Review

Freedom goes both ways

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veils-1By Ande Jacobson

The Pear’s 100th production is a repertory rotation of two politically charged plays, The Guys, by Anne Nelson (reviewed on A Good Reed Review here), and Veils, by Tom Coash, which is the subject of this review. Veils follows two female Muslim students at American Egyptian University (modeled after American University in Cairo) – an American named Intisar (Amani Dorn), and an Egyptian named Samar (Naseem Etemad). Coash has taught playwriting at numerous universities including the American University in Cairo. Drawing from his experience there, he’s compressed several events from the Arab Spring into this story about these two women. Continue reading →

Ripples that touch us all

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the-guys-2By Ande Jacobson

September 11, 2001. That’s a date that generally evokes a shudder from many both here and abroad. Many Americans remember with extreme clarity where they were when they heard about the attacks, and at the time felt powerless to do anything other than watch or listen in horror as the tragic events unfolded, hoping that it was all a bad dream. The Pear presents Anne Nelson’s play, The Guys, in a run that includes the 15th anniversary of 9/11. Nelson wrote the piece in only nine days during the fall of 2001, describing a very personal account of two people who would have otherwise never met but for the tragic events that threw them together. Continue reading →

Exploring the beautiful glass of life

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George & JustinBy Ande Jacobson

Have you ever considered how one might cure intentional death? That’s an odd way to put it – intentional death. That might bring suicide to mind, but as Justin Capps (Atticus Shaindlin) explains to George (Emily Liberatore),

“Suicide implies a crime …. It’s [intentional death] not a crime. Almost every time, it’s an illness that causes the act. I’m trying to cure it.”

Curing intentional death requires examining what’s behind it, which of course means exploring the attitudes and actions surrounding mental illness. That’s the central theme in A Theatre Near U’s world premiere of Tony Kienitz’s new musical, A Beautiful Glass, and it is, in a word, smashing. Continue reading →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

The Pear explores communication complexities in “Tribes”

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pear-tribes-sylvia-billyBy Ande Jacobson

The Pear makes quite a statement with its current production of Tribes, by Nina Raine. Humans are by nature tribal, i.e., as a species, we tend to gather based on some kind of commonality. That commonality can be defined in many ways such as being descended from a common ancestor, forming a community of common customs and traditions, following a common leader, or any other distinction that provides a basis for cohesion. Within a given tribe, there’s usually some form of hierarchy, and in modern times, it’s common for someone to belong to a number of tribes. Continue reading →