Little Brother, Custom Made Theatre Co.
I reviewed Josh Costello’s adaptation of Cory Doctorow’s novel for today’s Marin Independent Journal. Head over there to read all about it before the review expires or becomes otherwise unlinkable. (Short version: I liked it. It’s good. Go see it.)
Little Brother runs through February 25 at Gough Street...
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THEATER REVIEW: SAN JOSE
Double Indemnity, San Jose Repertory Theatre.
By Sam Hurwitt
If crime doesn’t pay, it’s not for lack of trying. Though it’s a quick and pulpy read, hardboiled crime writer James M. Cain’s 1935 novella Double Indemnity gives some of the same moral lessons as Fyodor Dostoevsky’s literary classic Crime and Punishment—that murder, no...
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THEATER REVIEW: SAN FRANCISCO
Future Motive Power, Mugwumpin.
By Sam Hurwitt
It’s hard to imagine what Future Motive Power would have been like if the ensemble Mugwumpin hadn’t managed to obtain use of San Francisco’s Old Mint to stage it in. It’s not that the Mint has anything to do with the story of inventor and electricity...
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THEATER REVIEW: SAN FRANCISCO & OAKLAND
The Pink Dot Stories, SF Sketchfest.
The Thrilling Adventure Hour, SF Sketchfest.
The Black Version, SF Sketchfest.
The Drawing Room Apocalypse, SF Sketchfest.
Eddie Izzard in Conversation, SF Sketchfest.
By Sam Hurwitt
Once a humble assemblage of local sketch comedy acts, SF Sketchfest now brings a staggering number of comedy heavyweights to San Francisco every...
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THEATER REVIEW: BERKELEY & SAN FRANCISCO
Ghost Light, Berkeley Repertory Theatre.
Humor Abuse, American Conservatory Theater.
By Sam Hurwitt
It’s a remarkable coincidence: In the last couple of weeks both Berkeley Repertory Theatre and American Conservatory Theater have opened plays about sons grappling with their memories of their fathers, both prominent Bay Area figures of the 1970s....
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By Sam Hurwitt
It’s a good problem to have: Looking over the list of the 118 local shows I saw this year, I had a hard time narrowing it down to a Top Ten. There are plenty of ways in which 2011 was a tough, lousy, no-good year, but in terms of what I saw...
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THEATER REVIEW: BERKELEY
Show #117: The Wild Bride, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, December 7.
By Sam Hurwitt
“You know, for a feminist folk tale, this book isn’t half bad.” It’s the devil who says that in The Wild Bride at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, but in this case he’s not steering you wrong. The only misleading thing is that...
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THEATER REVIEW: BERKELEY
Show #116: God’s Plot, Shotgun Players, December 3.
By Sam Hurwitt
American theater started as a criminal act. The first play performed in English in the colonies was Ye Bare and Ye Cubbe, a satirical stab at the English throne performed in rural Virginia in 1665. As Shakespeare’s contemporaries could attest a generation before,...
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THEATER REVIEW: SAN FRANCISCO
Show #118: Bring It On: The Musical, SHN, December 14.
By Sam Hurwitt
Bring It On: The Musical may look like just the latest in a very, very long line of hit movies and cult classics that have been turned into stage musicals in recent years, but looks can be deceiving. This should...
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THEATER REVIEW: BERKELEY
Show #109: The Chalk Boy, Impact Theatre, November 5.
By Sam Hurwitt
If there’s one thing we learn from Joshua Conkel’s recent plays at Impact Theatre, it’s that kids are jerks. Last season Impact produced MilkMilkLemonade, Conkel’s comedy about preteen bullying, repressed homosexuality and chicken processing. Now the Berkeley company reteams with the Washingtonian...
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