Yearning for peace and acceptance as time marches on

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TheatreWorks_Velocity 5_Kevin BerneBy Ande Jacobson

There is one thing that we all have in common. As long as we live, we continue to change as we age. With age, comes experience, perhaps wisdom, and a measure of perspective, but what of our independence and abilities? After the summer of adulthood, does the velocity increase exponentially in the autumn of life? TheatreWorks is excited to present one answer to that question with the regional premiere of Eric Coble’s 2014 play, The Velocity of Autumn, which closes its 46th season in style with a delicious slice of life to which we can all relate. Continue reading →

PYT makes the Dr. Seuss universe come alive in colors galore

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Seuss-18-768x768seussical_show_image2By Ande Jacobson

What is Peninsula Youth Theatre’s Seussical? Imagine 15 Dr. Seuss stories wrapped up into one coherent tale complete with our friends The Cat in the Hat, Jojo the Who, Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Mayzie La Bird, and a host of other Seussian creations alive on stage. Then imagine traveling with them from the Mountain View library to the Jungle of Nool and to the planet of Who, watching the adventures unfold in bright colors and song.

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A pauper, a poet, a swordsman, a nose – it’s “Cyrano”!

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Cyrano Production 3_Kevin Berne-cyrano-christian-roxaneBy Ande Jacobson

What do you think of when you hear the name Cyrano de Bergerac? Perhaps you might first think of a protuberance entering well before the man. That name should bring to mind the classic story of unrequited love, mixed with humor, hijinks, and verse written by Edmond Rostand and first performed in 1897. Since then, numerous adaptations have sprung to life on stage and on screen, some with casts of hundreds, and others with casts of dozens. TheatreWorks is honored to present the California premiere of a cozy new adaptation of Rostand’s play translated by Michael Hollinger and adapted by Hollinger and Aaron Posner. This new version keeps all of the poetic beauty of the original and adds even more swordplay. Continue reading →

PYT’s Mary Poppins flies for one more weekend

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mary_poppins_show_image_FebBy Ande Jacobson

Mary Poppins first hit London’s West End over a decade ago, and finally made it to Broadway in 2006. It toured the US in 2009, and now Peninsula Youth Theatre (PYT) is bringing this charming, and lively, tale to you. The show draws elements from the original stories by P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney film, but it’s not exactly the same.

Mary Poppins is still the “practically perfect” nanny to Jane and Michael Banks, but her charges are more mischievous than we remember. Many of the Sherman Brothers’ musical favorites are still here such as “Feed the Birds”, “Let’s Go Fly a Kite”, “Spoonful of Sugar”, “Supercaligragilisticexpialidocious”, and “Chim-chiminey”, but there is also quite a bit of new music written by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. Even some of the old favorites are recast in different locations and at different points in the story. Continue reading →

Praise the simplicity of rural Russian life at The Pear

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UV_5423By Ande Jacobson

Did Anton Chekhov write tragedies? Comedies? Dramas? Dave Sikula has taken a very deep dive into Chekhov’s legacy, writing translations of several of his major works, including The Pear’s current offering, Uncle Vanya. As Sikula noted in a 2013 San Francisco Theater Pub blog post while working on this translation, Chekhov thought his plays were comedies, and he tends to agree with that assessment. Stanislavski, from Chekhov’s time, disagreed and thought his plays were heavy dramas of the darkest order, which is reputed to have driven Chekhov to distraction. So what is Uncle Vanya? Continue reading →

Do you or don’t you?

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IDID_Irene & JamesBy Ande Jacobson

Can you imagine being married to someone for 50 years? At Tabard’s first I Do! I Do! Saturday matinee, as Leslie and Jerry Lloyd gave the curtain speech, they queried the audience to see how many couples had been married for at least 20, 30, 40, 50, 55, 60, and finally 70 years. It was surprising how many hands shot up, and stayed up through 55. Once they got to 60, only one couple still had their hands up, so the Lloyd’s started counting by one’s. The wife’s hand went down when they got to 70, but the husband’s hand was still up. His confusion was understandable as their 70th anniversary is coming up in June this year. Continue reading →

Playing at light speed – the music behind “Driven”

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titleBy Ande Jacobson

Have you ever watched an animated film and while watching the film thought, “This is great music!” Have you then wondered how that music came to be, and which came first, the animation, or the music? After all, something had to come first.

If the music came first, then the animators would have a timeline to fill, perhaps forcing the story to stretch, or to shrink, to match the music. On the other hand, if the animation came first, then the music would have to fit like a glove, leaving no room for error. Continue reading →

Hershey Felder brings “The American Mozart” to life at TheatreWorks

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HersheyFelder as IrvingBerlin8_EightyEightEntertainmentBy Ande Jacobson

Israel Isidore Baline became an American legend though he was known worldwide by a different name – Irving Berlin. Hershey Felder brings Berlin to life on stage in Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin, a one-man show that he both wrote and performs in as it now enjoys its Northern California regional premiere at TheatreWorks. Continue reading →

Look for Christmas miracles at Tabard this holiday season

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tabard-miracle-3By Ande Jacobson

Thanksgiving is over, and it’s December. Many folks spend time with family and friends enjoying holiday entertainment and festivities during this part of the year. Before the television age, LUX Radio Theatre followed certain movie releases with live radio presentations of particularly compelling stories. Four years ago, in a tribute to that bygone era, Tabard Theatre Company brought us a stunning production of It’s a Wonderful Life: a Live Radio Play. This year, they’ve done it again as they return us to the WBFR radio studio to present another holiday classic – Miracle on 34th Street – a Live Radio Play, adapted by Hayley Lovgren from the 1948 LUX Radio Theatre script. Continue reading →

Calling all saxophonists – sign up for San Jose’s 22nd Annual Saxophone Christmas today!

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saxmas-2015-ornamentBy Ande Jacobson

Yes, I know it’s not quite Thanksgiving yet, but December is fast approaching, and that means that if you are a saxophone player (no matter your level) it’s time to sign up to play in this year’s San Jose Saxophone Christmas. You’ve never heard of Saxophone Christmas? Well, for over two decades, a whole bunch of saxophonists get together on the third Saturday in December to join in the fun playing holiday music. Continue reading →