Review

“Proof” examines the infinitesimally short distance between genius and crazy

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Proof Prod 6_Kevin BerneBy Ande Jacobson

When I was an undergraduate, I took a number theory course. I wasn’t a math major, but something about the subject called to me, even though it wasn’t required for my major. Our professor’s eyes danced with joy as he described the beauty inherent in number theory because of its “pretty proofs”. He went on to teach us some of their intricacies, and his proofs were indeed beautiful. Proof, by David Auburn, explores the artistry and drama of mathematics (specifically prime numbers), along with the genius and madness of its practitioners. As expected, TheatreWorks’ production of Auburn’s prize-winning play is primed for greatness. Continue reading →

The nightly rise and fall of “The Walls of Jericho”

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pear-jericho-1By Ande Jacobson

The Pear christened its new space on 19 September 2015 with the gala opening of The Walls of Jericho, and A Good Reed Review missed it. Although a little late to the party this time, this world premiere run of Diane Tasca’s stage adaptation of Samuel Hopkins Adams’ short story, “Night Bus”, was well-worth waiting for. In this second week of production, the cast members are comfortable in their characters, and the new space is everything one could hope for in an intimate black box theatre. Continue reading →

Let PAP dazzle you

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press_chicago_0711-lo-resBy Ande Jacobson

Bob Fosse collaborated with John Kander and Fred Ebb to create a show that in 1975 first dazzled audiences with its glitz, glamor, murder, and corruption, although the critical response was initially mixed. The show later enjoyed a 1996 revival that hasn’t quit. Chicago is that show, and it exemplifies the Fosse style. It is based on a play by Maurine Dallas Watkins. Watkins’ play was a satirical story based on two real-life, high profile murder cases from 1924 that she covered as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune. A popular musical form of the time, jazz, figures very heavily in the musical score, and Palo Alto Players is pleased to open its 85th season with a spirited, high quality production of this classic Fosse extravaganza. Continue reading →

A house collided

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Country House Production 12_Kevin BerneBy Ande Jacobson

Life is theatre, and theatre is life. TheatreWorks opens its 2015/2016 season with the Northern California premiere of Donald Margulies’ Broadway hit, The Country House. The play is an homage to Chekhov’s The Seagull and Uncle Vanya with many parallels in character, setting, and subtext, modernized to current time. Margulies’ writing is witty and relatable, and it keeps the audience engaged, at times laughing out loud at the absurdity of it all. Continue reading →

Buckle up for an emotional ride with BBB’s “West Side Story”

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bbb-wss-at-danceBy Ande Jacobson

West Side Story first hit the Broadway stage in 1957, and this famous musical, with book by Arthur Larents and music by Leonard Bernstein, gave the youthful lyricist, Stephen Sondheim, his Broadway debut. The show was groundbreaking, particularly for its explosive action, and it was nominated for six Tony Awards. While the show won for Best Choreography and Best Scenic Design, alas, it lost the Best Musical Award to Meredith Willson’s The Music Man. Most theatre or movie aficionados are familiar with the show, its plot bringing the classic story of Romeo and Juliet to the current era when it debuted. Today, its tale of the star-crossed lovers from opposite gangs forms a period piece, keeping the tension and angst of the time alive, and Broadway By The Bay’s production is one to be treasured. Continue reading →

Chaos is timeless

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pear-arcadia-1By Ande Jacobson

Arcadia, by Tom Stoppard, is Pear Avenue Theatre’s final production in its Pear Avenue performance space, and this is one not to be missed. The play is claimed by many in the critical community to be Stoppard’s finest, with timeless themes and witty dialog that will keep audiences enthralled from start to finish. Continue reading →

No lions, no tigers, but bears, oh my!

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cltc-exit-bear-2By Ande Jacobson

City Lights Theater Company is again hosting a South Bay premier. This time it is playwright Lauren Gunderson’s revenge comedy, Exit, Pursued by a Bear. Gunderson took her title from a famous stage direction in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, and it sets the tone for the sometimes frenetic tempo this gripping play keeps. The story presents a satirical look at domestic abuse. Continue reading →

Here’s to you, Frankie Payne!

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birdsbannerBy Ande Jacobson

Pear Avenue Theatre’s May production is a fun one. Birds of a Feather, written by local playwright Paul Braverman, is the third and final chapter in the Frankie Payne trilogy. We follow Payne’s unpredictable path through Boston’s criminal underworld. She strikes sometimes uneasy (and often humorous) alliances with the shady characters there to right the wrongs that the police can’t always correct. This episode takes place in Boston from 31 October – 3 November 1965 and has a few surprises in store for audiences. Continue reading →

Georges captures the many colors of life

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Sunday in the Park Production 5_David AllenBy Ande Jacobson

Foothill Music Theatre just opened their production of a rarely done, but arguably the most ethereal show in the Sondheim canon, Sunday in the Park with George – a musical based on the Georges Seurat painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. The painting is surreal, an example of Seurat’s Pointillism technique that was a vivid departure from the approach used by the impressionists of his time. Pointillism is essentially a mosaic of complementary colors that, when viewed at a distance, causes the brain to fuse the colors and register a complex color, such as seeing violet emerge when only blue and red are actually painted. Likewise, this first collaboration between composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim and playwright and director James Lapine whisks the audience members into a surreal world of color and light worthy of Seurat. Continue reading →

It builds!

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www.siliconvalleydesigns.comBy Ande Jacobson

Build, by Michael Golamco, is enjoying its Northern California premiere at City Lights Theater Company. In his previous career, Golamco was a software developer, but now he’s a veteran writer for stage and screen. He is currently one of the staff writers for the television show Grimm, though unlike Grimm, there aren’t any monsters in Build. The play is rife with storytelling and technology, and the script presented City Lights with several significant challenges. Fortunately director Lisa Mallette and the rest of her creative staff were able to meet those challenges head-on. Continue reading →