Tobias Wolff & George Saunders Are Even Better Together by Pamela Feinsilber For 25 years, Word for Word, the inimitable San Francisco theater company that announces its approach to drama in its name, has been presenting marvelously entertaining productions. Here, the work begins not with a playwright’s script but with a stellar short story—conveyed,…
Young Jean Lee Offers Empathy to the Privileged by Pamela Feinsilber By now, we expect artistic director Jasson Minadakis’ Marin Theatre Company to bring us interesting new plays by exciting new playwrights. This month, they’ve done that with a flourish, wrapping up the season with a work by Young Jean Lee, “the most adventurous…
Wagner’s Epic Ring Cycle Gets a Glorious Start by Pamela Feinsilber If you were near San Francisco City Hall after dark on June 12, you saw the facade and dome illuminated in vibrant red and gold. That’s because it was opening night across the street at the opera house, where—as the fire-evoking posters proclaim—San…
Jordan Harrison’s Poignant Questions Take High-Tech Form by Pamela Feinsilber Jordan Harrison’s 2015 Pulitzer-finalist play “Marjorie Prime” opens with a living room conversation between Marjorie, in her ancient, tattered armchair, and Walter, on a sleek, narrow sofa. Although Marjorie is in her eighties and Walter is about 30, it’s soon apparent that they are…