Armistead Maupin’s S.F. Tales Come Home as Musical by Patricia L. Morin Armistead Maupin’s story of newcomers and old-timers in 70s San Francisco was transformed into a musical in 2011. With song and dance, we meet neighbors who bond to make a family at mysterious Anna Madrigal’s multi-story house at 28 Barbary Lane, S.F….
Neil LaBute Parallels 9/11 Attack & Lovers’ Psychodrama by Patricia L. Morin “The Mercy Seat,” under the creative direction of Allie Bailey at Los Altos Stage Company, cleverly exposes a caustic relationship between a younger man and an older woman. And she is his boss. Playwright Neil LaBute highlights gender differences that spill over…
Kathleen Collins, Dawn L. Troupe Summon Healing Spirits by Philippa Kelly On Sunday night I saw the Oakland Theater Project’s “Begin the Beguine,” a drive-in experience in the carpark of the Flax building in Oakland. William Oliver III, a familiar and much-loved company member, was there to welcome us, directing traffic and helping everyone…
Millennial Notes Lynne Alvarez Asks Youth to Fight Colorism & Privilege by Evelyn Arevalo In “Esperanza Rising” at Teatro Visión, playwright Lynne Alvarez shows how racism comes from early training—and how we even use that racist brainwashing against ourselves. Esperanza, a spoiled Mexican “princess” can only see the world from her privileged point of…