The Benicia Old Town Theatre opened Ken Ludwig’s comic romp, “The Game’s Afoot” Friday to a fun crowd, some goers dressed in ‘30s period attire in keeping with the spirit of the Sherlock Holmes theme. The Benicia troupe served up a healthy portion of theatrical entertainment, seasoned with exquisite comic timing, a brilliantly-designed set, and […]
Benicia Old Town Theatre Group’s ‘Game’ promises surprise, entertainment
The Benicia Old Town Theatre Group (BOTTG) will open Ken Ludwig’s farcical holiday drama, “The Game’s Afoot, or Holmes for the Holidays” on Friday, Oct. 21 at the historic BDES Hall in downtown Benicia. Director Clinton Vidal expects a good turnout for the highly entertaining production. “It’s unique, at least among the six to seven […]
Benicia Old Town Theatre Group, Benicia High School bask in Arty Award nominations
When it comes to theater, Benicia has plenty to celebrate. After all, two of the city’s theatrical institutions– Benicia Old Town Theatre Group and Benicia High School’s drama department– have racked up a combined 43 nominations for the 32nd annual Arty Awards. The Artys, which honor theater productions at all age levels in Solano […]
New act begins for longtime Benicia High drama teacher
Christine Mani takes new gig as Solano theater instructor After 17 years, Christine Mani has taken her final bow as Benicia High School’s drama teacher. However, she will have a new role as a full-time theater instructor at Solano Community College. Mani cites the need to help Solano’s theater department— which suffered drastic budget cuts […]
Benicia writer promotes new musical through ‘Great Wall of Lips’
Those who have visited Java Point Cafe lately might have noticed something called “The Great Wall of Lips.” It is a collection of small pieces of paper with lipstick imprints on them, all neatly arranged in several rows on a wall near the entrance. It certainly is an attention grabber, but many might wonder what […]
‘Hamlet’ improv to continue through January at Shotgun
Shotgun Players of Berkeley had a crazy idea: put all the roles for William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” on pieces of paper and stuff them into a hat – no, make that a skull! Then just before each performance, the actors can pull their roles out of the skull. Random parts! The show has been a roaring […]
On the stage this weekend: A quick look at theater on stage today and next weekend, within about a half hour’s drive from Benicia
Last chance today Today is your last chance to catch The Vagabond Players, Inc. in “Fabulous Follies, Decades.” Get to the Campbell Theater in Martinez for the 2:30 p.m. show. “You won’t want to miss the dancing, songs and stories presented by this award-winning company of distinguished senior performers,” they promise. The Campbell Theater is […]
Benicia High School spring dance show puts fame under microscope
As the late David Bowie once remarked “Fame puts you where things are hollow.” It is hard to resist the temptation of fame, but living the glamorous life has its downsides, especially when it comes to starting on the path down the rabbit hole of fame. This topic is the subject of Benicia High School’s […]
Three BHS departments join forces for winter production
Three prominent performing arts programs at Benicia High School—the dance program, the drama program and the band program— will join forces for Panther Productions’ “Alex in Wonderland: Through the Performing Arts Looking Glass” next weekend. The story takes inspiration from “Alice in Wonderland” and blends it with a frequent nightmare that performing artists have: being […]
Benicia’s “Nutcracker” ballet celebrates 25-year tradition
Benicia Ballet Theatre will hit another milestone this weekend. Saturday will mark the 25th year that the organization has brought the beloved holiday classic “The Nutcracker” to Solano County. “The Nutcracker,” based on the 1816 short story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” was first adapted into a ballet by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov […]