Faust Talking
So Hamlet, Martin Luther and Doctor Faustus walk into a college, and that thing’s the play.
My review of Wittenberg at Aurora Theatre Company is on KQED Arts. Read more
She’ll See You Out
There have been a ton of solo shows about various historical figures in which they hold forth about their long and colorful lives, sometimes under the pretext of giving a lecture, sometimes seemingly for no reason at all. But now there seems to be a rash of two-character plays that pair deceased notables with obvious fictional characters designed only to draw the celebrities out and get them talking about themselves.
On the Radio
Hey, remember last week when I linked to my feature in the Marin Independent Journal about It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play at Marin Theatre Company and said I’d be reviewing it this week? Well, that happened in today’s Marin IJ, so you can read all about it over yonder.
Time Passes
I know he’s a fellow Berkeley High alum and all, but I could never get into Thornton Wilder. I’ve seen polished professional productions of Our Town and I’ve seen shakier community ones, but never one that I didn’t find mawkish. It’s just not my thing. So I’m maybe not the best audience for Wilder Times, Aurora Theatre Company’s assemblage of four short plays by Wilder, two from 1962 and two from 1931, but because it has a fabulous cast I decided to check it out anyway. I’m pleased to report that I found myself pleasantly surprised by two of the plays, even if the other two left me cold.
Live on Radio on Stage
I interviewed the cast, director and set designer of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play at Marin Theatre Company, and the feature is in today’s Marin Independent Journal. I know it says “Theater review” up top, but just ignore that; the review won’t be until next week. It looks like my “‘Tis the season” lead didn’t pass muster–dunno if it was that pesky initial apostrophe or just too corny.
