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.
Stage Review: A. R. Gurney
Pacific Alliance Stage Company in Rohnert Park and Sonoma County Repertory Theater in Sebastopol each stage his work.
'Anna in the Tropics'
Tolstoy moves to Florida in TheatreWorks' production.
'Urinetown'
Sixth Street Playhouse scores a straight flush with edgy apocalyptic musical.
'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.
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Notes from Ashland in the crisp nonsummer, including reviews.
Ibsen Rules
Just in time for the centennial of his death, is Henrik Ibsen becoming cool again?
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.
'Night' Moves
SSU's Lynne Morrow leads students through Sondheim puzzle.
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.
Sauce and Sausages
AT plays hard with Steve Martin's naughty little 'Underpants.'
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.
Lonely Guys
'Bus Stop' and 'All My Sons' hit area stages.
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.
Eight Plays in 80 Minutes
Sudden mood swings and short attention spans capture the stage at the Eight Tens @ Eight Festival.
Work Play
River town springs to life in affectionate 'Dim Sum Parade.'
Rip Tide
David Templeton looks back at the top 10 torn film, concert and theater tickets of 2005.
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.'
Cinderella Syndrome
Shakespeare Santa Cruz's resurrected production of the children's classic is magical but flawed.
Twain Spotting
MTC's 'Raft' marks season of greatness.
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.'
Electric Rap
Exciting and original 'Beatbox' is one of year's best shows.
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.'
Keeping the Weird Rolling
Ukulele Dick and an assembled cast of oddballs keep the surreal alive in Santa Cruz.
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.
Acting Out
Now's the time for North Bay theater to get political.
Wit and Worlds of Words
Teatro Visión and Herbert Sigüenza conjure up the spirit of the great Mexican film comedian ¡Cantinflas!
Much Ado to Do
Arts United Day a dizzy calendar.
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.'
Heady Stuff
'Drake's Drum' is more than scheming pirates, floating queens, beer and pizza.
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.'
High Holy Haze
Just in time for Rosh Hashanah, 'Jewish Girls' brings the house down.
Words Play
'IVES' in love with language.
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.'
Wild and Wet
'River's End' audaciously explores a famous mystery.
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.'
Wine, Women & Song
Cinnabar harvests 'Most Happy Fella.'
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.'
Free & Easy
Local theaters prepare to give it all away.
Unbearable Emotions
Joy ultimately trumps sorrow in 'The Winter's Tale.'
Ring a Ding Ding!
Ron Hawking does Frank 'His Way.'
Altared States
Shakespeare Santa Cruz serves up a perfect Victorian confection with William S. Gilbert's 'Engaged.'
Whack Attack
Dave Gorman's wonderful, horrible life is up for laughs.
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.'
Shadow Play
There's darkness beneath the surface of 'Twelfth Night' in P.J. Paparelli's production of this much-loved comedy.
Elvis Is in The Building
San Jose Stage Company brings Elvis back to life in 'Idols of the King.'
Ship of Fools
Why is a shipwreck in the middle of the redwoods? Blame it on Shakespeare Santa Cruz.
Full Frontal
'The Full Monty' gets naked; 'Woman in Mind' goes nuts.
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.'
Play Dirty
Ren Faire stages come alive with some off-color comedies.
Rock Stars
Two men shoot for film fame in CTC's Irish/Hollywood comedy 'Stones in His Pockets.'
Hell Bound
The devil's in the details at Ashland.
Phat City
'Movin' Out' speaks volumes about an era.
Kitchen Talk
TheatreWorks inhabits 'Dolly West's Kitchen' in WWII Ireland.
Program Notes
'Hard Times' delivers a skillfully bleak view of the Industrial Car Cultureolution.
Horns of Plenty
SRT's ambitious new season offers rich, magical 'Beauty and the Beast.'
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.'
Mature Contents
Diastole, dykes and dystopia are all featured in Margaret Cho's latest comedic offering.
Dramatic Moments
This summer will be dramatic--on a stage near you.
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.'
I Wrote a Letter to My Love
Real-life lovers bring A.R. Gurney's two-person 'Love Letters' alive.
Town Squire
Ken Brown and the art of (Sonoma) living.
Will Bill
North Bay's open spaces prepare for the best of the Bard.
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.
Mountain Man
At this year's Mountain Play, a gritty, down-to-earth 'Oklahoma!' includes the rich family history of musician Doug Adamz.
'Buffalo' Hunt
The Rep gets real with Mamet's tense and funny 'Buffalo.'
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.
Dream Machine
'Stones' shows Hollywood from the extras' side of the set.
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.
Genius on the Rocks
Picasso and Einstein bump heads in 'Lapin Agile.'
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.
Real Time With Bill Maher
Bill Maher slaughters sacred cows, but stands up for the ethical treatment of cattle.
Sic Sense
Actors Theatre's '(sic)' makes the words work.
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.
A Perfect Onion
McNally's 'Ganesh' is magical, unforgettable theater.
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.'
Loud Mouth, Soft UnderBelly
Marga Gomez targets Hollywood's sacred cows.
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.
Power Surge
Erica Lann-Clark goes shopping for God and--oops--finds the goddess, instead.
Male Call
Where have all the good men gone?
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.
A Playhouse Is Born
At long last, Actors Theatre and Santa Rosa Players have the new home they've been hoping, praying and (are still) fundraising for.
Waiting Beauties
The women in City Lights' 'Waiting Room' find little solace in men's healing arts.
Stormy Marriage
'Streetcar' and 'Iguana' engage Williams brilliantly.
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.'
Coming of Age
Hip-hop theater fest legitimizes the art form.
High Hopes
MTC's sweet 'Fortune' tempts fate.
Windy City Moves
'Chicago' bumps and grinds but isn't sexy enough.
Barrel of Laughs
Colorful cast exults in hilarious weirdness of AT's new 'Wonder of the World.'
Copy Cast
Word for Word breathes new life into lit--and the art of performing it--with its literal-minded delivery.
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.'
Sweet 'Pea'
Ted the Bear is yet another memorable animal act for SSC's holiday tradition in enchanting 'Princess.'
Fun with Nuns
'Nuncrackers' makes merry.
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.'
Jestering Wildly
Now more than ever--and especially in this year's local holiday productions--the fool reigns supreme.
Acting Up
Clowns and monsters populate Loading Zone's sharp, satirical shorts.
Sweet Hearts
Charismatic cast shine in charming production of 'The Fantasticks.'
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.'
Price Fight
There's more than one way to scalp a ticket.
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.
Country Matters
Memory and truth collide in magical 'Drawer Boy.'
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.'
Street Dreams
MTC resurrects Duke Ellington's long lost musical.
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.
Lenny Lives!
New CDs spotlight Bruce's comedic genius.
Original Sins
Cinnabar's staging of 'Cabaret' transcends.
A Theater Is Born—Again
The heritage of a grand era in moviegoing lives again at the California Theatre in San Jose.
Monster Mash
'Vep' is a vampish delight.
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.
Fall Stage
Our guide to warm autumn days, hot autumn nights.
Mind Games
George and Martha do battle in powerful Shakespeare Santa Cruz version of Albee classic.
Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves
Whatever John Fletcher's motives, 'The Tamer Tamed' makes for great comic theater.
Funny Lady
Comic Brett Butler is a mix of truck driver and Southern belle.
Beware Of Greeks Bearing Grief
City Lights dips into the ancient world for a tale of epic woe in 'Iphigeneia at Aulis.'
The Taming of the Shrill
SSC whips Shakespeare's most crassly dated play into shape.
Love Hurts
Shakespeare's star-cross'd lovers take their lives--again.
Saving Graces
Relationships and ghost stories make museum relics come alive in 'Conserving Melissa.'
Union Busting
Edward Albee intended the personal to be extremely political in 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' Shakespeare Santa Cruz obliges.
For Pete's Sake
The Pacific Players delve deep into Townshend's meaning and method for their production of 'Tommy.'
World's a Stage
Guerrilla theater, Elizabethan-style, at Ren faire.
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.
Turn of the 'Shrew'
Danny Scheie returns with Fletcher's Shakespeare-twisting 'The Tamer Tamed.'
Emotional Colors
TheatreWorks tackles time and red tide to mount Chay Yew's 'Red.'
Two Good to See
Marin Shakespeare scores with 'Othello' and 'Conquer.'
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.'
The Framing of the Shrewd
SSC director Tim Ocel doesn't so much tackle a Shakespeare play as attack it from every possible angle--scouring every version he can get his hands on--to make it connect with new audiences.
Touring Company
A trip to Ashland is well worth the drive.
It's All Good
SRT sharpens the light in 'Our Town.'
Tip-Top Kit Kat
The TOSPS 'Cabaret' beats sitting alone in your room.
Early Bloomers
San Jose Rep shows off its 'Underpants.'
King of Comedy
Aaron Lamb's performance anchors SRT's top-notch 'Present Laughter.'
No Walk in The Park
Dense 'Arcadia' at TheatreWorks tackles thorny subjects in two eras.
Critical 'Stage'
MCT's latest production isn't among their best, but it could be a turning point in the company's fight to survive.
Big Willy
It's Shakespeare's world--we just watch it.
Rubble The Right Way
San Jose Stage Co. goes back in time for 'Ug: A Stone-Age Musical.'
Weill, You Were Seeping
'Street Scene' captures Kurt Weill's talent for bleeding American musical styles into classical opera.
Good Whale 'Hunting'
Strong writing keeps 'Hunting for Moby Dick' from being harpooned by design flaws.
Comedy of Errors
Petaluma's Cinnabar Theater presents John O'Keefe's world premiere, 'Queer Theory.'
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.'
Play's the Thing
To director James Dunn, theater is forever.
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.
American Idol
'Barrymore' proves that a single great performance is all a one-man show needs.
Dark 'Day'
AT's staging of Kushner early work is timely, unforgettable.
Life Loves
Joie de vivre connects Tabard's 'Sabrina Fair' and Pear's 'Approaching Zanzibar.'
Parlor Games
'High Society' provides plenty of the wrong kind of fun.
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.'
Fringe on Top
Dominican's annual celebration of undiscovered one-acts.
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.'
Prayer Warrior
Choreographer Ronald K. Brown comes into the light.
Last Dance
PASCO conjure up dreamy 'Lughnasa.'
Crossing To Bear
Teatro Visión's 'Boxcar' tracks the plight of border crossers.
Brava!
With 'La Traviata' and a host of other plays in rotation, the North Bay Theater Group sets the stage for a new era. David Templeton treads the boards.
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.
Scene and Unseen
This year's Eight Tens @ Eight are linked by an unspoken theme.
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.'
Not Necessarily the Nut
Tandy Beal's spirited 'New Nut!' turns out to be more new than nut.
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.'
Hot Funderpants
SSC's holiday show makes sharp and poignant funny business out of new 'Clothes.'
Gospel Guffaws
'The Bible' gets a trim job at City Lights.
That What Is Nut
Tandy Beal revolutionized 'The Nutcracker' 20 years ago--and now she's at it again with 'The New Nut!'
Behind Closed Doors
'No. 11 (Blue and White)' depicts a dark side of high school life.
Send in the Clown
Opera San José delivers intimate impact in 'Cavalleria' and 'Pagliacci.'
The Naked Truth
SSC's holiday show 'The Emperor's New Clothes' is suddenly more relevant than even the man who wrote it could have predicted.
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.
In the Zone
In Loading Zone, actors are doin' it for themselves.
Slut: The Musical
Santa Cruz 'Rocky Horror' emphasizes all the things that make it fun to be a freak for Dr. Frank.
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.'
Kill the Critic
'Frythescum.com' turns theater reviewing on its ear.
'House' Arresting
Western Stage gets all dolled up for Ibsen.
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.'
No Butts About It
Ralph Peduto bares the awful truth in 'Butt-Naked in Tinseltown.'
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.
On Prospera's Island
Napa Valley Shakespeare Festival's 'The Tempest' brings womanly energy to the storm.
Buddy Waters
San Jose Stage Company's new musical explores the life of geek-rocker Buddy Holly.
Fast Times at Castle Elsinore
SSC's 'Hamlet' is both weirdly retro and daringly ultramodern.
Survival of the Shiftiest
The Renegade Theatre Experiment asks the audience to help cast each edition of 'Eat the Runt.'
Front & Center
The Napa Valley Opera House opens with a bang, bringing 19th-century style and 21st-century culture to Napa.
Apocalypse Noel
The battle of the sexes goes nuclear in Shakespeare Santa Cruz's lively production of Noel Coward's 'Private Lives.'
Sir John's Opera
Disney's take on 'Aida' rocks right over Verdi's version.
Hearts of Darkness
'Big Love' offers grim view of gender war.
A Night at the Opera
Napa Valley Opera House gets a makeover.
Beast of Burden
'Bat Boy' wields quality cast and witty script but lacks the music to make cult magic.
The 'Errors' of Our Ways
SSC sets the famous Shakespeare farce right here in Santa Cruz for a brilliant opener.
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.
Swimming With Sharks
An insider reveals how this year's production is a longtime fantasy finally realized for him--and for Cabrillo Stage.
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.'
Bone Machine:
In the Metro Santa Cruz Summer Guide, we look at how the unheralded heroes behind the scenes make Shakespeare Santa Cruz's 'Hamlet' happen.
The Dice Man Cometh
New Renegade Theatre Experiment takes a chance on Paul Lucas' 'The Dice House.'
Come Together
King and Phillips shine in 'Talley's Folly.'
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.
Talkin' Trash
Don't let the 'Rashomon' flirtations of 'Trailer Trash' fool you--this musical sticks to its roots.
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.'
Culture Jam
The Starr Spectacular is here to lure the masses away from their TV sets with circus and vaudeville.
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.
Short Stuff
Theater gets fast and furious in 'Quickies.'
All Thrills, No Frills
'Cooking Up Your Real Self' strips down the theater experience with up-close-and-personal storytelling and music.
The Car Cultureolution Will Not Be Verbalized:
Best known as the man who brought hip-hop to Shakespeare, choreographer Rennie Harris takes evasive action in an interview about his newest multimedia work, 'Facing Mekka.'
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.
War Is Hell
'Kuwait' serves up truth and consequences.
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.
Hot Damn
For actor-writer Eliot Fintushel, the end of the world is a one-man show.
Rio Grande
How do the people behind the Rio Theatre keep their unpredictable happenings so hip? They just ask: 'What would Joan Jett do?'
'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.'
'Merchant' of Menace
Gareth Armstrong delves into the controversy around Shakespeare's most hot-button creation in 'Shylock.'
National Insecurity
Two new plays--'Conjunto' and 'Legacy Codes'--examine the plight of American citizens in compelling ways.
Hatching a Gem
A band of actors join together onstage to resurrect the colorful socialist chicken ranchers of 1930s Petaluma.
Singles Scenes
One is the loneliest number in 'Company.'
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.
Stage Flight
Kurt Weill offers a prescription for modern living.
Girl Power
In Aristophanes' fantasy world, no sex equals no war--equals dick jokes galore.
Flat-Out Git It!
Protorockabilly luminaries Maddox Brothers and Rose get their due in a Pacific Alliance Stage Company production.
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.
Rebel Souls
Misfits fight back in 'Fugitive Kind.'
See Dick Play
It's been a long, flaccid road to success for the limber warriors of wang behind 'Puppetry of the Penis.'
Fun Club
Will and Debi Durst stand up and laugh back at the year 2002.
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.
Passion Play
An old love gets a second shot in 'Skylight.'
'Suit' and Timing
After 25 years, Luis Valdez brings his acclaimed 'Zoot Suit' home for a hit run at El Teatro Campesino.
Comfort and Joy
Alternative holiday fare still celebrates seasonal sentiments at downtown's City Lights and San Jose Stage Company.
Shake and Bake
'Gretel and Hansel' wins by being more grin than Grimm.
Missing Kinks
No socks equals no sex in 'Psychopathia Sexualis.'
Bread Fever
Renowned bread builder Joe Ortiz bakes up a yeasty musical.
Variété Pack
Local acts take the art of entertainment back from the Hollywood whores for the SC Vaudeville Review.
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.'
She, Robot
Performance artist Tom Sgouros ponders the nature of a robot's brain and lets the kitchen sink do the talking.
