tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30665668852489322102024-03-14T02:15:15.862-07:00Bay Area Theatre and BitesTheatre and Restaurants in the Bay Area and BeyondJeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-29398315279267495632018-01-30T17:31:00.000-08:002018-01-30T17:31:08.872-08:00City Lights: Alabama Story
Left to right: Karen DeHart, Steve Lambert, Erik Gandolfi. Photo courtesy Taylor Sanders and CLTC.
Kenneth Jones’ Alabama
Story is in many ways the second coming of the classic play Inherit The Wind: A heartwarming
narrative, based on a true story, about reason and togetherness emerging
victorious over the evils of hate in a Deep South town. City Lights’ San Jose
production, a West Coast Jeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-10567309990599028902018-01-05T16:21:00.001-08:002020-03-02T12:00:14.512-08:00Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2018 Season
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, located in peaceful and
scenic Ashland, Oregon, produces 11 plays in repertory each year from February
to October. Only half are the works of Shakespeare, while the rest are a mixture
of classic American plays, world premieres, and musicals that do justice to
Shakespeare’s all-encompassing themes and love of language.
The town of Ashland boasts numerous Jeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-66555534693474607832017-12-05T18:23:00.000-08:002017-12-05T18:23:46.177-08:00Theatreworks: Around The World In 80 Days
Clockwise left to right: Jason Kuykendall, Ron Campbell, Michael Gene Sullivan, Tristan Cunningham, Ajna Jai. Photo courtesy Kevin Berne and Theatreworks.
One of my favorite theatrical traditions is the small-cast
comedy. Beginning with Ludlam’s Mystery
of Irma Vep and popularized with the Broadway adaptation of The 39 Steps, these plays make use of
character actors’ talent and elaborate Jeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-42778339137249777532017-10-19T15:58:00.000-07:002017-10-19T15:58:48.044-07:00Theatreworks: The Prince of Egypt
Left to right: Jason Gotay, Diluckshan Jeyaratnam. Photo courtesy Kevin Berne and TheatreWorks.
Dreamworks’ 1998 movie The
Prince of Egypt, an adaptation of the story of Exodus, thrilled audiences
with its superb animation and Stephen Schwartz-composed music. The film’s lynchpin
song, “When You Believe,” won Schwartz an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Theatreworks’ world premiere Jeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-38882234877120475232017-07-24T23:05:00.002-07:002020-03-02T12:01:44.849-08:00Ippuku
Location: Berkeley, CA
Food: Japanese, Yakitori
Close To: Berkeley Rep, The Marsh
Conveniently located next to a BART station in the middle of
downtown Berkeley, Ippuku provides a quiet refuge from the bustling Bay Area.
The seating in the long, narrow space – consisting of both booths and
traditional low tables – is partially enclosed by walls, creating intimate
eating Jeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-2068035187799286132017-07-17T13:36:00.000-07:002017-07-25T13:05:02.247-07:00San Leandro Players: Arsenic and Old Lace
Left to right: James Michael Gregory, Maya Rath, Paul Petersen. Photo courtesy San Leandro Players.
As one of the quintessential American comedies, Arsenic and Old Lace, with its blend of
macabre humor and farce, withstands the test of time and remains hilarious to
this day. As the San Leandro Players navigate this play, the small, gutsy
company uses its intimate space to bring the physicalJeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-5317295925037857602017-07-02T21:21:00.000-07:002017-07-25T13:12:29.957-07:00Theatreworks: Hershey Felder, Beethoven
Hershey Felder. Photo courtesy Christopher Ash.
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Jeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-31957884157980929862017-06-27T23:10:00.000-07:002017-07-14T10:25:44.221-07:00Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2017: Beauty And The Beast
Left to right: David Kelly, Jennie Greenberry, Jordan Barbour. Photo courtesy Jenny Graham and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Though OSF has a positive track record with classic
musicals, the decision to include Disney’s Beauty
And The Beast as part of their 2017 season was nonetheless worrying. Would
the theatre festival be able to find new meaning in a Disney musical?
Fortunately, Jeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-75011660638491779482017-06-27T22:58:00.000-07:002017-07-25T13:12:19.474-07:00Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2017: The Odyssey<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Jeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-70742234392883553592017-06-27T22:29:00.000-07:002017-07-25T13:12:06.248-07:00Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2017: The Merry Wives of Windsor
Left to right: Rex Young, Amy Newman, K.T. Vogt, Vilma Silva, Paul Juhn. Photo courtesy Jenny Graham and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
OSF’s 2017 production of The
Merry Wives of Windsor is also an ‘80s jukebox musical. This theme may seem
strange to traditionalists, but it invites a sense of campy fun into one of
Shakespeare’s lightest, silliest comedies. The antics of classical farce
Jeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-88481599627206412032017-06-27T12:32:00.000-07:002017-07-25T13:11:52.711-07:00Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2017: Henry IV, Part 1<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Jeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-3412678643641684302017-06-18T23:50:00.000-07:002017-07-25T13:11:41.119-07:00Oregon Shakespare Festival 2017: Julius Caesar
Left to right: Stephen Michael Spencer, Rodney Gardiner (kneeling), Armando Durán, Danforth Comins. Photo courtesy Jenny Graham and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Shakespeare’s Julius
Caesar has a misleading name. Although the Roman leader does play a
significant role, and his assassination is what sparks most of its action, we
never learn much about him or see him develop. Rather, JuliusJeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-6035520273250475752017-06-17T12:35:00.000-07:002017-07-25T13:05:18.244-07:00Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2017: Hannah and the Dread Gazebo
Left to right: Cindy Im, Amy Kim Waschke, Sean Jones, Paul Juhn. Photo courtesy Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
The idea of theatre being an accurate representation of
reality, unconsciously assumed by playwrights for thousands of years, has been
called into question by the newest generation of playwrights. Jiehae Park’s
latest work dispenses with these assumptions in order to better deliverJeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-43636472481310523182017-06-12T11:14:00.000-07:002017-07-25T13:04:41.861-07:00Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2017: UniSon
Left to right: Asia Mark, Steven Sapp, Yvette Monique Clark, Kevin Kenerly. Photo courtesy Jenny Graham and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
UNIVERSES (Steven Sapp, Mildred Ruiz-Sapp, and William Ruiz)
burst onto the Oregon stage in 2012 with their piece Party People, a daring examination of the lives of the Black
Panthers and Young Lords. Now, in 2017’s UniSon,
they’re using their unique Jeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-73361627237757964222017-06-11T10:07:00.000-07:002017-07-18T09:50:42.384-07:00Smithfields
Location: Ashland, Oregon
Food: American/Barbecue
Close to: Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Oregon Cabaret Theatre
Smithfields’ slogan is “Meat-centric,” but this isn’t an
ordinary barbecue joint. Located on a steep hill near the historic Ashland
Springs Hotel, Smithfields takes a modern upscale approach to the art of meat.
Their menu features some of the great American classics, Jeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-13948441423170096512017-06-10T16:36:00.000-07:002017-07-18T09:50:15.626-07:00Morning Glory
Location: Ashland, Oregon
Food: Breakfast food, American food, cocktails
Close to: Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Oregon Cabaret Theatre
The Morning Glory’s atmosphere speaks to the kind of food it
serves. The building was originally a house, and it retains its screened-in
porch, but the walls have been painted with cheery murals of plants and fields.
Coffee is served in mismatched mugs, Jeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-28622455078158928182017-06-09T10:29:00.000-07:002017-07-24T13:37:42.668-07:00Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2017: Coverage Overview
Julius Caesar at OSF. Left to right: Rodney Gardiner, Armando Durán, Danforth Comins. Photo courtesy Jenny Graham and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Check here to see our comprehensive coverage of the OSF 2017
season as it is posted.
Introducing the Season:
Season Preview
Coverage Overview
Visiting the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (coming soon)
––––––––––––––––––––––––Jeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-49242580902402317122017-05-14T14:06:00.003-07:002017-05-14T14:12:34.955-07:00Dragon Productions: The Charitable Sisterhood of the Second Trinity Victory Church
Left to right: Jennifer Tipton, Lisa Burton, Stephanie Crowley. Photo courtesy Lance Huntley.
While many plays have steep dramatic arcs, others are more
laid-back, content to welcome the audience into the characters’ daily lives. The
women of The Charitable Sisterhood of the
Second Trinity Victory Church by Bo Wilson, now running at the Dragon
Theatre, aren’t caught in life-shattering Jeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-27317344347931676602017-04-24T00:49:00.000-07:002017-04-24T00:58:39.469-07:00The Marsh Berkeley: East 14th
Don Reed. Photo courtesy Aaron Epstein.
A sparse wooden chair and a beaten-up red vinyl seat sit on
opposite sides of the stage of Don Reed’s autobiographical one-man show East 14th. These chairs, we soon learn,
are a visual metaphor for Reed’s identity as he grew up in Oakland in the 70’s,
torn between an early upbringing under his strict, religious stepfather and teenage
years with his Jeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-47919700144896779372017-04-13T21:11:00.000-07:002017-04-13T21:12:41.034-07:00Eureka!
Location: Several places; location reviewed is in Berkeley,
CA
Food: American
Close To: Berkeley Rep, The Marsh
In many ways, the small chain of Eureka! restaurants
scattered across the West Coast resembles the Ashland eatery
Smithfield’s, which I reviewed here.
Both restaurants elevate classic American dishes with upscale ingredients and
bold flavors, sport a minimalist, masculine Jeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-27354464372682700632017-04-12T13:14:00.000-07:002017-04-12T13:14:23.532-07:00Theatreworks: Rags
Left to right: Kyra Miller, Danny Rothman, Jonah Broscow. Photo courtesy Kevin Berne and TheatreWorks.
Rags, according to
its bookwriter Joseph Stein, is in part a follow-up to his previous work, the
legendary Fiddler On The Roof. Both
concern questions of Jewish identity and faith; however, while Fiddler was about life in the Eastern European
shtetl, Rags takes place in America among a Jeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-89572176447189976612017-03-27T12:32:00.005-07:002017-03-28T11:56:05.281-07:00Shotgun Players: Nora
Clockwise from left: Erin Mei-Ling Stuart, Adam Elder, Michael J. Asberry, Jessma Evans, Kevin Kemp. Photo courtesy Pak Han.
In 1879, shocked audiences watched Nora leave her husband to
pursue an education at the end of the first production of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. Since then, the play’s
feminist themes and complex relationships have elevated it into the pantheon of
modern dramaticJeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-59283585294114284312017-03-20T13:27:00.000-07:002017-03-20T13:27:02.454-07:00Broadway By The Bay: The Producers
Left to right: Robert Lopez, Jocelyn Pickett, Marcus Klinger. Photo courtesy Mark & Tracy Photography.
In 2006, Hollywood comedy master Mel Brooks brought his
legendary film The Producers to
Broadway. The musical received rave reviews and broke the record for most Tony
Awards won by a single show. Now playing at the Fox Theatre in Redwood City,
directed by Jason Jeffrey, Broadway By Jeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-33629815643288017352017-03-05T11:13:00.001-08:002017-03-05T11:13:21.837-08:00Foothill Music Theatre: "Side Show"
Left to right: Jessica LaFever, Lauren Meyer, Edward Clark. Photo courtesy David Allen.
Buried in the file drawer of Broadway history is the 1997
musical Side Show, based on the lives
of conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton. Despite the high-concept premise, Side Show is a surprisingly grounded
exploration of disability, show business, and heartbreak packaged within
complex musical Jeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066566885248932210.post-27431002756876243312017-02-24T13:19:00.000-08:002017-02-27T09:53:12.788-08:00Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2017 Season
Each year, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival,
located in scenic Ashland, Oregon, produces 11 plays in repertory. About half
of them are the works of Shakespeare, with the rest a mixture of world
premieres, contemporary plays, older musicals, and shows by classic
playwrights.
Ashland itself is a wonderful place for a
vacation. A variety of quality restaurants with fresh ingredients, lots of
Jeremy Geisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.com0