BENICIA OLD TOWN THEATRE GROUP DIRECTOR CLINTON VIDAL has gathered just the right ingredients for a fun and lively production of Marc Camoletti’s rollicking farce, “Don’t Dress for Dinner,” which opened to a near-capacity crowd at the B.D.E.S. Hall on Friday. Scott Poitras and Natalie Hardt seem made for each other as philandering couple Bernard […]
On the Stage: VSO season finale marks bittersweet farewell
VALLEJO AND BENICIA BID A FOND FAREWELL SUNDAY to a pillar of the area arts community as Maestro David Ramadanoff waved his baton for the last time at the helm of the Vallejo Symphony before his forced retirement (for lack of a more palatable term) officially begins. Whenever I sit down to compose a review, […]
On the Stage: Catch a funny ‘Foreigner’ at Contra Costa Civic Theatre
PLAYWRIGHT LARRY SHUE IS BEST KNOWN for two of his most popular comedy plays, “The Nerd,” which premiered in 1981 (and which was performed by Benicia Old Town Theatre in 2011), and a similarly styled romp, “The Foreigner,” in which Bay Area talent Ryan O’Donnell currently rocks the title role on the Contra Costa Civic […]
On the Stage: Lucky Penny’s ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ a ramblin’ ride
NAPA’S LUCKY PENNY PRODUCTIONS OPENED A RAUCOUS — AND RISQUE — production of “Bonnie & Clyde,” the 2009 musical about the infamous gun-slinging Depression-era lovers, to a moderate opening night crowd Friday. Lucky Penny co-producer Taylor Bartolucci portrays the central character, sex-crazed rural Texas waitress Bonnie Parker, painted here as starry-eyed and impulsive yet astute […]
Contra Costa’s ‘Music Man’ has Broadway feel
CONTRA COSTA MUSICAL THEATRE OPENED A STUNNING PRODUCTION of Meredith Wilson’s 1957 hit musical, “The Music Man” at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek Friday. Actors’ Equity Association member Noel Anthony headlines as charismatic shyster Harold Hill, but it’s Kelly Britt who wows the audience with her sugary-sweet voice in the role […]
On the Stage: Bay Area Stage company nails ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’
BAY AREA STAGE PUT ON AN EXCEPTIONAL SHOWING OF “To Kill a Mockingbird” on opening night last Friday at the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum. Co-producers Jeff Lowe and Stacey Loew bring a super-talented cast and accomplished crew to the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, adding up to a moving performance that paints a clear picture of […]
On the Stage: Deep impact from company’s subterranean Shakespeare
IMPACT THEATRE OF BERKELEY PUTS ON A DULY CREEPY ACT in the basement space below La Val’s Pizza in Berkeley as the company presents Shakespeare’s “Richard III,” following the bloody trail of the infamous royal’s crazed climb to power in 15th-century England. The ailing King Edward’s marriage has come into question, so his children may […]
On the Stage: Lack of connection between players hurts Verismo effort
VERISMO OPERA COMPANY OF VALLEJO is currently staging Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” at the Bay Terrace Theatre in Vallejo. The story is simple, so it was easy to follow the English supertitles Saturday without losing sight of the action on the stage. What did distract from the magic, though, was an awkward lack of connection among […]
Benicia Ballet, SONC enhance each other on stage
WHAT IF THE SYMPHONY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA were to invite Benicia Ballet Theatre to join them in a concert of music and dance? Sounds like a splendid idea — and in fact it turned out beautifully for both when the two companies performed “Crossing the Lines” at Solano College Theatre in Fairfield last weekend. Former […]
On the Stage: Center Rep’s ‘Book Club’ an interesting mix
CENTER REPERTORY COMPANY OF WALNUT CREEK takes on something new and different in presenting award-winning playwright Karen Zacarias’s 2009 spoof, “The Book Club Play.” It’s a play about the making of a documentary, following the activities of a group of adults who meet twice a month to discuss their selected book. The show, which continues […]