Vallejo Shakespeare in the Park is going deep— in more ways than one— for this year’s play, which is directed by a well-known forner Benicia educator. Christine Mani, who taught theater at Benicia High School for 17 years, is directing “Measure for Measure,” which kicks off a four-week run in multiple cities Friday. […]
BOTTG announces ‘Social Security’ as fall play
The Benicia Old Town Theatre Group (BOTTG) is certainly in a humorous mood, if its latest run of shows is any indication. Last season saw the performances of “Having a Wonderful Time, Wish You Were Her” and “Coming Apart.” This streak will continue in the fall when the local theater puts on its third comedy […]
Bay Area Stage takes audiences to the ‘Pictures’ beginning Friday
The importance of family and fulfilling one’s dreams are just two themes audiences will be exposed to when they see Bay Area Stage’s (BAS) production of Neil Simon’s “I Ought to Be in Pictures,” opening Friday. BAS co-producer Stacey Loew is a big fan of Simon and has wanted the Vallejo theater company to do […]
Benicia High School production of ‘Legally Blonde’ proves growing experience for all
“Legally Blonde: The Musical” tells the story of a young woman who perseveres despite obstacles and grows over time. Basically, it is an appropriate play for high school drama students to perform, and the result can be seen starting Friday at Benicia High School. Director Nathan Day said the drama department had a difficult time […]
Review: BOTTG’s ‘Coming Apart’ anchored by excellent cast
Benicia Old Town Theatre Group opened the final play of its 2017-18 season, Fred Carmichael’s “Coming Apart,” to a well-attended gala at B.D.E.S. Hall on Friday. It is the second comedy BOTTG has put on this season, following October’s “Having a Wonderful Time, Wish You Were Her,” which similarly put a humorous take on relationships. […]
BOTTG spring play captures crumbling marriage
The title of the play is “Coming Apart,” but Benicia Old Town Theatre Group’s spring play is coming together nicely and will open on Friday. Fred Carmichael’s 1994 play centers around married couple Frances and Colin Kittridge, whose marriage is crumbling. Colin works as a humor columnist and Frances as a romance novelist, giving them […]
Benicia High takes audience back in time with spring dance show
Remember a time when people weren’t consumed by their smartphones? Benicia High School’s performing arts department will take audiences back to such a time period— several of them, in fact— for its advanced dance show “Scrolling Through Time,” which opens tonight. The dance show— which combines the talents of Benicia High’s drama, dance and other […]
BHS grad acts in Vancouver production of ‘The Crucible’
When audiences in Vancouver go to see the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) production of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” in a week, they will see a Benician in the cast. Jed Weiss, a 2013 graduate of Benicia High School, will be portraying the pious but vulnerable Rev. John Hale. Weiss was first approached with the […]
Classic Arthur Miller play debuts at Bay Area Stage on Friday
The drive for success, the harsh reality of life and the collapse of the American Dream will all be present at Vallejo’s Bay Area Stage (BAS) Theatre beginning this Friday when its production of “Death of a Salesman” opens. Arthur Miller’s 1949 drama centers around the decline of a traveling New York City salesman named […]
Review: ‘Speedo’ looks under the surface of a swimmer’s life
Review by Elizabeth Warnimont Special to the Herald Lucas Hnath’s “Red Speedo,” Center Repertory Company’s current production at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek, delves into the inner life of a competitive swimmer in an intense format – a single, poolside setting and a short, 80-minute time slot with no break for intermission – that […]