2022
December 2022
“As You Like It”: Weaves Past & Future in Magical Forest—at SF Playhouse
“Beetlejuice, The Musical” Parties Hard and Fast—at BroadwaySF
“Hailie!” Celebrates the Queen of Gospel’s Triumphs—at Lorraine Hansberry
“Little Shop of Horrors”: Killer Plant Blooms in Chinatown—at TheatreWorks
“Ham for the Holidays” Lightens the Heart—at Main Stage West
“Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski” Is Unforgettable—at Berkeley Rep
“A Year with Frog and Toad”: Episodes of Woodland Friendship—at BACT
“Shoshana in December”: A Holiday Musical for Jews & Polyamors—at Custom Made
“Wuthering Heights” Takes Us from Darkness to Light—at Berkeley Rep
“Natasha, Pierre & Great Comet of 1812”: A Musical Triumph—at Shotgun
“Two Trains Running” Celebrates Pre-Civil Rights’ Black Bravery—at MTC
November 2022
“Colonialism Is Terrible, But Pho Is Delicious” Rocks Your Soup—at Aurora
“Mark of the Minotaur” Merges Mystery and Misogyny—at The Marsh
“Frozen” Enchants with Sisterhood & Icey Beauty—at BroadwaySF
“Natasha, Pierre & Great Comet of 1812”: Musical Allures with Decadence—at Shotgun
“Book of Sand” Spotlights One Man’s Obsession with Books—at OTP
Verdi’s “Traviata” Thrills with Great Singers & Staging—at SF Opera
“Ain’t Too Proud” Shows Fame Has Its Price—at BroadwaySF
“A Slice of Life” Fuses Fragments of Father/Daughter Memories—at The Rhino
“The River Bride” Asks, “What Price Love?”—at 6th Street Playhouse
“A Raisin in the Sun” Still a Force of Nature—at The Public, N.Y.
“Language of Wild Berries” Reveals Price of Persian Resistance—at Golden Thread
“Attempts on Her Life” Looks at the Human Condition—at Lunatico
October 2022
The Red Shades” Sings of Tenderloin Trans Heroes & Sheroes—at Z Space
“A Nice Family Gathering” Kicks Off the Holidays & Scores—at Altarena
“Bad Hombres”: A Side-Splitting Trip to Gay Latino Life—at The Rhino
“On Beckett” Celebrates Samuel Beckett’s Works in Motion—at ACT
“The Museum Annex” Showcases Black Women’s HerStory—at Central Works
“Jagged Little Pill”: Pop Musical Showcases Teenage Angst—at BroadwaySF
“Grandma & Me” Touches Our Hearts with Single Parent Tales—at The Marsh
“Music of Mothers”: Two Moms Face Life/Death Choices—at TheatreFirst
“Overlooked Latinas” Celebrates Legendary Latin Women—at The Marsh, S.F.
“Indecent”: Thrilling Play-in-Play Celebrates Yiddish Arts—at SF Playhouse
“Eugene Onegin” Soars with Simple Elegance—at S.F. Opera
“Zac & Siah or, Jesus in a Body Bag” Probes Power of Prophets—at Custom Made
“Aunt Jack”: Comedy Unfurls Rainbow of Sexual Identities—at NCTC
September 2022
“Why Would I Mispronounce My Own Name?” Triumphs! —at The Marsh
“Passengers” Mingles Circus Thrills with Compassion —at ACT
“Evolution” Exposes Subtle Racial Aggression—at Ferocious Lotus
“Ripple” Triumphs over Racism with Tears of Joy—at Berkeley Rep
“Lear”: A Universal Tragedy in SF’s Fillmore District—at Cal Shakes
“To Kill a Mockingbird” Triumphs with Superb Acting & Design—at BroadwaySF
“Elephant & Piggie”: Perfect Return to Joys of Imagination—at BACT
“Antony & Cleopatra” Radiates Ambition in World Premiere—at SF Opera
“Always…Patsy Cline” Makes Us Love Her Like ‘Crazy’—at Center REP
The Crucible”: Bold Staging Exposes Big Lies—at Oakland
“Man of God” Wins Our Hearts with Charm & Wit—at Shotgun
“This Much I Know” Dramatically Dissects Decision Making—at Aurora
“Pretty Beast” Runs Wild—at Exit Theatre
“Fun Home” Shines Musical Light on Family Secrets—at Left Edge
“Breed or Bust” Delivers Laughs & Complications—at PlayGround
“School of Rock” Inspires Kids to Find Their True Talents—at Palo Alto Players
August 2022
“School of Rock” Sparkles with Bright, Talented Kids—at Palo Alto Players
“Two Gentlemen of Verona”: Shakespeare Comedy for All of Us—at The Curtain
“Chopin in Paris”: Melancholy Melodies Mark Chopin’s Life—at TheatreWorks
“Fun Home” Throws Open the Closet Door—at City Lights
“It’s Only a Play” Glitters in the Moment—at Altarena
“Pride & Prejudice” Mixes Roles to Delight & Enlighten—at 6th St.
“Atlas, the Lonely Gibbon” Wrestles with Cyber/Human Conflict—at Spreckels
“The Four Gifts”: Heartfelt & Amazing Life of Local Hero—at Hillbarn
“Hat Matter” Returns in Style—at Z Space
“Lion King”: A Spectacular Menagerie of African-ish Delights—at Broadway San Jose
“House of Desires”: A Fun-Filled Rom-Com in Colonial Mexico—Those Women
July 2022
“Julius Caesar” Spotlights Spectacular Vocalists & Orchestra—at West Edge
“Sanctuary City” Touches Us with Empathy & Surprises—at Berkeley Rep
“Follies” Celebrates Musical Memories & Modernity—at S.F. Playhouse
“Ariane & Bluebeard”: A Harmonic & Opulent Opera—at West Edge
“Boys Go to Jupiter” Exposes Evolution of White Guilt —at Word for Word
“References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot” Perplexes Us —at Custom Made
“Back to the Way Things Were”: Musical Comedy Exposes Big Lies!
Wives” Weaves & Wavers on Women’s Identities—at Aurora
“The Prom” Dances to Its Own Comedic Beat—at BroadwaySF
June 2022
“Dreaming in Cuban”: Haunting Reflection on La Revolución—at Central Works
“Hayavadan” Celebrates Love with Witty, Magical Spectacle—at Naatak
“Dream of the Red Chamber” Wins a Place in Operatic Canon—at SF Opera
Dana H.” Tells Her Own Chilling & Amazing Story—at Berkeley Rep
“Hadestown” Rips Apart Industrial Capitalism with Love—at BroadwaySF
“The Mushroom Cure”: Adam Strauss–at The Marsh, Berkeley
“Don Giovanni” Carries the Night in New Production—at SF Opera
“The Sound Inside” Alarms, Upsets Our Balance—at Marin
“Wink”: Hilarious Comedy Challenges Modern Civilization—at MSW
“Romeo y Juliet” Crosses Mexican Cowboy Culture with Queer Love—at Cal Shakes
“Melancholy Play” Opens a Window to a Wistful Time—at Lunatico
“The Quality of Life” Dramatically Mingles Romance & Grief—at Altarena
“The Keeper” Uses Nursery Rhymes to Strengthen our Resolve—at We Players
“Balikbayan Box” Delivers the Steps to Love—at TheatreFirst
“Cats” Whisk(er)s Us Away to a Magic Land—at BroadwaySF
May 2022
“A Small Fire” Ignites Mysterious Passions—at Shotgun Players
“A Doll’s House, Part 2” Questions Family Loyalties—at Novato
“Blood at the Root”: Six Brilliant Teens Dance into Our Hearts—at Custom Made
“Hat Matter” Unfolds Fashion as Political Action—at OTP
“Monument, or Four Sisters” Explores Loss of Love & Coral Reefs—at Magic Theatre
“Paper Dreams of Harry Chin” Reveals Chinese American Fears—at SF Playhouse
“Going Out”: Humorous & Heartfelt Memories thru a COVID Lens—at The Marsh
“The Government Inspector”: Classic Comedy Mocks Corrupt Officials—at Ross Valley
“Our Town”: Small Town Charm Exposes Need for Change—at Center REP
April 2022
“Octet” Invites Musical Escape from Internet Tyranny—at Berkeley Rep
“PrEP Play, or Blue Parachute”: Packed with Plots and Passions—at NCTC
“Allegiance”: A Musical that Entertains & Instructs—at Palo Alto Players
“Crowns” Spotlights African American Perseverance—at CCCT
“Drowning in Cairo” Plumbs Depths of Homophobia—at Golden Thread
“The Incrementalist”—A Tender, Illuminating View of Compromise—at Aurora
“One Flea Spare”: Praiseworthy Experiment Pays Off—at Main Stage West
“Endlings” Unnerves with Extinction Nightmares—at Oakland Theater Project
“Gem of the Ocean”: A Mighty Cruise to African Epiphany—at TheatreWorks
“Native Gardens” Bloom into Millennial vs. Boomer Battles—at Left Edge
“Fefu and Her Friends” Introduces Us to Eight Extraordinary Women—at ACT
Hotter Than Egypt” Forges Comedy from Marital & Political Revolt—at MTC
“Intimate Apparel” Probes Conflict Between Love & Marriage—at LHT
March 2022
“Water by the Spoonful” Portrays Addicts’ Anguish Fearlessly—at SF Playhouse
“Packrat Gene” Unfolds Our Need to Cling to Clutter—Ross Valley Players
“How Black Mothers Say I Love You” Exposes Immigrant Family Crisis—at Rhino
Escape from the Asylum” Highlights Women’s Cunning—at Central Works
“Passing Strange” Rocks Music & Memories—at Shotgun Players
“Sense & Sensibility”: Stunningly Beautiful Jane Austen Romance–at TheatreWorks
“Talk to Your People”: Brilliant Confessions by Choice White Dudes—at The Marsh
“Anton in Show Business” Lights Up Chekhov With All Women Cast—at CCCT
“Red Winged Blackbird”: Two Brothers Bare Their Hearts—at Live Oak
“The Tempest”: The Perfect Play for Today’s Headlines—at OTP
February 2022
“Harry Potter & the Cursed Child” Makes Us Believe in Magic—at The Curran
“Legend of Georgia McBride” Attempts to Explore Men in Drag—at 6th Street
“Men On Boats” Scouts the Wild West Without Men—at Palo Alto Players
“The Mountaintop” Thrills with MLK’s Final Night—at The Pear
“Heroes of the Fourth Turning” Challenges Liberal Beliefs—at SF Playhouse
Swept Away”: Macho Whalers vs. Christian Farmboys—at Berkeley Rep
January 2022
“Freestyle Love Supreme”: Hip-Hop Genius Musical Triumphs—at ACT
“The Band’s Visit” Explores Hope, Music, and Silence—at BroadwaySF
“Tragedy of Macbeth” Soars to Hypnotic Heights—at Movies/Apple+