Don Reed’s Signature Stand-Up Reveals How We Live by Barry David Horwitz Don Reed, Oakland’s Clown Prince, has taken on a familiar enemy. This time, he transforms our perception of the DMV, making it into a palace of revelations. Lean, trim, and busting his signature dance moves, Reed digs into our shared California encounters….
Michael Wayne Turner III Resurrects MLK, Writer & Performer by K. Marguerite Caronna The Reverend stands in the shadows, behind an imposing white pulpit on a raised red stage at Oakland Theater Project. Candles illuminate the dais, and perimeter of the performance space. As the audience enters, a self-possessed Michael Wayne Turner III prepares,…
Rotimi Agbabiaka Triumphs as Electric, Elegant Emcee by Barry David Horwitz If you see one musical this year, Center REP’s “Cabaret” would be the one. There’s no bigger thrill than seeing masterful Rotimi Agbabiaka dancing, singing, gyrating in brilliant costumes, playing the emcee in a 1931 Berlin café. He drains every note for its…
Jonathan Larson’s Musical Blossoms with Youthful, 90s Passions by Barry David Horwitz “tick…. tick…. Boom!” is more than the origin story of “Rent.” It’s a witty and brilliant commentary on how artists are treated in the U.S. What happens to the young composer when he refuses to submit to the corporate machine? Larson’s premature…