Lynne Nottage Pits Rigged Justice vs. Self-Empowerment by Patricia L. Morin In Berkeley Rep’s “Clyde’s,” four ex-cons fresh out of prison and a boss straight out of Dante’s Inferno beckon us to chew on the power of imaginative sandwich making. Cold-hearted, provocative Clyde (relentless April Wilson) degrades every new and inventive sandwich her subservient…
Wendy MacLeod Dishes Out Feast of Thoughtful Delights by Patricia L. Morin You know what it’s like, right? You’re on vacation, waiting in a restaurant for waitstaff to serve you. It seems like forever before your water arrives and you can order a drink. The menus sit in front of you closed because…
Taub & Woolery’s Musical Updates Shakespeare’s Rom-Com by Patricia L. Morin & Barry David Horwitz In Director Bill English’s Tiffany-bejeweled Forest of Arden, trees glow with stained glass beauty, while lovers experiment with gender-swap. Arden is a sacred “in-between” place where old ways of loving get revalued, and unexpected affections blossom. “As You Like…
Ashton & Menken’s Musical Confronts Capitalist Greed by Patricia L. Morin “Little Shop of Horrors” has moved to a new neighborhood. From New York’s mainly white Skid Row district, Director Jeffry Lo has cleverly planted us in a cramped Chinatown flower shop in San Francisco. Lo highlights the largest and oldest Asian community in…