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Mike Huguenor on August 4, 2021
When the room gets stuffy, throw open the window and let in some fresh air. That’s the idea behind ‘Open a New Window,’ the ‘Slightly Unconventional Cabaret’ presented by downtown San Jose’s Tabard Theatre. Available in-person and online, ‘New Window’ is a night of music and storytelling from talented actors Glenna Murillo,…
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Jay Edgar on August 4, 2021
Rostand’s classic about an immensely talented but ugly man holding his own in a narcissistic society gets a new treatment by renowned British playwright Martin Crimp in this production broadcast from the National Theatre in London. Known for his experimental and austere approach to theater, Crimp’s minimalist art direction allows star James…
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Jay Edgar on July 21, 2021
Those who’ve missed mingling with fellow theatre-lovers now finally have a chance again: Mountain View’s Pear Theatre is throwing a free 20th season soiree for patrons both returning and prospective. Among the festivities (and margaritas), you’ll also get your first chance to subscribe to the upcoming season of terrific productions, the institution’s…
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Elliott Sky Case on July 21, 2021
Love tangles, nostalgia, and extravagant dance numbers—Stephen Sondheim’s 1971 musical Follies has it all, and National Theatre Live brings it with a 21-piece orchestra to SJSU’s Hammer Theatre, part of a nationwide screening series of their award-winning live performance recordings. Set in the crumbling Weissman theater as former chorus girls relive their…
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Mike Huguenor on July 14, 2021
As an author, Italo Calvino favored what he called ‘thoughtful lightness,’ his writing playing out like the waft of a particularly poetic breeze. Late Wedding, by San Francisco playwright Christopher Chen, takes Calvino as inspiration to tell a mind-bending tale of love, longing and marriage through a variety of “interconnected fables” spanning…
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Mike Huguenor on July 14, 2021
Held online this year, the 2021 Bay Area Playwrights Festival presents five bold new voices in stage writing. While this week’s arts feature focuses on Tiger Beat (see page 15 for more), the festivals other entries are just as interesting, like Human Museum by Bay Area stage/game writer Miyoko Conley, in which…
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Jay Edgar on July 7, 2021
Green Day’s 2004 album hit American pop culture like a train, putting much of the country’s marginalized sense of angst under post-9/11 politics front and center. And who better to act out that righteous furor in the brilliant stage adaptation than the teens of today, who’ve only added to their list of…
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Mike Huguenor on June 23, 2021
Called an “underground power generator” by SF Chronicle, the San Francisco Neo-Futurists are a troupe of writer/actor/directors committed to moving stage production boldly forward. Each year for Pride, the troupe presents their World Pride Wrench, a dazzling array of short productions that explore the LGBTQI+ experience from numerous decidedly current perspectives. Available…
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Mike Huguenor on June 2, 2021
In Shylock, a Jewish actor throws a Shakespeare Festival into chaos with his controversial performance as the notorious moneylender from Merchant of Venice. The festival is canceled (along with the actor’s career), and he is left having to defend his actions, and explain his artistic choices. Exploring themes of censorship, artistic freedom,…
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