Alyosha Zim Unfolds Exciting Jewish-Buddhist Enigma by Jordan Freed & Barry David Horwitz “Red Winged Blackbird” transcends a debate between Old World Judaism and New Age Buddhism. We meet two brothers, a medical student and a hippie, who try to break out of conformity to find a new life. Like the red winged blackbird…
Michael Socrates Moran Grapples with Ruthless Autocrat by Jennifer Ann Charron I’m always drawn to Oakland Theater Project productions. The entire team typically overflows with talent and intelligence, bringing a cultural sensitivity to everything they do. Each production is spot on with the issues and emotions of the present day. OTP’s production of Shakespeare’s…
Katori Hall Imagines King & a Mysterious Woman by Robert M. Gardner In “The Mountaintop,” playwright Katori Hall’s conversational dialogue makes us eager to hear more of the spirited interaction between two fully engaged actors: Fred Pitts and Damaris Divito. Director Sinjin Jones does a wonderful job opening their connection into a multifaceted tragicomedy….
Will Arbery Builds Characters Who Embody Our Conflicts by Patricia L. Morin “Heroes of the Fourth Turning” at SF Playhouse tells a unique story mixing right-wing Catholic college graduates’ ideas and a 1977 doomsday philosophy. Will Arbery wants us to take a hard look at the real differences between liberal and conservative thinking,…