Review: 'Becky Nurse of Salem' debuts in Berkeley casting too many spells by Karen D'souza

Sarah Ruhl's 'Becky Nurse of Salem' gets its world premiere at Berkeley Rep, stirring an overstuffed kettle of history, feminism and misogyny.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 3:46pm on December 21, 2019☆⚑

Review: 'Donna Summer Musical' isn't exactly hot stuff by Karen D'souza

"Summer: The Donna Summer Musical" celebrates the iconic Disco Queen's songs to great effect, but the story line doesn't do her justice.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 11:00am on December 9, 2019☆⚑

Review: Spellbinding 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' soars into SF by Karen D'souza

J.K. Rowling's universe returns in "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," an often-thrilling but over-stuffed stage show now playing in S.F.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 2:20pm on December 2, 2019☆⚑

Cricket, colonialism clash in uneven 'Testmatch' at SF's Strand Theater by Karen D'souza

An all-female cast takes on politics, racism, colonialism and cricket in Kate Atwell's world premiere of "Testmatch" at American Conservatory Theater in S.F.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 11:15am on November 11, 2019☆⚑

Review: 'White Noise' can't deliver the jolt it wants to at Berkeley Rep by Karen D'souza

Suzan-Lori Parks' slavery-themed "White Noise" should unsettle its audience, but Berkeley Rep's new production doesn't deliver.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 5:07pm on October 5, 2019☆⚑

Review: 'The Great Wave' barely makes a ripple at Berkeley Rep by Karen D'souza

Hoping to make a splash, Berkeley Repertory Theatre launched its first season under new artistic director Johanna Pfaelzer with "The Great Wave," a political nail-biter about Japanese and Ko…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 4:14pm on September 21, 2019☆⚑

Susie Medak spills the beans on running the show at Berkeley Rep by Karen D'souza

Susie Medak made her stage debut in "The Three Little Pigs" in kindergarten. She's had a life in the theater ever since. The 65-year-old has been leading Berkeley Repertory Theatre as its ma…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 6:00am on September 5, 2019☆⚑

Review: Swashbuckling world premiere 'House of Joy' hits and misses at Cal Shakes by Karen D'souza

Cal Shakes presents the world premiere of Madhuri Shekar's 'House of Joy,' a lively but even mix of history, myth and contemporary politics.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 11:00am on August 19, 2019☆⚑

Robert Kelley taking final bows after 50 years at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley by Karen D'souza

Robert Kelley founded TheatreWorks shortly after graduating from Stanford in 1970, now he's entering the final year of a Tony-winning career.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 11:00am on July 15, 2019☆⚑

Review: Brecht debuts at Cal Shakes with rollicking 'Good Person of Szechwan' by Karen D'souza

Cal Shakes in Orinda presents its first Bertolt Brecht play with Eric Ting's imaginative, if bracing, 'The Good Person of Szechwan.'

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 11:00am on July 8, 2019☆⚑

Review: Outrageous 'Kiss My Aztec!' premieres at Berkeley Rep by Karen D'souza

John Leguizamo and Tony Taccone have teamed on the hilarious and un-PC 'Kiss My Aztec!' premiering at Berkeley Rep.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 5:25pm on June 8, 2019☆⚑

Review: Take a wild, hilarious ride with 'Midsummer Night's Dream' at Cal Shakes by Karen D'souza

Cal Shakes' "Midsummer Night's Dream" is full of infectious, high-energy humor and pop culture references, while losing none of the play's magic.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 11:00am on May 28, 2019☆⚑

Review: Beautiful rock opera 'Weightless' wafts back into SF by Karen D'souza

"Weightless," a rock music adapted from Ovid's "Metamorphoses" by the Bay Area band Kilbanes, plays at The Strand in SF through May 12.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 1:53pm on May 6, 2019☆⚑

'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' musical is a candy-coated dud by Karen D'souza

'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," the touring musical based on Roald Dahl's beloved book, is a let-down on several levels.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 6:35pm on April 20, 2019☆⚑

Take a once-in-a-lifetime journey into 'The Jungle' at Curran in SF by Karen D'souza

'The Jungle' at S.F.'s The Curran uses a unique sense of immediacy and immersion to bring theatregoers inside an infamous French refugee camp.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 4:39pm on April 6, 2019☆⚑