LOWER BOTTOM PLAYAZ ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Ayodele Nzinga has set herself and her troupe a lofty goal: to be the first to stage all 10 installments of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson’s “Century Cycle,” a set of full-length plays depicting African-American life in the inner cities, set in Pittsburgh, Pa., and spanning the 20th century a […]
Comedy, music fill in during area theaters’ holiday lull
MOST AREA THEATER COMPANIES wrapped up their production runs early this month, taking a break for the holidays until about the end of January. One exception is Missouri Street Theatre, whose “Into the Woods” opened last Thursday and continues through Sunday at the Downtown Theatre in Fairfield, 1035 Texas St., 940-0700, www.downtowntheatre.com. Meanwhile, music and […]
On the Stage: ‘Angels’ strange but funny in Masquers’ capable hands
IT MAY REQUIRE A CERTAIN LEVEL OF TOLERANCE on the part of the audience to accept the unlikely circumstances behind the action in “My Three Angels,” Sam and Bella Spewack’s oddball comedy set at the infamous Devil’s Island penal colony in northeast Africa, but the play does contain plenty of funny lines and they are […]
On the Stage: ‘Mockingbird’ still poignant in Contra Costa production
IN 1988, THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF ENGLISH reported that Harper Lee’s 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” was required reading at three-quarters of American high schools. To this day it remains so at Benicia and other area public schools. The well-crafted story about a black man in Depression-era Alabama unjustly accused […]
On the Stage: BOTTG hits ground running with season opener
Benicia Old Town Theatre Group opened its 2014-15 season with a bang Friday, showcasing the talents of many in a well-crafted presentation of “Dial ‘M’ for Murder,” the 1952 stage play by Frederick Knott. (Knott also wrote the screenplay for the 1954 film, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and featuring Grace Kelly and Ray Milland in […]
‘Dial M for Murder’ opens Friday
Benicia Old Town Theatre Group’s production of Frederick Knott’s classic crime thriller “Dial M for Murder” opens Friday in the historic BDES Hall. Knott, an English playwright who wrote both stage play and screenplay versions of his scripts, often focused on women who become victims of evil circumstances. In “Dial M for Murder,” a retired […]
On the Stage: Contra Costa’s ‘Addams Family’ is a blast from the past
“THEY’RE CREEPY AND THEY’RE KOOKY … DA-DA-DA-DUM!” Contra Costa Civic Theatre had the audience snapping their fingers along with the familiar “Addams Family” theme song Friday during the overture for “The Addams Family: A New Musical,” on stage at the El Cerrito venue through Oct. 19. The company enjoys an exciting distinction this month, being […]
Benicia theater group comedy nets 4 ‘Artys’
Benicia Old Town Theatre Group’s comedy production “Same Time Next Year” has earned four Arty Awards, including best comedy of the year, Dyanne Vojvoda, company spokesperson, said Monday. The Artys, produced by the Performing Arts Network (PAN-Arts), annually honor Solano County theatrical shows. BOTTG) has been nominated in each of the 30 years Arty Awards […]
Review: Zany humor, great acting in DVC’s ‘Noises’
SOME FINE YOUNG ACTORS ARE SHOWING OFF THEIR TALENT at Diablo Valley College in the troupe’s current production of “Noises Off,” Michael Frayn’s frolicking farce about what goes on behind the scenes at a theatrical production. In fact, countless things can go wrong, and Frayn has chosen some doozies to spoof in this, his most […]
ON THE STAGE: Napa Playhouse does Coward’s ‘Angels’ right
NAPA VALLEY PLAYHOUSE OPENED NOEL COWARD’S “FALLEN ANGELS,” a comic send-up of marriage and loyalty, to a full crowd at the River Park Shopping Center theater last Friday. Jessica Loesch and Sarah Lundstrom are bright and funny in the lead roles as married friends Julia and Jane, respectively, each easily carrying her part of extensive […]