by Charles Kruger Jean Poiret’s sturdy farce about a gay couple, one of whom is a famous drag queen, who try to pass themselves off as straight remains funny in every incarnation. The play was adapted into two hit films (most notably “The Birdcage” starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane) before achieving Broadway success with […]
by Charles Kruger We Players describes their production of “Midsummer of Love” as “an erotic comedy of consent, cruelty and control.” Let’s get the cruelty part out of the way right now. The performance we attended at Kennedy Grove Regional Recreation Center in El Sobrante was preceded by a 30 minute hike on a dusty […]
by Charles Kruger Two characters, Man and Woman, speak and dance together for an hour and forty five minutes. They transform into animals. They tell dream like stories that are, variously, funny, threatening, seductive, unbelievable, and, ultimately, strangely revealing of deep human truths. It is fascinating to hear and see. Playwright Philip Ridley (who is […]
by Charles Kruger When I arrived at the War Memorial Opera House recently to see “La Boheme,” I thought it might be nice to dine at the Opera House restaurant. I made my way through a festive crowd to the desk of the maitre d’. “Do you have a reservation?” he asked pointedly. “No, I’m […]
By Sean Taylor There is a sudden danger to approaching a mirage with open arms. The best practice I have found when dealing with an illusion is to question everything, lest one be ensnared in a loss of reality. So why is it, that when I entered the Tortona Big Top on the point of […]
by Charles Kruger Playwright Matthew Lopez is best known for the Obie-Winning drama The Whipping Man, which has had over forty productions worldwide since its 2011 debut. Lopez is the very definition of “up and coming playwright.” The Legend of Georgia McBride is a comedy about a down-and-out Elvis impersonator who achieves success as a drag performer. […]
by Charles Kruger Fans of Janis Joplin, and, indeed, anybody who appreciates the blues, will enjoy this play at A.C.T., which is really more of a concert tribute. All the great songs are included, and Kacee Clanton, as Janice, is a musician of enormous skill and impact. Janis cannot be recreated, but Clanton probably comes […]
