THE ROLE PLAYERS ENSEMBLE OF DANVILLE brings exceptional talent to the stage this month with its season opener, Tennessee Williams’ “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” on stage through Sept. 20 at the historic Village Theatre. Megan Trout masters the logistically and emotionally demanding role of Maggie, an attractive and devoted wife determined to save […]
Review: Graceful acrobatics enhance Cal Shakes’ ‘Dream’
CALIFORNIA SHAKESPEARE COMPANY OPENED THE FINAL SHOW of its 2013-14 season Saturday with a fresh and lovely rendering of the Bard’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Director Shana Cooper incorporates dance and other directed movement into the production, lending a graceful aspect to this zany, mixed-up fantasy about four pairs of lovers who all seem to […]
Review: Divas shine in Verismo Opera’s ‘La Boheme’
VERISMO OPERA, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE MIRA THEATRE GUILD OF VALLEJO, is currently staging a heartwarming rendition of Puccini’s “La Boheme,” the passionate tale of a love that blossoms in the midst of abject poverty in 1830s Paris, at the Bay Terrace Theatre in Vallejo through Sept. 7. In a performance last Saturday, Melissa Mallory […]
Wine Train’s ‘Vintner’s Lunch’: A vintner-dependent experience
LUNCH WITH A VINTNER ON THE NAPA VALLEY WINE TRAIN can be enjoyable, educational and gastronomically satisfying — but it may also be the one Wine Train tour option involving the greatest element of chance. One thing that’s a pretty safe bet no matter which of the numerous Wine Train options one chooses: The food […]
On the Stage: Orinda Starlight opens summer season with ‘Murder’
ORINDA STRALIGHT VILLAGE PLAYERS opened its summer season Friday with Agatha Christie’s “Go Back for Murder,” featuring Starlight regular Ken Sollazzo as Justin Fogg, a kindly lawyer who helps a young woman to re-investigate the 16-year-old case of her father’s murder. Laura Martin-Chapin takes on the dual roles of young Carla Crale and her mother […]
On the Stage: Boomers may relate best to Mamet’s ‘American Buffalo’
DIRECTOR BARBARA DAMASHEK WORKS WITH THREE STRONG ACTORS, all members of Actors’ Equity Association, in the Aurora Theatre production of David Mamet’s “American Buffalo,” a one-day window on the lives of two lonely old men and a young shop hand, each longing to find a way to score big and break free of their stagnant […]
On the Stage: ‘Crazed’ adaptation unfolds swiftly at Berkeley City Club
PLAYWRIGHT SALLY DAWIDOFF TAKES ON A TERRIFIC CHALLENGE with her stage adaptation of “The Crazed,” the story of a young man’s coming of age in China on the eve of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, showing through June 22 at the Berkeley City Club. Based on the novel of the same title by Chinese American […]
Review: Masquers offers sweet ‘Cell Phone’ comedy at cozy Point Richmond venue
“Dead Man’s Cell Phone,” a charming, modern romantic comedy by Sarah Ruhl, is now on stage at the intimate Masquers Theatre in Point Richmond. Mariah Castle does an excellent job portraying Jean, a young woman who ends up enriching other people’s lives largely by downplaying her own. Jean takes advantage of a chance encounter and […]
In the house or under the stars, plenty of theater to see this summer
SUMMER IS NIGH! School will be out soon, and summer theater is already under way with some promising shows, including a few on stage this weekend. Let’s start with outdoor performances. Some take place in the afternoon and some begin after dark. Most venues offer activities before the show, so you may want to arrive […]
On the Stage: Cal Shakes casts ‘Raisin’ in a universal light
CALIFORNIA SHAKESPEARE COMPANY OPENED its 40th summer season last week with the American classic, “A Raisin in the Sun,” demonstrating that playwright Lorraine Hansberry’s depiction of the Younger family’s struggles in 1950s Chicago reflects a universal American theme. The title itself suggests that universal aspect, taken as it is from a line of the Langston […]