From this Thursday straight through to Christmas Eve, Bay Area theaters are presenting a fall season of remarkable variety. While there's a bit less conspicuously queer-themed work being presented, there are plenty of deeply humane —and sometimes radically reframed— stories being explored stage. Here are some of the productions we're especially looking forward to.
"Private Lives" at the Toni Rembe Theater
"Fallen Angels" at Aurora Theater
This year marks the 125th anniversary of the birth of Noël Coward, one of the preeminent English-language playwrights of the 20th Century, and Bay Area audiences can celebrate at two productions of his razor-sharp, upper-crusty romantic comedies.
American Conservatory Theatre presents the tale of a recently divorced couple who unexpectedly find themselves, and their new spouses, in adjacent rooms on their second honeymoons. A.C.T. moves the action from the south of France to Buenos Aires, firing up the quartet's entangled tangos. Sept. 12-Oct. 6. 415 Geary St. www.act-sf.org
Aurora brings us "Fallen Angels," the tale of two women who turn out to have had affairs with the same man prior to marrying their current husbands and who competitively contemplate picking things up with him extramaritally. Oct. 19-Nov. 17. $38-$46. 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. www.auroratheatre.org
"Legally Blonde" at the Victoria Theatre
Ray of Light Theatre, the Bay Area's premiere purveyor of pop culture musicals, takes color-conscious casting to provocative heights in this staging of the Reese Witherspoon movie-turned-musical.
The show, which had its pre-Broadway tryout at the Golden Gate Theatre here in 2007, has always had a not-quite-convincing "Don't judge a book by its cover" social message beneath its bubblegum veneer, simultaneously rebuking and reinforcing "dumb blonde" stereotypes.
For this production, lead character Elle Woods' golden tresses are being donned by a Black actress, Majesty Scott. Will the show's spin on superficiality become more trenchant and complex? Or will the whole confection feel even sillier than ever? Sept. 7-29. $21.99-$74.99. 2961 16th St. www.rayoflighttheatre.com
"Mexodus" at the Berkeley Rep
The season's most musically and technologically innovative production also has one of its most unexpected plot lines. Written and performed by Bryan Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson, this West Coast premiere explores a little-known route of the Underground Railroad that brought escaped Black slaves from the American South to Mexico.
By no means a conventional book musical, its hip-hop-inflected score is performed with live-looped instrumentation that requires split-second precision. The precarity of the show's music-making pays tribute to the fraught tightrope walk of its subjects. Sept. 13-Oct. 20. $23.50-$134. 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. www.berkeleyrep.org
"Ride the Cyclone" at New Conservatory Theatre Center
A perfect show to usher in Halloween season, this eccentric genre-hopping musical developed an online cult following among teenagers during the pandemic. It's the tale of six contemporary Canadian high schoolers — including a gay boy who fantasizes about being a French prostitute in the Roaring '20s — who are killed in a roller coaster mishap. Beetlejuicy! $35.50-$68.50. Sept. 20-Oct. 20. 25 Van Ness Ave. www.nctcsf.org
"Choir Boy" at Ashby Stage
How fitting that Shotgun Players' theater is a former church. The breakthrough work by Tarrell Alvin McCraney, who went on to win an Oscar for his "Moonlighting" screenplay, is infused with spiritual music and dance. The wrenching story of a queer boarding school student who confronts racism and homophobia with great strength of character, "Choir Boy" was last mounted in the Bay Area in 2015 (at Marin Theater) and deserves to be welcomed back with open arms and minds. Sept. 24-Oct. 20. $8-$40. 1901 Ashby Ave. www.shotgunplayers.org|
"King James" at Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts
A terrific play by any standard, Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph's touching drama, about the friendship between two men who bond over their mutual LeBron James fandom, is an ideal work to share with your own friends who may not be regular theatergoers.
Presented by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, the dialogue in this frequently funny and always emotionally potent play is spiked with bits of basketball lingo that may bounce over the heads of aesthetes while scoring points with jocks in the audience. Oct. 9-Nov. 3. $34-$115. 500 Castro St., Mountain View. www.theatreworks.org
"Yaga" at Marin Theatre
"Dragon Lady" at the Lesher Center for the Arts
Powerful women cast their spells in these inventive works being presented by venerable North and East Bay companies.
In "Yaga," playwright Kat Sandler draws on Slavic folktales of the witch, Baba Yaga, to craft a magic realist neo-noir mystery in which three actors each play multiple roles and explore the societal stigmas around being single older women. Oct. 10-Nov. 3. $30-$85. 397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley. www.marintheatre.org
Having played in Marin last year, Broadway vet Sara Porkalob reprises her acclaimed autobiographical solo musical at the CenterRep. Accompanied by a live band and playing dozens of characters, she celebrates her one-time gangster Filipina grandmother's life and legacy. Oct. 27-Nov. 24. $0-$70. 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. www.centerrep.org
'Peter Pan" at the Golden Gate Theatre
"Peter Pan: Panto in the Presidio" at the Presidio Theatre
Here in America's pansiest city, we can never get enough of flying twinks and Tinkerbells. So, clap your hands and toss some pixie dust at these two new productions.
Broadway SF brings the national tour of the revamped classic musical to town. Beloved songs including "I Won't Grow Up" and "Gotta Crow" remain intact, but audiences can look forward to a smartly updated book by Native American playwright Larissa Fasthorse that gives Princess Tiger Lily and her clan their due.
Lost Boys who never quite cottoned to Mary Martin, Sandy Duncan or Cathy Rigby in the lead role can look forward to 17-year-old Nolan Almeida in tights and in flight. Oct. 29-Nov. 3 $36-$139. 1 Taylor St. www.broadwaysf.com
The British tradition of campy panto during holiday season has been merrily adapted by the Presidio theater which has been presenting pun-filled fractured fairy tales for children of all ages since 2021. A brand new Pan is this year's treat, with a cast including "Beach Blanket Babylon" alums Renee Lubin and Curt Branum, and local queer superstar Rotimi Agbabiaka as Neverland's favorite hooker. Dec. 3-29. $17-$68. 99 Moraga Ave. www.presidiotheatre.org
"Kimberly Akimbo" at the Curran Theatre
The winner of 2022 Tony Awards for "Best Musical," "Best Score," and "Best Book," this quirky, inspiring gem features music by queer composer Jeanine Tesori, beloved for her "Fun Home" score.
Like that show, "Kimberly Akimbo" empathetically reflects on the end of childhood innocence, in this case through a story about a girl with a medical condition that causes her to grow old with alarming rapidity. It's Benjamin Button in reverse, if you will. But funny! With songs! Nov. 5- Dec. 1. $60-$139. 445 Geary St. www.broadwaysf.com
"Cabaret" at Theatre Rhinoceros
For the first time since moving into its intimate Castro digs, the Rhino is mounting a musical. The Kander and Ebb classic is no stranger to Bay Area stages, but the up-close environs of this particular space promise a compelling sort of claustrophobia when infused with the show's encroaching fascism.
"'Cabaret' speaks to our need to remain vigilant," says director John Fisher. And it's true, no matter who wins the election three weeks before opening night. Nov. 21-Dec. 15. $17.50-$35. 4229 18th St. www.therhino.org
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