by Charles Kruger “Pericles, Prince of Tyre” is generally considered to be one of Shakespeare’s least successful plays; so much so that some scholars wonder if he wrote it at all. The famous “First Folio” of Shakespeare’s plays (selected and published by his acting company shortly after his death) did not include “Pericles,” and most […]
by Charles Kruger At only 33 years old, playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is a force to be reckoned with in the American theatre. His many awards include an Obie, a Fulbright scholarship, a MacArthur “genius” grant, a Paula Vogel award, a Windham-Campbell Literature Prize (Yale University), and more. He is currently a member of the prestigious […]
by Charles Kruger Sarah Kane’s brief and controversial career came to an abrupt end by suicide in 1999 when she was only 28 years old. With only five plays to her credit, she has had an outsized influence on millenial theatre. Her work is visceral, brutal, famously in your face, violent, poetic, and, arguably, extremely […]
by Charles Kruger The plum role of Richard III, one of Shakespeare’s most flamboyant, charismatic, and shocking characters, offers a great opporunity to an actor. From the opening moments of this production, L. Peter Callender grabs hold of Richard like a hunter tackling his prey with a knife and joyfully wrestles him to the ground. […]
by Charles Kruger Although there have been a handful of naysayers (alas, myself among them), it is generally agreed that Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park with George” is a masterpiece of musical theatre, winning on every count: music, book, lyrics, staging. Anybody coming to SF Playhouse’s version with an uncritical admiration for “Sunday” will not […]
by Charles Kruger In the culminating performance of SF Opera’s Ring Cycle, “Gotterdammerung,” the thrills are not so much in the dramatic action but in some remarkable visuals and musical highlights, including the large chorus which does not appear in the first three operas of the cycle. As “Gotterdammerung” opens, we hear from three Norns, […]
by Charles Kruger Musicologists have noted that the four opera Ring cycle might be considered analogous to a traditional Classical symphony: the first (“Das Rheingold”) being an exposition of themes, the second (“Die Walkure”) a traditionally slow movement, the third (“Siegfried”) a light scherzo movement, and the last (“Gotterdammerrung”) a grand dramatic finale. The point […]
