Bay Area Stage and Screen

"Three Sisters" at 42nd Street Moon

2011-12-15T14:32:00.000-08:00

(L-R) Bill Fahrner (George), Kate Paul (Tiny), Danny Cozart (Gypsy Hood), Riley Krull (Mary Barbour) Song: "Now That I Have Springtime". (Photo by DavidAllenStudio.com) There are only 3 days left to see this charming and beautiful show! For musical theatre lovers, this is a must see. If you don't see 42nd Street Moon's current production of this lost gem, you may never get a chance to see it

"Follies", Fantastic!

2011-11-21T05:55:00.001-08:00

It's been five days in the Big Apple and although I got nickeled and dimed to death by the experts of Manahattan, I had a wonderful time. I saw four Broadway shows: "Follies", "Sons of the Prophet", "Venus in Fur", and "The Mountaintop". I will only talk about "Follies" in this post. I'll write something about each of the others over the next few days."Follies", is in a word, sublime. If you are

Anna Deavere Smith at Berkeley Rep

2011-09-03T16:59:00.000-07:00

Last night I stood in front of the two theatres on Addison Street in Berkeley, marveling at how on one stage the legendary Rita Moreno was getting ready to perform her new show that she developed with Tony Taccone, called Life Without Makeup, and on the neighboring stage the Obie Award winning powerhouse Anna Deavere Smith was preparing to performing her new work, Let Me Down Easy. It always

"A Raisin in the Sun" at The Pear

2011-06-28T10:32:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Perkins-Stephens & Michael Wayne Rice Right now at The Pear Avenue Theatre you have a rare chance to see a top notch production of Lorraine Hansbeery's, "A Raisin in the Sun." This is a funny, moving, and thought provoking production. Apparently, there are very few tickets left, so go to the web site and order them right away. Here is a link to a review of the show by Ben Marks of

Cole Porter's "Silk Stockings" - Don't Miss It!

2011-05-18T00:31:00.000-07:00

I happen to be in the cast of this fantastic Cole Porter musical with 42nd Street Moon in San Francisco's Eureka Theatre. Silk Stockings is a rarely performed show and our audiences are loving it. The show runs through May 22nd. There are lots of laughs, excellent music, and some pretty darned good dancing! Watch the short video below for all the background information about this production.

Orphée presented by Ensemble Parallèle

2011-03-01T10:57:00.000-08:00

Eugene Brancoveanu as Orphée Haunting, hypnotic, and dreamlike: these are the words that best describe Ensemble Parallèle's production of Orphée, presented for two evenings at the Herbst Theatre. The audience of the sold-out Herbst was full of excited anticipation for this San Francisco premiere . Orphée, composed in 1991 by Phillip Glass, is a “homage” to the famous french avant-garde artist

Death of a Salesman at the Pear Avenue Theatre

2011-02-26T13:41:00.000-08:00

John Beamer, has created a wonderful short video trailer that really captures the spirit of our production. Death of a Salesman runs through March 20th at The Pear Avenue Theatre in Mtn. View. Tickets are available at www.thepear.org.

"Death of a Salesman" Coming to The Pear Avenue Theatre, February 25th

2011-02-01T14:31:00.001-08:00

Jackie O'Keefe (Linda), Jeff Clarke (Biff), Jeffrey Adams (Happy), and Don DeMico (Willy) Star in "Death of a Salesman" I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to direct what some believe to be the greatest American play ever written. Years ago, I had the chance to play the role of Biff in a local production. Now I have the chance to help an entire cast perform Miller's take on family

"Clybourne Park" at American Conservatory Theater

2011-01-28T15:24:00.000-08:00

What an absolute treat it was to attend the opening night performance of the West Coast Premier of Clybourne Park at A.C.T. This play is an outstanding piece of writing and is bound to become an American classic. Reminiscent of Albee in style, you find yourself laughing hysterically at racist jokes, verbal and physical abuse, and severe political incorrectness. Neighborhood association

A Good "Deed" is Done

2011-01-23T08:50:00.000-08:00

Diane Tasca & Bill Jones in "No Good Deed" The Pear Avenue Theatre in Mountain View, is now showing the world premiere of Paul Braverman's, "No Good Deed". Last night's performance was an absolute blast. Bravo to The Pear for daring to do something completely different. The show is written and performed in the style of "film noir", and surprisingly it shines. The performances were all

Donna Sachet’s 18th Annual Songs of the Season

2010-12-09T22:20:00.000-08:00

The three night run of Donna Sachet’s 18th Annual Songs of the Season got off to a rousing start last Monday evening as the jovial crowd filled the RRazz Room with holiday cheer.. You could feel the love that the audience had for the quick-witted, warm and charismatic Ms. Sachet. Donna created the show eighteen years ago with friends singing around a piano. Someone thought to throw a hat on

Gunn High School's "Twelve Angry Men"

2010-11-17T19:10:00.000-08:00

I love be surprised when I go to the theatre. I had never seen Twelve Angry Men, the play, and I saw that Gunn High School was performing it. One of my own kids goes to Gunn, so I decided to go with him. These young people were wonderful. Yes, the boys forgot to blend their make-up, yes it could have been titled Eight Angry Women and Four Angry Men, and yes it seemed silly when an angry man

Freddie Mercury Gets a Makeover

2010-10-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

This Friday and Saturday night at the fabulous Rrazz Room in the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco, the late-great Freddie Mercury of Queen fame, will be glorified by the Bay Area's own Carly Ozard. She will be singing the songs of Freddie in her new cabaret show - "Somebody to Love - My Musical Tribute to Freddie Mercury". If this sounds impossible, well it is, except that this is Carly Ozard. She

My Review of "An Evening with Leslie Jordan" at the Rrazz Room

2010-09-24T11:30:00.000-07:00

Here’s a little “inside baseball” for you. The next time you go to a show at The Rrazz Room, don’t be in too big of a hurry to get to your seat. Linger in the lobby for a while until just a few moments before the show starts. You’ll invariably be blessed by a pre-show encounter with the featured performer. Apparently, there’s no private restroom for the talent at The Rrazz Room, and they

THE FANTASTICKS at SF Playhouse

2010-09-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

Last night SF Playhouse completed its run of The Fantasticks and I am overjoyed that I was there. Please tell me you didn't miss this show. This production renewed my faith in my belief that The Bay Area has the ability to produce out of this world intimate theatre. Bill English and Susi Damilano have successfully created the kind of small theatre that others should aspire to become. From the

My Review of Katya Smirnoff Skyy in SF Bay Times

2010-09-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

Last week I wrote a review for a "V"onderful San Francisco cabaret act. Her name is Katya Smirnoff Skyy and she is the best. Here's the article.. Katya… a One Night Stand: Vonderful!! Published: September 2, 2010 Joseph Kanon (piano) and Countess Katya

Buddy Films of All Buddy Films

2010-08-11T02:05:00.000-07:00

On the flight over from France I watched the film “Sideways” on the little 6 inch screen. How did I miss this movie that won the Oscar for best film a few years ago? What a great movie! I mean there are buddy films and then there are BUDDY FILMS. This movie is buddy film at it's best. Now I know why Pinot Noir became so popular five years ago. I remember noticing this strange occurrence and now I

Off Topic - Socialism

2010-08-05T23:28:00.000-07:00

I'm a little tired of the Right wing of this country calling the Democrats, "Socialists". It's just a way of making middle aged people remember the cold war and the Soviet Union. It's hateful and wrong, so here's what I think. First you must define what you mean by Socialism. Right now it's being used by the Right in this country as code for "communist". The fact of the matter is that all Western

Young Frankensteeeeeeeeeeeen!

2010-07-20T21:21:00.000-07:00

There are just a few days left to see Young Frankenstein at The Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco. Panned by the New York Times a couple of years ago, the show has had a bad reputation. I can't for my life understand this at all unless perhaps they fixed the problems that seemed to be a problem with the NY Times. I LOVED IT! I found myself laughing to the point of pain. If you love the

Shakespeare Done Well

2010-07-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about what it was in London that allowed me to so fall in love with Shakespeare's work. Each time I saw a Shakespeare play done in London, I felt totally captivated. Often when I see a Shakespeare play in the States that doesn't happen. What's the difference? Is it just that I felt so privileged to be spending time there and I was in a different state of mind, or

The Dangers of DOO RANG

2010-07-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

Let me just say a couple of things about attempting to produce a play by Christorpher Durang. First of all it's extremely difficult to pull off well. His comedy is so absurd, cynical, and over-the-top, that unless you fully understand his humor and what it takes to play his stuff with complete sincerity while simultaneously maintaining an ever present sense of farce and irony, then forget about

"In the Wake" at Berkeley Rep

2010-06-28T12:21:00.000-07:00

At Berkeley Rep, Carson Elrod and Heidi Schreck (right) star in the world-premiere production of In the Wake, from the creators of Broadway’s Well. Well, it's closed now but on Saturday afternoon "I saw In the Wake" at Berkeley Rep. Lisa Kron's new play is poised to perhaps be one of the greatest plays of our time. With a little cutting and a little bit of work in bringing together the main

NBC's Trauma Deserves Another Chance

2010-05-06T23:37:00.000-07:00

Trauma deserves to return for a second season. The last half dozen episodes or so of the show were some of the best TV I've seen in a while. The scripts were more character driven, and the actors seemed to have received some real attention and direction. I often found myself riveted to the plot and to the excellent acting. I hope they bring it back. In the last episode I saw a couple of friends

Trauma - Maybe the Final Episode

2010-03-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

Well, San Francisco's latest TV show, Trauma, may have just aired its last episode. The Nielsen Ratings are not that good and NBC needs to get itself out of the tank. I hope that somehow it will resurrect itself but right now it doesn't look good. This is a blow for local actors who were finally getting a well deserved chance at making inroads into network television. The show seemed to be

Ticket Discount for The Illusion this Saturday at The Pear Avenue Theatre

2010-03-15T16:27:00.000-07:00

SPECIAL OFFER For this Saturday, March 20th onlyGet 40% off the ticket price! General Seating $15 & Students/Seniors $10 Send e-mail to tickets@thepear.org to secure your discount Type "3/20 Discount" in the title of the e-mail The show runs through April 3rd. Web site: www.thepear.orgOn Line Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/producer/6698