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As You Like It
Rick Lombardo's debut at SJ Rep is a rousing success

Yellow Face
TheatreWorks explores Chinese-American identity in a new play by David Henry Wang

'The Producers' Revels in Bad Taste
Foothill Music Theatre presents Mel Brooks' famous tale of the most outrageous Broadway show ever

The Three Musketeers
City Lights rings a few changes on classic Dumas tale

Ain't Nothin' but the Blues
TheatreWorks musical strays a bit from its title genre

2008

Tobias Wolff
Word for Word company dramatizes the tale of Tobias Wolff

Long Story Short
TheatreWorks scores a hit with relationship musical

Around the World in 80 Days
San Jose Rep brings Jules Verne's globetrotting adventure to town in a new stage adaptation

Every Christmas Story Ever Told
San Jose Stage Company puts the hilarity back in the holidays

Rapunzel
City Lights plays fast and funny with familiar fairy tale

Six Years
A couple struggles with posttraumatic stress in a Dragon Productions play

The Elixir of Love
Opera San Jose transports Donizetti's comic tale to old San Jose

Mr. Marmalade
Renegade Theatre Experiment looks at a young girl's imaginary friend in a black comedy

Flower Drum Song
American Musical Theatre's 'Flower Drum Song' entertains in spite of updated stereotypes

Nickel and Dimed
Working for the man at Pear Avenue

To Infinity And Beyond
San Jose Rep wrestles with physics, belief and emotions in Jamie Pachino's 'Splitting Infinity'

Demon Doings
San Jose Stage Company chills the blood with Henry James' 'The Turn of the Screw'

Movin' On Up
TheatreWorks' version of August Wilson's 'Radio Golf' fearlessly confronts slippery moral slopes

Political Tragedy
Sophocles' ancient characters and themes are given new relevance in Tabard's updated 'Antigone'

'Grey Gardens'
TheatreWorks stages the first post-Broadway production of oddball musical

'My Strange Nation'
Theatre Q puts the gay-themed music of Susan Werner into a revue format

'Faith Healer'
Reviewed by Marianne Messina

'Altar Boyz'
A hip-hop posses goes Christian at San Jose Stage

'The Pajama Game'
Reviewed by Marianne Messina

'Wishful Drinking'
Reviewed by Marianne Messina

'Doubt: A Parable'
TheatreWorks balances compassion of justice in new production

'Hair'
City Lights relives the '60s

'Rough Crossing'
Dragon Productions crosses the sea with Tom Stoppard

'Homeland Prayer'
At Pear Avenue, reviewed by Marianne Messina

'Snapshots'
At San Jose Rep, reviewed by Marianne Messina

'All the Great Books'
A couple looks back on its life in TheatreWorks musical drama

'Picasso at the Lapin Agile'
Northside Theatre revives Steve Martin's comedy about genius

'Perfect Wedding'
The happy day goes very wrong in Palo Alto Players comedy

'Liberty Inn'
An Italian comedy makes it to early America at California Theatre Center

'Twelfth Night'
Indian influences enliven Shakespeare on the Square Festival

'The Importance of Being Earnest'
Bus Barn revives Oscar Wilde's drawing-room comedy

'Gross Indecency'
Theatre Q recalls the trials that sent Oscar Wilde to Reading Goal

'A Few Good Men'
Snap to attention at City Lights

'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'
Wrestle for psychic control at San Jose Rep

'Butchlalis de Panochtitlan'
The gender-bending troupe shreds stereotypes in 'The Barber of East L.A.' at MACLA

'Mamma Mia!'
Eighties nostalgia triumphs at American Musical Theatre of San Jose

'Country Club'
Dragon Productions turns a gimlet eye on WASP life

'Light in the Piazza'
A trip abroad turns romantic in Palo Alto Players production

'Ragtime'
At Children's Musical Theater San Jose

'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'
At Northside

'Pear Slices'
Pear Avenue Theatre presents eight provocative short plays

'Hero'
Teatro Visión looks at home-front life in the Iraq era

'Blade to the Heat'
San Jose Stage Company's boxing drama charges ahead

'Caroline, or Change'
A black maid and a young boy sing about life lessons in TheatreWorks production

'Souvenir'
Finds the comedy in bad music at San Jose Rep

'Lysistrata'
An ancient antiwar protest looks bawdy and up to date in City Lights production

'And Baby Makes Seven'
Theatre Q in Palo Alto

'Cabaret'
Sally bowls 'em over in American Musical Theatre of San Jose production

'Southern Comforts'
A late-life romance blooms in TheatreWorks' new show

'All My Sons'
Filbert Steps production explores Arthur Miller's family drama

'Shakin' the Mess Outta Misery'

'Molly Sweeney'
Pear Avenue

'My Fair Lady'
Foothill Music Theatre

'Glengarry Glen Ross'
Dragon Productions looks at Albee's tale of family strife

'A Delicate Balance'
Salesman talk a blue streak in San Jose Stage Company production

Stage Preview:
TheatreWorks announces premieres and musicals for 2008-09 season

'Tranced'
San Jose Repertory Theatre looks at therapy and history

'Copenhagen'
Palo Alto Players debate physics and politics

'School of the Americas'
Teatro Visión channels Che

'Little Shop of Horrors'
A voracious plant chows down

'True West'
Lee and Austin duke it out in Sam Shepard's 'True West' at Pear Avenue

'Boy Gets Girl'
A woman copes with a threatening encounter in City Lights' issue play

'Third'
A female prof grades way off the curve

'Jesus Christ Superstar'
Ted Neeley shows why the original is the best

2007

'This Wonderful Life'
Dan Hiatt plays all the parts in a stage version of Frank Capra's holiday classic

'Twelfth Night'
TheatreWorks gives a groovy '60s spin to Shakespeare comedy

'Stop Time!'
Tabard Theatre taps its way through a new musical revue

2006

Live Theater: 'Gypsy'
American Musical Theatre of San Jose production is big, brassy and beautiful.

Live Theater: 'The Lost Formicans'
Looking at life from an alien perspective at Pear Avenue Theatre in Mountian View.

Live Theater: 'The Nerd'
A review of 'The Nerd' at City Lights Theater Company in San Jose.

Live Theater: 'The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow'
A recluse genius designs a robot to show the world in San Jose Rep's productions.

Stage Review: 'Electricidad'
Teatro Visión presents a bit of classic Greece in San Jose.

'Anna in the Tropics'
Tolstoy moves to Florida in TheatreWorks' production.

'Electricidad'
San Jose's Teatro Visión gives Sophocles' 'Electra' a Chicano update.

'The Heidi Chronicles'
Dragon Productions remembers the late Wendy Wasserstein with heady, East Coast-flavored play.

'Birth'
City Lights and BABI look at life from the beginning.

Toilet Humor
Foothill Music Theatre opens the comic floodgates with 'Urinetown.'

Having Words in 'Private'
Northside Theatre Company plays Noel Coward's love games in 'Private Lives.'

Hucksters And Believers
The debate over evolution gets an evenhanded airing in San Jose Stage Company's 'Inherit the Wind.'

Born to Act
Opera San José's stars filled the stage with high drama and emotion for 'La bohème.'

Any Way You Slice It
Short plays are long on audience impact at Pear Avenue Theatre.

Inheriting The Past
The science vs. creationism controversy won't die in San Jose Stage Company's production of 'Inherit the Wind.'

Quintet
Five women look for a way out of Purgatory in RTE's 'Waiting to Dance.'

New Worlders
SJ Rep's 'Immigrant' tells a familiar tale of arrival.

Clown Town
Cirque du Soleil marries technical pizzazz to visual jazz in 'Corteo.'

Spic and Span
TheatreWorks' 'The Clean House' and City Lights' 'Visiting Mr. Green' find emotional undercurrents to tidying up.

'Lion' Pride
Traveling version of Disney's 'Lion King' dazzles with costumes and handmade magic.

Sunny Side Up
Cirque du Soleil returns to San Jose with 'Corteo,' an acrobatic meditation on the meaning of clowning.

Red Lantern Shines
A new company presents a quintet of one-acts on love.

Taffeta Pull
New tunes and chatter add holiday charm to Tabard's 'Taffeta Christmas.'

Fairy-Tale Finery
TheatreWorks ventures deep 'Into the Woods.'

Pride Weeks
San Jose Rep stages a 'Pride and Prejudice' with a maximum of dialogue and a minimum of sets.

Veni, Vidi, Verdi
Opera San José overcomes some stilted staging with strong singing in production of 'A Masked Ball.'

Austen's In the Air
First a new movie adaptation, then San Jose Rep goes the stage route— 'Pride and Prejudice' never goes out of fashion.

A Word To the Wise
Four women struggle with World War II emotions and relations in City Lights' 'Wise Women.'

Swamp Things
Bayou siblings go over the top in Stage Company's outrageous 'Sugar Bean Sisters.'

West Side On the Far Side
AMTSJ's production of Bernstein/Sondheim classic takes time to bloom.

Pairing
Renegade does Dahl's 'The BFG,' while the Pear remembers Maria Callas in 'Master Class.'

Go West, Young Idol
'American Idol' Diana DeGarmo sings songs of innocence but not inexperience for American Musical Theatre of San Jose's 'West Side Story.'

Tricky Talk
Solo talker Martin Moran dredges up some painful memories in his one-man play 'The Tricky Part.'

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
'Smoke on the Mountain' plays gospel with undertones at Tabard Theatre.

Critical Mass
The San Francisco Opera splits the atom in John Adams' new creation, 'Doctor Atomic.'

Sisters Act
Louisa May Alcott's famous siblings burst into song at American Musical Theatre of San Jose.

HoJo Mojo
Northside Theatre Company sneaks up on 'Murder at the Howard Johnson's' from an odd angle.

Wit and Worlds of Words
Teatro Visión and Herbert Sigüenza conjure up the spirit of the great Mexican film comedian ¡Cantinflas!

Firebird Rising
Dennis Nahat and Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley remake Stravinsky's 'Firebird.'

La Taj aux Folles
TheatreWorks goes easy for world premiere of 'Baby Taj.'

The Proof Is in the Play
David Auburn's family math adds up in City Lights production.

Fogged In
San Jose Stage Company goes to sea for ghostly 'Tenders in the Fog.'

Oh, What a Night
'The Night of the Iguana' is both cruel and funny at Pear Avenue Theatre.

A Tall Order
Renegade Theatre Experiment rides all the way to the top with David Auburn's 'Skyscraper.'

Wizard Waylaid
Opening-night technical glitches mar the work of a talented local cast in American Musical Theatre of San Jose's 'The Wizard of Oz.'

Witch Hunt
Opera San José's production of 'The Crucible' proves relevant in new era of Patriot Act hysteria.

Haunted, Dead or Alive
San Jose Rep inhabits a famous local mansion with ghosts and other goodies in 'The Haunting of Winchester.'

Of Ghosts and Guns
San Jose Rep dramatizes the haunting life of remodeling queen and gun heiress Sarah Winchester.

Snug Fitting
TheatreWorks explores the cross-cultural worlds of 1905 New York in 'Intimate Apparel.'

Time Bandits
City Lights explores the tricks of time in Craig Wright's 'The Pavilion.'

Green Dress of Many Colors
Renegade Theatre Experiment delves into symbolic world of famous Spanish poet.

Musical Maude
TheatreWorks adds lyrics and music to cult movie in 'Harold & Maude: An Intimate Musical.'

Almost Like Being In Love
Foothill Music Theatre revives Lerner and Loewe's magical 'Brigadoon.'

Elvis Is in The Building
San Jose Stage Company brings Elvis back to life in 'Idols of the King.'

Vis-à-Vis Elvis
The king of rock rolls into San Jose in Stage Company's 'Idols of the King.'

Flight Risks
A fragile couple confront past pains in Pear Avenue's 'What the Birds Carry.'

Rock Stars
Two men shoot for film fame in CTC's Irish/Hollywood comedy 'Stones in His Pockets.'

Phat City
'Movin' Out' speaks volumes about an era.

Kitchen Talk
TheatreWorks inhabits 'Dolly West's Kitchen' in WWII Ireland.

Thwarp Speed
'Movin' Out' at American Musical Theatre of San Jose combines moves and music.

Texas Tartuffe
Northside Theatre Company moves Molière's famous farce to an American backyard.

Breaking the Rules
Avner the Eccentric practices the art of existential miming in 'Exceptions to Gravity.'

Ready, Set, Godot
Avner the Eccentric practices the art of existential miming in his new show, 'Exceptions to Gravity.'

A Current Story
SJ Stage and Electric Company Theatre cut through the static in 'Brilliant,' the high-energy tale of inventor Nikola Tesla.

Alice Has a Mixed Bag
City Lights puts five women through their singing paces in 'A ... My Name Is Alice.'

No Solace From Solís
Teatro Visión strips away the veneer on Octavio Solís' complex characters in 'Santos & Santos.'

Trouble In El Paso
Teatro Visión winds up its 20th season with Octavio Solís' furious family drama 'Santos & Santos.'

Burning Up the Boards
The not so lazy hazy days of summer theater.

Casualties of Word War
The head and the heart try to meet in SJ Rep's 'Hannah and Martin.'

Fine Finale
The ballet finished its season with an eclectic flourish.

Love and War
'Hannah and Martin' at SJ Rep wrestles with the limits of forgiveness in the face of historical horror.

Looking Forward
TheatreWorks unveiled a raft of new works all in a rush last week.

For Whom the Belle Tolls
Emily Dickinson surfaces on a current of charisma in Pear production.

Diamonds In the Rough
Betting on the future at TheatreWorks' annual New Works Festival .

No-Spinster Zone
Susannah Greenwood's Lizzie belies the societal stigma in Northside's 'Rainmaker.'

King's Reign
American Musical Theatre of San Jose pays tribute to Carole King's songbook in 'Tapestry.'

Wagner on The Rocks
Opera San José steers a course through a stormy 'Flying Dutchman' at the California Theatre.

Topping Off
TheatreWorks dresses up for 'Crowns,' a salute to Southern gospel finery.

Slice and Dice
Pear Avenue cuts off eight 'Slices' of illusion and reality.

Making Tracks Into the Future
SJ Rep charts the course of Asian immigration in rock epic.

Orton's Scrubs
City Lights opens all the doors for Joe Orton's farce 'What the Butler Saw.'

Starting Young
The 9-to-13-year-old actors in 'Between Dirt and Sky' reenact the life of Cesar Chavez.

Tracking Changes
New musical at San Jose Rep presents a rock remix of Asian American history.

Starry Night
TheatreWorks tracks the emotional arc of the young van Gogh in 'Vincent in Brixton.'

American Dream
The fight for success keeps 'A Chorus Line' relevant at American Musical Theatre of San Jose.

Stereotypes on Trial
Tabia tackles big issues in new production.

Meat Pie in The Sky
The proof is in the filling in Foot Music Theatre's delicious 'Sweeney Todd.'

Dapper Flappers
Children's Musical Theater's 'The Boyfriend' follows the romances of five finishing-school girls over the course of a single day.

A Feud Good Men
Heads roll, shatter and blow in SJ Stage Company's 'The Lonesome West.'

Meat Pie in The Sky
The proof is in the filling in Foot Music Theatre's delicious 'Sweeney Todd.'

Dapper Flappers
Children's Musical Theater's 'The Boyfriend' follows the romances of five finishing-school girls over the course of a single day.

Waiting Beauties
The women in City Lights' 'Waiting Room' find little solace in men's healing arts.

School of Bard Knocks
TheatreWorks spins a '30s fantasy in 'Shakespeare in Hollywood.'

On the Wilder Side
Pear Avenue juggles heart and mind in its production of Thornton Wilder's 'The Skin of Our Teeth.'

Windy City Moves
'Chicago' bumps and grinds but isn't sexy enough.

War and Regret
TheatreWorks looks at timeless social tensions in 'All My Sons.'

4 Guys, A Lady And a Lot of Music
Teatro Visión sings its way through Hispanic Heritage in a romantic revue.

Pear Dreams
The Pear Avenue Theatre switches seasons for the holidays with Shakespeare.

A Different Kind of Theater
GrooveLily experiments with 'Striking 12' at TheatreWorks.

Sweet & Sour
Not all seasonal memories are fond ones in Sandra Tsing Loh's 'Sugar Plum Fairy.'

Scare Tactics
Dark tales unfold at San Jose Stage Company's 'The Woman in Black.'

Nuts To You
Reformed potty mouth Sandra Tsing Loh searches for intelligent signs of life during the holidays.

Surviving The Curse
Opera San José overcame glitches to keep Puccini's 'Tosca' on course.

'Heroes' Worship
City Lights goes up, up and away with comic flair in 'Heroes.'

Rainy Days
San Jose Rep spends some 'Tuesdays With Morrie' in touching two-man drama.

Georgia on Their Minds
Northside Theatre Company steps back in time with 'The Last Night of Ballyhoo.'

Sister's Acts
Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont stages Sister Helen Prejean's 'Dead Man Walking.'

Tuesdays in the Life
San Jose Repertory Theatre produces Mitch Albom's popular play about a writer and his mentor.

Woman's Work
Exploring the mommy-nanny dynamic in 'Living Out.'

Curves Ahead
Teatro Visión presents stage version of 'Real Women Have Curves' in Spanish and English.

Clear as Crystal
'The Glass Menagerie' shines at San Jose Stage Company.

Nanny Gate
TheatreWorks looks at maternal urges in 'Living Out.'

A Touch of Glass
Tennessee Williams opens the season as San Jose Stage Company breaks out 'The Glass Menagerie.'

The 'Rent' Car Cultureolution
The groundbreaking musical still looks ahead of its time.

Higher Learning
City Lights takes a look at the post-9/11 world from the ivory towers of 'Clouds Hill.'

Marital Mozart
Opera San José shows off its new California home with 'The Marriage of Figaro.'

London Calling
The call of the wild is a call to destiny in Pear Avenue's 'Veracruz.'

Three's a 'Clouds'
City Lights premieres Charles Evered's new play, 'Clouds Hill,' about suspicion in a post-9/11 world.

War and Salvation
Shaw tosses verbal bombs in 'Major Barbara' at San Jose Rep.

A Theater Is Born—Again
The heritage of a grand era in moviegoing lives again at the California Theatre in San Jose.

Living Out Loud
TheatreWorks finds royalty in hidden places.

'Zoot' Salute
Luis Valdez's famed 'Zoot Suit' retains its power in revival production.

'Zoot' Case
Luis Valdez brings his seminal musical drama to San Jose for revival run.

Mind Games
George and Martha do battle in powerful Shakespeare Santa Cruz version of Albee classic.

Beware Of Greeks Bearing Grief
City Lights dips into the ancient world for a tale of epic woe in 'Iphigeneia at Aulis.'

Saving Graces
Relationships and ghost stories make museum relics come alive in 'Conserving Melissa.'

Is There a Doctorow in The House?
Foothill College mixes myth, magic and courage in 'Ragtime.'

Growing Up
Children's Musical Theater takes on adult themes in current 'Miss Saigon' production.

Emotional Colors
TheatreWorks tackles time and red tide to mount Chay Yew's 'Red.'

Razzle-Dazzle
American Musical Theatre of San Jose takes full advantage of Mel Brooks' stage hit 'The Producers.'

Troubled Minds
Emotional truths are computed in California Theatre Center's production of 'Proof.'

Tip-Top Kit Kat
The TOSPS 'Cabaret' beats sitting alone in your room.

Early Bloomers
San Jose Rep shows off its 'Underpants.'

No Walk in The Park
Dense 'Arcadia' at TheatreWorks tackles thorny subjects in two eras.

Rubble The Right Way
San Jose Stage Co. goes back in time for 'Ug: A Stone-Age Musical.'

Killer Show
City Lights explores the darker recesses of political action in Sondheim and Weidman's 'Assassins' musical.

One Man, One Car
Women, wheels and the Vietnam War fill the narrative in Teatro Visión's 'Drive My Coche.'

Point-Blank Musical
City Lights stages an intimate new production of Stephen Sondheim's scandalous musical 'Assassins.'

Shoes Muse
Carol Halstead's one-woman workout, 'Bad Dates,' moves from laughs to insight at SJ Rep.

Life Loves
Joie de vivre connects Tabard's 'Sabrina Fair' and Pear's 'Approaching Zanzibar.'

Throne for a Loss
Toil and trouble pay off for Renegade Theatre Company's 'Macbeth' at City Lights.

Bat Soars at Opera
Opera San José bids farewell to Montgomery Theater with superlative Strauss.

'Millie' Not Vanilla
American Musical Theatre delivers a tasty revamping of 'Thoroughly Modern Millie.'

Gags Reflex
Northside Theatre Co. welcomes 'The Nerd' who wouldn't leave.

Greed Breed
The lure of gold turns men into murderers in SJ Stage Co.'s 'Treasure of the Sierra Madre.'

Greed and Gold
San Jose Stage Company moves B. Traven's 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre' to the stage.

Korn Star
Monologue man Josh Kornbluth learns to love the IRS in 'Love & Taxes.'

Where There's a Willa
TheatreWorks opens the book on Willa Cather's 'My Ántonia.'

The Tax Man Cometh
Josh Kornbluth wrestles with debt and his Commie dad in newest one-man show, 'Love & Taxes.'

Prince of Poems
The South Bay Guitar Society sets the poetry of Juan Ramón Jiménez to music in 'Platero y Yo.'

Leading 'League'
San Jose Rep scores with two-coach Little League drama 'Rounding Third.'

Into Isak
The ballet explored the inner life of writer Isak Dinesen in Flemming Flindt's 'Out of Africa.'

Crossing To Bear
Teatro Visión's 'Boxcar' tracks the plight of border crossers.

Wonder
The honeymoon's over for a cast of cast-offs in City Lights' production of 'Wonder of the World.'

War and Regret
TheatreWorks looks at timeless social tensions in 'All My Sons.'

Royal Terror
San Jose Stage ratchets up the terror in stage version of Stephen King's 'Misery.'

Stormy Webber
'Starlight Express' is music-theater equivalent to AmTrak.

Operatic Treasure
Opera San José discovers musical treasures in Bizet's 'Pearl Fishers.'

Stuff of Dreams
The SITI Company's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' has a rhythm all its own.

Boppin' With the Blues
TheatreWorks rocks the house with 'Memphis' musical about birth of rock & roll.

The Family Endures
City Lights Theater Company follows a family's attempt to rebuild itself.

Fun With Fido
Tabard Theatre Company's new family-friendly show 'The Dog Sitters' shows some bite in its bark as it pokes fun at the foibles of canine keepers.

Dreaming Of the Bard
The SITI Company sprinkles modernist dreams on Shakespeare's 'Midsummer Night's Dream' at SJ Rep.

Like a Dreamgirl
Frenchie Davis doesn't need Fox to be an American Idol.

It's All About Mee
San Jose Rep mounts a marvelous production of Charles L. Mee's 'Wintertime.'

Behind the Wall
Theatreworks has fun with stage conventions in A.R. Gurney's 'The Fourth Wall.'

Cirque-ular Logic
'Alegria' shows off Cirque du Soleil's skill at old-fashioned circus acts with a twist.

Allergist's Reaction
San Jose Stage mixes laughs and empathy in 'The Allergist's Wife.'

Gospel Guffaws
'The Bible' gets a trim job at City Lights.

Send in the Clown
Opera San José delivers intimate impact in 'Cavalleria' and 'Pagliacci.'

Time, Lines and Dreams
Margaret Wingrove explores the light and dark sides of the creative impulse in newest pieces.

Railroaded
'On the 20th Century' provides a comic, tuneful journey.

Riders on the Storm
All's poetry in love and war at Rep's production of 'Mary's Wedding.'

Car Cultureolution Rock
Hello, God? It's Margaret Cho and she wants to change the world.

The Other 9/11
Teatro Visión finds humor in the tragedy of Chile's dark days under Pinochet in 'Chilean Holiday.'

From Canada With Love
'Mary's Wedding,' a WWI romance, has brought Canadian playwright Stephen Massicotte unexpected fame and fortune.

Fractured Foibles
TheatreWorks revisits Sondheim's 'A Little Night Music' with elegance and grace.

The Music Lives
Maria Elena Holly remembers her husband, rocker Buddy, at final performances of SJ Stage's musical 'Buddy.'

East Meets Jest
Korean-American adoptee Amy Anderson can't speak Korean, but she can make people laugh.

Send in the Sondheim
TheatreWorks takes a second look at 'A Little Night Music.'

Wordplay
'Don Juan in Chicago' confronts the great seducer with modern sexual mores.

Beating Down Boundaries
It took a Senate bill to protect Japantown. It will take much more to preserve its favorite arts group, San Jose Taiko.

Fall Seasonings
Tabard Theatre's new works include a holiday dose of O. Henry.

'Seagull' Soars at the Pear
Small company does justice to Chekhov's big ideas.

Sound Comedy
'Noises Off' turns on the laughs at San Jose Rep.

The Brice Is Right
American Musical Theatre of San Jose keeps 'Funny Girl' fresh.

Working for Change
TheatreWorks dramatizes the plight of maids and clerks in 'Nickel and Dimed.'

Weighty Trifles
Even the stage business of Opera San José's 'Don Pasquale' adds to the delicate balance of music and comedy.

Low Wage, High Art
Barbara Ehrenreich's scathing look at work in America, 'Nickel and Dimed,' is adapted for the stage by TheatreWorks and Brava Theater.

Slam Man
San Jose's standup poet laureate Mike McGee returns to town as the national slam champ.

Buddy's Waters
New musical at San Jose Stage Company explores the legend of rocker Buddy Holly.

Buddy Waters
San Jose Stage Company's new musical explores the life of geek-rocker Buddy Holly.

Survival of the Shiftiest
The Renegade Theatre Experiment asks the audience to help cast each edition of 'Eat the Runt.'

Sir John's Opera
Disney's take on 'Aida' rocks right over Verdi's version.

Beast of Burden
'Bat Boy' wields quality cast and witty script but lacks the music to make cult magic.

Bat Boy Unleashed
Famed tabloid icon finally gets his own musical exposé at TheatreWorks.

A Roiling Boiling Life of the Blues
San Jose Rep lights up the life of Alberta Hunter in 'Cookin' at the Cookery.'

Molière Better Blues
California Theatre Center wrings contemporary laughs out of 'The Miser.'

Comeback Queen
From blues belter to nurse to vocal diva--Alberta Hunter's amazing comeback is focus of new San Jose Rep show.

A Vehicle for Coping
Pear Avenue Theatre explores the angst of aging.

Emotional Equation
TheatreWork's 'Proof' is more than a formula drama.

Risky Love Sans the Risqué
The Lyric Theatre finds family fun in Offenbach's 'La Belle Hélène.'

The Dice Man Cometh
New Renegade Theatre Experiment takes a chance on Paul Lucas' 'The Dice House.'

Shakespeare the Clown
Don't hate on San Jose Stage's 'I Hate Hamlet.'

Throw Mama From the Train
'Lady From Havana' explores generational and cultural conflicts between a Cuban mother and her two daughters.

All Droid Up
California Theatre Center looks for 'Comic Potential' in Alan Ayckbourn's farce.

Dane of His Existence
A reluctant actor tackles the Bard's greatest role in 'I Hate Hamlet' at San Jose Stage Company.

Oscar Worthy
SJ Rep revives the perfectly mismatched roommates Felix and Oscar in 'The Odd Couple.'

Frank Talk
'The Vagina Monologues' addresses taboo topic with mixed results.

Naked Ambition
Ralph Peduto reveals some hard but funny truths about acting in his one-man show at City Lights.

Old Folk Tales Never Die
'Rocky Horror' at City Lights and 'The Odd Couple' at SJ Rep both tap into deeper veins of storytelling.

The Pear That Roared
Small size, big ideas--Pear Avenue Theatre takes the risky road.

'Mamma' Says Knock You Out
See that girl. Watch that scene. Dig into 'Mamma Mia.'

Patty Melt
Neil Hamburger wears a powder blue suit and an ill-fitting haircut and tells bad jokes. So why is he so damn funny?

High Results
Guest conductor Paul Polivnick stated his case for a permanent spot with Symphony San Jose Silicon Valley.

Golden State Warriors
Comedy is a double-edged sword to the 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors.

One Flute Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Despite a tangled nest of plot, Opera San José's 'Magic Flute' captures the high spirits of Mozart.

To Eyre Is Human
TheatreWorks scores English lit classic 'Jane Eyre' to ballad-pop music.

Crime Seen
Pear Avenue's 'Show and Tell' investigates a ghastly crime.

Only Disconnect
When the power goes out, Eric Bogosian's characters talk up a storm in 'Humpty Dumpty' at SJ Rep.

Not-So-Funny Girl
Taking comedy classes at the Improv seemed like a good idea. And then, the lights came up.

Cracking the Egg
San Jose Repertory Theatre explores the fragile shell of civilization in its West Coast premiere of Eric Bogosian's 'Humpty Dumpty.'

Prop Music
The history of the world unfolds in song in 'The Big Bang.'

Shore Patrol
At San Jose Stage, Pauly's dad, Sammy, proves that he's the real comedian in the family.

'Miz' En Scène
'Les Misérables' statistics and influence are bigger than life.

Dirty Deeds
Everything you've ever wanted to know about John Leguizamo's sex life is revealed in 'Sexaholix ... A Love Story.'

National Insecurity
Two new plays--'Conjunto' and 'Legacy Codes'--examine the plight of American citizens in compelling ways.

Soul Clap
Tommy Davidson is the funniest comedian without his own TV series.

Ride to Rights
Tabia Ensemble's 'Waiting to Be Invited' puts the civil rights movement in personal terms.

Dead Secrets Walking
San Jose Stage Company delves into the family hell of Ibsen's 'Ghosts.'

Verdi's Vengeance
A long-simmering anger fuels the fevered vocal flights of Opera San Jose's 'Il Trovatore.'

Canine Caper
A playwright's best friend is a dog character in City Lights' production of 'Sylvia.'

Cirque du Silly
'Varekai' swings into San Jose with feats of impossible skill.

Trouble Man
Raving comic Lewis Black talks about idiocy, screaming and the bright side of Trent Lott.

Persistent Pain
Standup Christopher Titus is so funny it hurts.

Comfort and Joy
Alternative holiday fare still celebrates seasonal sentiments at downtown's City Lights and San Jose Stage Company.

Slaying the Sacred Cow
'Bye-bye bin Laden' lampoons the evils of totalitarianism and American mass-media saturation.

Bargain Show
Opera San José strikes a deal with Gounod's 'Faust.'