"Crazy for You" Defies the Great Depression, at Bay Area Musicals, S.F. by Bdhorwitz

The Gershwins & McCoy Deliver Delicious Dancing by Evelyn Arevalo and Barry David Horwitz Here's a musical that illuminates 30s history. "Crazy for You" takes place during the Great Depr…

SOURCE: Theatrius at 1:44am on November 19, 2018☆⚑

"All the Way" Makes LBJ Real to Us, at Palo Alto Players by Bdhorwitz

Robert Schenkkan Reveals Women behind Throne by Barry David Horwitz The power behind Lyndon Baines Johnson (sympathetic Michael Monagle) is Lady Bird Johnson (touching Gwendolyne Wagner). La…

SOURCE: Theatrius at 8:00pm on November 14, 2018☆⚑

"PlayGround 25" Celebrates Writers, Actors, Directors, at Berkeley Rep by Bdhorwitz

Jim Kleinmann Sparks Six Mini-Plays Monthly by Barry David Horwitz When all the theaters go dark on Monday nights, the best playwrights, actors, and directors magically appear in six ten-min…

SOURCE: Theatrius at 6:51pm on November 4, 2018☆⚑

"The Boy from Oz" Dances into Our Hearts, at Rhino, S.F. by Bdhorwitz

Peter Allen Inspires Tears, Joy from Down Under by Barry David Horwitz Director John Fisher has done it again. He has revived the most fabulous gay musical, telling the story of famous loung…

SOURCE: Theatrius at 9:08pm on October 30, 2018☆⚑

"You Mean to Do Me Harm""Four Superb Actors Expose Our Obsessions, at S.F. Playhouse by Bdhorwitz

Christopher Chen, Bill English Pit Techies against Redwoods by Barry David Horwitz Ben drops an "innocent" remark at a cocktail party about a camping trip/date in long ago college days, and …

SOURCE: Theatrius at 10:14pm on October 25, 2018☆⚑

"Hamlet" Breaks New Ground, Amazingly, at Ubuntu, Oakland by Bdhorwitz

Michael Moran Acts, Directs a Rockin' Shakespeare by Barry David Horwitz It takes a lot of cojones to act, direct, and produce Hamlet in a storefront in downtown Oakland, at The Flight Deck,…

SOURCE: Theatrius at 10:23pm on October 19, 2018☆⚑

"Oslo" Pinpoints Palestine/Israel Accord, at MTC, Mill Valley by Bdhorwitz

J.T. Rogers Recreates Story of Negotiator Who Cares by Barry David Horwitz In "Oslo," a spectacular docudrama about the Palestine/Israeli negotiations in 1993, J.T. Rogers inserts friendly, …

SOURCE: Theatrius at 8:01pm on October 17, 2018☆⚑

"The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?""Best of Breed! at Custom Made, S.F. by Bdhorwitz

Edward Albee's Thriller Breaks All Rules by Barry David Horwitz Some productions just go beyond our fondest expectations. That magical moment happens when superb, thoughtful acting, skilled …

SOURCE: Theatrius at 5:41pm on September 27, 2018☆⚑

"Church" Blows the Roof Off Religion, at Crowded Fire, S.F. by Bdhorwitz

Young Jean Lee Reincarnates Faith in Song and Dance by Barry David Horwitz Crowded Fire's intimate stage is now the pulpit of a church, with soaring ceilings and high church windows. It's al…

SOURCE: Theatrius at 8:26pm on September 22, 2018☆⚑

"Dead and Breathing" Turns Toward Life, at Rhino, S.F. by Bdhorwitz

Chisa Hutchinson Celebrates Two Black Women in Crisis by Barry David Horwitz Two black women are struggling over life and death. One is a wealthy woman in hospice care who is dying of cancer…

SOURCE: Theatrius at 4:23pm on September 21, 2018☆⚑

"A Doll's House, Part 2" Redefines Marriage, at Berkeley Rep by Bdhorwitz

Lucas Hnath Updates, Invigorates Ibsen Classic by Barry David Horwitz When in the history of plays has a young writer taken on a hundred plus years old classic and written a "Part 2"? The au…

SOURCE: Theatrius at 5:20am on September 17, 2018☆⚑

"Detroit '67" Depicts Days of Fear & Rebellion, at Aurora, Berkeley by Bdhorwitz

Dominique Morisseau Aims for Motown Glory by Barry David Horwitz In Detroit in the long hot summer of 1967, the political winds are burning hot"under Lyndon Johnson, Martin Luther King, Jr.,…

SOURCE: Theatrius at 10:40pm on September 10, 2018☆⚑

"War of the Roses" Makes History LIVE, at Cal Shakes, Orinda by Bdhorwitz

Shakespeare & Ting Thrust into Present, Spectacularly by Barry David Horwitz Cal Shakes Artistic Director Eric Ting and Dramaturge Philippa Kelly have condensed four Shakespeare plays in…

SOURCE: Theatrius at 1:56am on August 30, 2018☆⚑

"Washed Up on the Potomac" Liberates Mad Men, at S.F. Playhouse by Bdhorwitz

Lynn Rosen Pits Freaks against Geeks by Barry David Horwitz What motivates a proofreader in a sweltering ad agency to huddle in a parka at her desk and shun her fellow workers? It's the clas…

SOURCE: Theatrius at 6:29am on August 23, 2018☆⚑

"Where the Boys Are" Explodes the Myth of Men, at Faultline, S.F. by Bdhorwitz

Vanessa Flores' New Women Take Over Comedy by Barry David Horwitz So….we think men, males, boys, those guys, dudes, bros are indispensable? Well, think again. Playwright Vanessa Flores mak…

SOURCE: Theatrius at 12:44pm on August 14, 2018☆⚑

"Each and Every Thing" Triumphs, at The Marsh, Berkeley by Bdhorwitz

Dan Hoyle Draws Laughter from Digital Lunacy by Barry David Horwitz In his new version of "Each and Every Thing," Dan Hoyle hits pay dirt with his warm, winning personality, his down home Sa…

SOURCE: Theatrius at 4:22am on July 30, 2018☆⚑

"Everybody" Speaks Boldly, Beautifully, at Cal Shakes, Orinda by Bdhorwitz

Jacobs-Jenkins' Modern Morality Stirs Our Souls by Barry David Horwitz "Everybody" puts our isolated lives on the griddle. Britney Frasier, a brilliant and baffling God, puts us all in our p…

SOURCE: Theatrius at 10:29pm on July 24, 2018☆⚑

"Two Minds" Meld, then Clash, Brilliantly, at The Marsh, S.F. by Bdhorwitz

Lynne Kaufman Delights with Nobel Geniuses by Barry David Horwitz Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman, real life scientists, worked at an Israeli University"Amos, a mathematician and Daniel, a …

SOURCE: Theatrius at 10:48am on May 22, 2018☆⚑

♦ Angels in America, "Perestroika" Flies Us to Heaven, at Berkeley Rep by Bdhorwitz

Kushner & Taccone Make Magnificent Miracles by Barry David Horwitz In "Perestroika," Part Two of Angels in America, playwright Tony Kushner and director Tony Taccone take us on world-sha…

SOURCE: Theatrius at 10:01am on May 17, 2018☆⚑

"What the Constitution Means to Me" Updates Us on Our Rights, at Berkeley Rep by Bdhorwitz

Heidi Schreck's Personalized U.S. History Delivers the Goods by Barry David Horwitz Heidi Schreck plays the Constitution like a Stradavarius, lyrically deploying Amendments in defense of the…

SOURCE: Theatrius at 7:35pm on May 14, 2018☆⚑

"Father Comes Home from the Wars" Unlocks a Worker's Worth, at ACT, S.F. by Bdhorwitz

Suzan-Lori Parks Updates Civil War Slavery and Freedom by Barry David Horwitz In "Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts I, II, III)" Susan-Lori Parks alarms us with a slave named Hero who g…

SOURCE: Theatrius at 3:59pm on May 5, 2018☆⚑

♦ "Angels in America""More Powerful & Prophetic than Ever, at Berkeley Rep by Bdhorwitz

Kushner & Taccone Magically Make "More Life!" by Barry David Horwitz Part One: "Millennium Approaches" More than 25 years ago, I saw the first production of Angels in America at the old …

SOURCE: Theatrius at 11:45pm on May 2, 2018☆⚑

"Mystery of Love and Sex" Queries Friend-Sex in Gay Comedy, at NCTC, S.F. by Bdhorwitz

Bathsheba Doran Titillates Jewish-Black Passions by Barry David Horwitz In "The Mystery of Love and Sex," daddy's little girl Charlotte (bouncy Linda Maria Girón) and her troubled friend …

SOURCE: Theatrius at 10:16pm on April 30, 2018☆⚑

"Eureka Day""An LOL Comedy on Parenting, at Aurora, Berkeley by Bdhorwitz

Jonathan Spector Exposes Private School Pretense by Barry David Horwitz I highly recommend taking BART to Downtown Berkeley, and enjoying "Eureka Day," a hilarious and wise comedy by local p…

SOURCE: Theatrius at 3:54pm on April 25, 2018☆⚑

"Signs" Sends a Magical Signal, at PianoFight, S.F. by Bdhorwitz

David Gerard, Master Magician, Enchants & Seduces by Barry David Horwitz When personable, mysterious, lithe David Gerard re-enters the small stage at PianoFight, after having introducing…

SOURCE: Theatrius at 4:24pm on April 19, 2018☆⚑