Review

Dreams from Manhattan’s West Side dazzle audiences at TheatreWorks’ “Somewhere”

A Good Reed Review Review , , , , , ,

Somewhere 10_TMartinBy Ande Jacobson

TheatreWorks is known for its stunning premieres of shows that go on to greatness, and their current production may well follow that tradition.  Written by Matthew Lopez, Somewhere, opened its Northern California premiere this weekend to an enthusiastic full house, and this looks to be a thrill ride indeed.  Lopez says “the characters are not based on my family; they’re based on my love for my family.”  And love is plentiful in this one: love of family, love of tradition, and love making dreams come true.  Director Giovanna Sardelli says it best in describing what the play is about when she says “Somewhere is the Puerto Rican answer to the question ‘What happens to a dream deferred?’”  Somewhere is a musical but not in the traditional Broadway form.  In this show, dance is featured, but the only vocals heard are those in the period recordings in sound designer Jeremy J. Lee’s soundtrack. Continue reading →

The Pear explores the intimacy of love, friendship, and yes, “Intimate Apparel”

A Good Reed Review Review , , , , , ,

intimate-apparelBy Ande Jacobson

Lynn Nottage’s title, Intimate Apparel, sounds like it may be an advertisement for Victoria Secret, but that only scratches the surface of the material central to this play as Pear Avenue Theatre’s production explores many levels of intimacy beyond the clothing. This is a play about friendship, love, marriage, class, race, and yes, hand-crafted intimate garments. Continue reading →

Hillbarn stages a colorful “Joseph”

A Good Reed Review Review , ,

Jacob, his 12 sons and WivesBy Ande Jacobson

Hillbarn Theatre has brought back an early Andrew Lloyd Webber favorite for this year’s holiday season, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. While the work is Lloyd Webber’s second musical collaboration with Tim Rice immediately following The Likes of Us, it was his first to be publicly performed as a short, though it wasn’t fully staged until after Jesus Christ Superstar made its successful debut. With its catchy music, Joseph… is a colorful, family-friendly show based on the biblical story of Joseph’s coat of many colors. Continue reading →

Time marches on for Dragon Productions Theatre Company

A Good Reed Review Review , , ,

By Ande Jacobson

March, written by Sharyn Rothstein, marks the end of an era as the little Dragon roars one last time in its cozy Palo Alto home. Starting as a group of nomadic thespians in 1999, Dragon Productions Theatre Company settled into its Alma Street space in 2006. After this production seven seasons later, Dragon will be moving to Redwood City to usher in the 2013 season, but first let us look at the finale to 2012. Continue reading →

What is real love?

A Good Reed Review Review , , , , ,

By Ande Jacobson

Well known British playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard, born Tomáš Straüssler in Zlín, Czechoslovakia, has a reputation for his writing and romances not unlike Henry’s, the main character in his play The Real Thing currently running at the Pear Avenue Theatre in Mountain View.

In the partially autobiographical story, Henry (Michael Champlin) is an extremely witty playwright who is fixated on the proper and exacting use of language. Continue reading →

Mystery, mayhem, and a Rubik’s Cube

A Good Reed Review Review , ,

By Ande Jacobson

In 1978, Ira Levin’s famed play Deathtrap started its four-year Broadway reign combining the nail-biting tension of a thriller with carefully timed witty repartee to lighten the mood.  Levin’s play later moved to the screen in 1982 in a film of the same name starring Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, and Dyan Cannon, although the final resolutions of play and movie diverge from one another.  There are even passing references to both Michael Caine and the movie Sleuth in the play’s script foreshadowing Levin’s desire for the screen adaptation. Continue reading →

Without music, there is no life

A Good Reed Review Review , , , ,

By Ande Jacobson

Beethoven’s 33 Variations on a Waltz by Anton Diabelli, Op. 120 is thought by some scholars to be one of the composer’s crowning achievements.  It’s a work that takes a mediocre 32-bar waltz written by Anton Diabelli and expands it into a 55 minute work of 33 variations exploring every nuance of the theme, or at least as many as came to Beethoven’s mind.  There are several conflicting theories as to the genesis of Beethoven’s opus, and playwright Moisés Kaufman has drawn from many of them to weave an intricate and captivating tale in his play, 33 Variations, now enjoying its regional premiere at TheatreWorks. Continue reading →

“Time Stands Still” comes to TheatreWorks in a gripping Regional Premiere

A Good Reed Review Review ,

By Ande Jacobson

Imagine seeing life through the lens of a camera.  Now imagine spending your days capturing life in war torn regions of the third world, making time stand still in the photos you shoot, memorializing the events you witness, but not changing them no matter how disturbing they may be.

TheatreWorks’ production of Donald Margulies’ Time Stands Still starts there – when we meet freelance journalist James Dodd (Mark Anderson Phillips) bringing his longtime lover Sarah Goodwin (Rebecca Dines) home to their Williamsburg, Brooklyn loft. Continue reading →

TheatreWorks’ 60th world premiere knocks the wheels off the house

A Good Reed Review Review , , ,

By Ande Jacobson

Many a garage band musician dreams of making it big, and some even achieve a modicum of success getting as far as playing a number of local bookings.  Many of these musicians are typical rhythm section players – guitarists, bassists, keyboardists, as well as vocalists – but how many are virtuoso level, classically trained violinists?

TheatreWorks finishes its 42nd season with its 60th world premiere: GrooveLily’s Wheelhouse. Continue reading →

Will family ties survive the truth?

A Good Reed Review Review , , ,

By Ande Jacobson

Dragon Productions Theatre Company’s current play, Richard Dresser’s Wonderful World, tests family bonds, or at least stretches them a little in this dark comedy revolving around the strained relationship between two brothers.  The story shows what can happen when the social contract is violated, and truth is used as a weapon. Continue reading →