Bay Area Playwrights Festival will reach new audiences with five staged readings of works in-progress.

Berkeley Rep's 'Sanctuary City' sends up flares

Berkeley Rep's 'Sanctuary City' sends up flares

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Jul 19, 2022

Contemporary social and political issues are tightly woven into "Sanctuary City," playwright Martyna Majok's gut-wrenching, personal-is-political drama, set between 2001 and 2005, and now playing at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

'References to Salvador Dali' ... maybe not

'References to Salvador Dali' ... maybe not

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Jul 12, 2022

Magical realist frosting is slathered thick on the humble crumbs at the heart of "References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot," now playing in a Custom Made Theatre production.

'La Belle et la Bête' — Opera Parallèle merges Philip Glass score with Cocteau's classic film

'La Belle et la Bête' — Opera Parallèle merges Philip Glass score with Cocteau's classic film

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Jul 5, 2022

The curtain rises on one of San Francisco's most exciting arts events of the year next week as Opera Parallèle presents the world premiere of its innovative take on "La Belle et La Bête" (Beauty and the Beast), combining live music and film.

Sketch 12: showcase of new choreographers

Sketch 12: showcase of new choreographers

  • by Philip Mayard
  • Jul 5, 2022

Choreographic luminary Amy Seiwert brings the twelfth iteration of her annual 'Sketch' collaborative series to Fort Mason's Cowell Theater July 15 & 16, with world premieres by Natasha Adorlee and New Mexico-based choreographer Joshua L. Peugh.