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Aug 04 2025
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Make it Happen

By Jo Tomalin

Review by Jo Tomalin
For All Events

Make it Happen

The Edinburgh International Festival presents the World Premiere of Make It Happen written by James Graham and directed by Andrew Panton produced by National Theatre of Scotland and Dundee Rep Theatre in August 2025.

Graham is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter for notable productions of Dear England, Best of Enemies and Ink. Panton, artistic director of Dundee Rep Theatre and award winning director of plays such as Out of the Woods and A History of Paper. It is no wonder that Make It Happen is an important and anticipated production at this year’s Edinburgh International Festival.

The play is about the Royal Bank of Scotland’s fall and what – and who – brought this about. The venerable bank, RBS follows Fred Goodwin, played by Sandy Grierson as he commits to the financial strategies created by revered economist, Adam Smith played by Brian Cox. Rather Cox plays a ghost of Smith who goads Goodwin, known by some as as Fred the Shred.

Starting with a group pf tourists looking at large paintings in a gothic looking scene an ensemble of of about 12 are taken around the gallery. Suddenly as if in a Greek Theatre theme, masks and coats descend dramatically. A narrator and voice overs lead us away into Goodwin’s life, his arrogant rise and ultimate fall as an accountant.

The script and information about the RBS is on point. They’re aware of European banks and how they’re doing and Fred has huge ambitions that grow by the minute. An ensemble, like a Greek chorus, comes in between scenes and some times speak or play characters and comment on events or move the story forward, often with bursts of song!

There are several brief scenes in this two hour thirty minute play which moves the detailed story along well. These brief flashes of scenes include board members with a fast appearing set piece of columns, conservatives politicians and the general mood that if Goodwin wants adventure, he’ll have to make it happen himselfl

Prophetically, Goodwin’s character is realistic in his dialogue with colleagues and family and when he reads out Smith’s views on commerce. Others try to warn him, but Goodwin recommends growth and wants to buy NatWest.

Music by Martin Lowe accompanies with underscore at times, and with loud with snappy beats in the numerous chorus appearances trailing on stage or dancing in between. When Goodwin is with a Scottish bank and wants RBS, he takes over banks, bidding successfully to vibrant music! The music is catchy and biting, and adds to the drama – and the tension. Suddenly, Goodwin becomes an admired chief executive.

A conversation with a colleague brings humanity to the story, who bigs him up, imagining how Fred’s dad would be proud. The ensemble’s comments after this scene are very entertaining! Politician Gordon Brown appears at the Scottish. Parliament, urging balance, to no avail. An ingenious set panel is opened to show a brief scene as if in an Amsterdam like shop window with pink lights – very creative use of this variable square set piece a few more times credited to set designer Anna Fleischie.

Cox has attitude and sarcasm as this ghost of Adam Smith and is enjoying it all. Lively conversations with Smith and Goodwin are delicious when they get down to brass tacks and even riff a bit in a glorious moment! Grierson’s Goodwin creates the character with depth and portrays the emotional range very well throughout. There are fantasy moments between Cox and Fred that are charming as they reflect on the city.

The ensemble has the last work, or hiss! An appropriate act to end this story. In all this is a creative well performed vital play with high production values. It is not only very entertaining but also informative and a reminder of what can happen when ambition is strong. Highly Recommended!

Jul 18 2025
Love0

Masquers Playhouse’s ‘Into the Breeches’ draws big laughs in Point Richmond

By Woody Weingarten

L-R, Marsha von Broek, Mary Katherine Patterson and Helen Kim are funny in “Into the Breeches,” onstage at Masquers Playhouse in Point Richmond through Aug. 3. (Mike Padua via Bay City News)

By Woody Weingarten

Insert amateur thespians into a modernized World War II version of a Shakespeare play with an all-female cast and what do you get?

A possible hit for the play-within-a-play — and a barrelful of big laughs for the Masquers Playhouse audience in Point Richmond.

L-R, Katharine Otis and Dana Lewenthal appear in Masquers Playhouse’s production of the comedy “Into the Breeches,” onstage through Aug. 3 in Point Richmond. (Mark Decker via Bay City News)

Katharine Otis does far less schtick and thereby gets fewer guffaws as Maggie Dalton, but she ably leads the cast as the wife of the absentee director (he’s off to the front, as are most of the women’s mates). She’s sensitive but bold, brandishing a cerebral weapon for her personal, newly spawned battle to get women equal pay (and, in the process, rid herself of being labeled her husband’s parrot).

The individual jokes, not incidentally, take a back seat to a farcical scene about walking like a man that features codpieces.

There’s a smirk hidden in the “Into the Breeches” title: King Henry V’s battle cry was, according to Willie the Shakes, “Once more, into the breach.” Here, the play on words implies women climbing into men’s trousers.

Mostly upbeat, the charming play by George Brant (with many added references to East Bay locations that trigger wild applause and shouts of “yay”), also delves adroitly if superficially into issues of race, sexual discrimination, misogyny and family separation.

The full cast is skillful: Dana Lewenthal plays a narcissistic but forgiving diva Celeste Fielding, who opts to play Cinderella rather than having to inhabit a character her own age; Alana Wagner as Ida Green, a Black costume designer who aims to snap a racial barrier; Helen Kim as Grace Richards, a newcomer to town who’s terrified her husband wouldn’t approve of her acting; Mary Katherine Patterson as June Bennett, a bike-riding ingenue who wants to become a symbol of patriotism and war efforts; and Chris Harper as Winifred’s board president husband, Ellsworth, who prefers to block progress but folds under pressure.

L-R, Gregory Lynch and Alana Wagner appear in Masquers Playhouse’s fun production of “Into the Breeches.” (Mark Decker via Bay City News)

The Masquers production is a bit quirky. Some of the props on the spare set are covered in material (looks like sheets) that’s removed only when the particular item is needed.

Director Marilyn Langbehn manages to neatly balance its comedy and heart.

Theatergoers appreciated the perfection of the recorded WWII music playing between scenes and the two acts. After the play, one patron said, “I came with trepidation because I’m not a fan of Shakespeare, but I shouldn’t have worried because the short excerpts didn’t get in the way of my enjoying all the comedy.”

And a woman in the first row said she enjoyed the show because the actors were “real people” who acted like real people.

“Into the Breeches” runs through Aug. 3 at the Masquers Playhouse, 105 Park Place, Point Richmond. Tickets are $15 $35 at www.masquers.org. 

Contact Sherwood “Woody” Weingarten, a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theater Critics Circle and author of four books, at voodee@sbcglobal.net, https://woodyweingarten.comand https://vitalitypress.com.

This article was first published onLocalNewsMatters.org, a nonprofit site supported by Bay City News Foundation http://www.baycitynews.org/contact/

Jul 13 2025
Love2

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

By Joseph Cillo

 


Smooth cons. Sharp twists. Big laughs. Song & dance.

In this musical take on the iconic con-man comedy, two swindlers clash on the sun-soaked Riviera: Lawrence, the polished gentleman who charms rich women out of their fortunes, and Freddy, a scrappy upstart with big stories and no filter. When they target the same seemingly sweet heiress, the bet is on—first to extract $50,000 wins the turf. But as fake identities stack up and the schemes spiral, this fast-paced romp builds to a final twist that flips the game in all the right ways.

This is a BIG production

Bold, bright, and bursting with talent. With a 13-member cast, the show comes to life in a full-throttle staging that matches its mischief, glamour, and comedic punch.

Cast & Crew Kudos
Larry Williams brings just the right polish and poise as Lawrence Jameson — smooth, unflappable, and always scheming with flair. Drew Bolander’s Freddy is a full-throttle chaos engine, diving into every gag and pratfall like he’s auditioning for a cartoon. Joanna Lynn Bert plays Christine Colgate with a wide-eyed sweetness that keeps us guessing — is she a mark or a master? Julianne Bradbury hits all the right notes as Muriel, with warmth and comic spark, while Tim Setzer’s Andre delivers dry charm in every line. Emma Sutherland (Jolene) has great presence, and Seana Nicol leads a tight ensemble as Dance Captain, backed by a spirited cast that brings nonstop energy to the stage.

While all are excellent, this is truly an ensemble piece — fast-moving and well-oiled, thanks in part to sharp music direction from Aja Gianola on keyboards and excellent scenic and scene projections that glide us from one caper to the next. Director Carl Jordan’s touch keeps the con rolling without a hitch.

Scoundrels in Action – a whirlwind of charm, chaos, and Riviera mischief.

Photo Credit: Katie Kelley

Slick cons, bold mischief, and full-throttle song and dance — Dirty Rotten Scoundrels delivers the goods. No kidding.

Sonoma Arts Live presents Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Now through July 27, 2025
Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30pm
☀️ Sunday matinees at 2 pm
Rotary Stage, Andrews Hall
Sonoma Community Center
276 East Napa Street, Sonoma, CA

️ Tickets start at $30 and can be purchased online at:
www.sonomaartslive.org
Credit cards accepted. Advance booking strongly recommended for weekend performances.

★★★★★

Authorship & Creative Statement

Each review is created through my proprietary FocusLens℠ method—an original editorial process shaped by firsthand experience, critical insight, and structured narrative design. Original photography, graphics, director quotes, and animated elements are incorporated to enhance reader engagement and visual impact. State-of-the-art scaffolding systems support organization and phrasing, but every sentence and decision reflects my own voice and judgment. These are not AI-generated reviews—they are authored, shaped, and published by me.

Jul 03 2025
Love0

The Last Goat: Tensions Rise (and Truth Slips) on a Dying Island

By Joseph Cillo

 


A stranger arrives. A balance breaks. Survival gets personal.

From the first quiet moment to the final reckoning, this drama never lets go.
Set on the crumbling island of Kasos in 1177 BCE, The Last Goat tells a quietly tense story of survival, longing, and control. Young Kori dreams of escape. Her grandmother Melina clings to the life they’ve managed to preserve. When Nikolis, a charming castaway with a shifting story, arrives, their fragile balance begins to crack. Desires clash, lies deepen, and the three hurtle toward a dangerous confrontation none of them may survive.

The setup: An island. A castaway. A collision of needs and secrets.
Kori and Melina live alone on the edge of a vanished world. They’re scraping together survival after a mysterious collapse has emptied their island. Then Nikolis washes ashore, claiming nobility and shipwreck. Kori sees possibility. Melina sees threat. As truths unravel and motives shift, the story becomes a tense standoff over freedom, safety, and power.

Cast


Photo Credit: Central Works

Performance Highlights

Liris Robles brings restless energy to young Kori.
She captures the ache of youth trapped by obligation, swinging between hope and heartbreak with fearless openness.

Jan Zvaifler’s grandmother Melina is the kind of role that simmers until it burns.
With quiet control and emotional weight, Zvaifler turns suspicion and survival into something riveting. Every glance, every pause lands with meaning.

André Amarotico gives Nikolis both charm and threat.
He shifts effortlessly from sympathetic castaway to manipulative outsider, keeping the audience unsure where his loyalty—or danger—truly lies.

Director Highlight


Gary directs his own script with focused restraint.
As both playwright and director, he builds a tightly wound story of emotional standoff, slow revelations, and unspoken danger. The result is ancient and modern at once—just like the world of The Last Goat.

Very Up-Close Theater
The setting alone deserves mention. Central Works stages its productions in a 49-seat theater tucked inside the Berkeley City Club—one of the most intimate performance spaces in the Bay Area. You don’t just see the actors—you share air with them. Every seat is close enough to catch a glance, a twitch, a whispered aside. The design wraps around the action, with seats arranged along two sides and a few directly across, enclosing the performers in a tight, all-surrounding frame. It’s not just theater—it’s an experience. You feel like you could step into the scene, or that the scene might spill into your lap. Emotional nuance lands with full force in this space, where the fourth wall is less a barrier and more a gentle suggestion. Very special.

An Observation—and Suggestion
The play opened with a well-executed projection onto a screen at the front of the set—briefly setting the scene with time, place, and atmospheric motion. It was effective, evocative… and then, used no more. What began as an excellent design element simply vanished. As later transitions relied on drawn-out lighting fades—some clearly allowing for costume changes—the energy dipped. From the audience, we found ourselves wondering: what happened to that strong visual cue? Continued use of projections could have sustained the mood and cohesion of an already thoughtful production.

Delicious Uncertainty
No one gets exactly what they want in The Last Goat—and that’s what makes the ending so satisfying. Nikolis is exposed, but not expelled. Kori is wiser, but still stuck. Melina survives, but her grip slips. The dagger returns to the mantle, but the danger hasn’t passed. It’s not resolution—it’s reckoning. And in that charged, open-ended moment, the story earns its silence. No neat bows. Just tension, truth, and a final birdcall that echoes long after blackout.

Tension lingers like a storm.

 

CATCH IT IN BERKELEY
The Last Goat runs June 28 – July 27, 2025 at the historic Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Avenue, Berkeley, CA.
Performances: Thursday & Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 7pm, Sunday at 5pm.

Tickets are $35–$45 (Fri–Sun) and Pay-What-You-Can on Thursdays and preview nights (June 26 & 27).
Same-day sliding scale tickets ($20–$45) are available starting at noon on the day of the show.

For tickets and info, visit centralworks.org or call 510.558.1381

★★★★★

Authorship & Creative Statement

Each review is created through my proprietary FocusLens℠ method—an original editorial process shaped by firsthand experience, critical insight, and structured narrative design. Original photography, graphics, director quotes, and animated elements are incorporated to enhance reader engagement and visual impact. State-of-the-art scaffolding systems support organization and phrasing, but every sentence and decision reflects my own voice and judgment. These are not AI-generated reviews—they are authored, shaped, and published by me.

Jul 03 2025
Love0

Shore Excursion — San Pedro to Terranea

By Joseph Cillo

 


Ruby Princess Cruise Ship Shore Excursion
Blending History, Scenery, and Just the Right Amount of Fancy

Stepping off the Ruby Princess, you’re greeted by a private driver who’s ready to whisk you away on a day filled with ocean views, good food, and maybe even a falcon. This shore excursion is part history lesson, part scenic drive, and part “wow, this is really nice.” Your only job? Show up and soak it all in.

First Stop: San Pedro Waterfront

8:45 – 9:45 AM 1 hour

The San Pedro Waterfront is where history and hustle shake hands. On one side, there’s the Battleship Iowa, a floating chunk of American history. On the other, local vendors hawking crafts and snacks, proving that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well. Take a stroll, grab something salty or sweet, and enjoy the harbor air. You’ll feel productive without actually doing much, which is what vacations are all about.


On to the Lighthouse, a Beacon of History

10:00 – 11:15 AM 1 hour 15 minutes

At Point Fermin Lighthouse, history stands tall—literally, on a cliff overlooking the Pacific. Built in the 1870s, this Victorian beauty once guided sailors to safety and probably gave its keepers the best office view imaginable. The guided tour dives into the nuts and bolts of lighthouse life, while the surrounding park offers ocean vistas that make you wonder why you don’t live closer to the coast. You’ll want to linger, but there’s more to see.


The Drive of Drives: Scenic, Rugged, and a Little Bit Fancy

11:15 – 11:45 AM 30 minutes

If Palos Verdes Drive isn’t one of the most scenic roads in California, it’s definitely trying to be. This stretch of asphalt clings to the cliffs like it knows the view is worth the risk. Waves crash below, Catalina Island floats hazily on the horizon, and just when you think you’ve seen it all, there’s Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles. It’s got greens so immaculate they probably have their own staff of hairdressers. You won’t stop here, but you’ll give it a nod as you cruise by.

Experience for yourself here in this Where’s My Map video: Palos Verdes Drive South

Terranea Resort: Where the Views Steal the Show

Noon – 2:30 PM 2 hours 30 minutes

Arriving at Terranea Resort, you get the feeling they built the place just to impress you. The cliffs drop straight into the Pacific, and on clear days, Catalina Island makes an appearance like it’s showing off. This is your chance to relax, play, or both:

  • Guided Nature Hike (45 minutes): Walk along trails that hug the cliffs while the ocean does its best to outshine everything else.
  • Falconry Experience or Archery Session (30 minutes): Where else can you bond with a bird of prey or fire an arrow with a view that deserves its own Instagram account?
  • Pickleball Game (45 minutes, available with advance reservation): It’s the sport everyone’s talking about, and at Terranea, it comes with an ocean view.
  • Lunch at Nelson’s (1 hour): Perched on a cliff with the Pacific stretching out before you, Nelson’s serves up fresh seafood that tastes as good as the view looks. Fish tacos, clam chowder, oysters—whatever you order, pair it with a California wine or a cocktail. If dolphins show up below, consider it a bonus.


Back to the Ship, Full of Good Memories

2:30 – 3:00 PM 30 minutes

The ride back along Palos Verdes Drive is your last chance to soak in the scenery and reflect on the day. You’ll return to the Ruby Princess with a phone full of photos, a belly full of seafood, and at least one story that begins, “So, this falcon…”

Final Thoughts

This shore excursion is more than a day trip—it’s a curated experience. From the hustle of San Pedro to the quiet luxury of Terranea Resort, every stop offers something to remember. Whether it’s history, nature, or just a really good lunch you’re after, this journey delivers. And hey, if you didn’t take a picture of Catalina Island, did you even go?

 

Travel Adventurers

 

 

Joseph Cillo

 

 

Mary Buttaro

Jun 30 2025
Love0

Strong cast, steady direction and a riveting script make “Constellations” -– now playing at The Pear Theatre — a must-see production

By Joanne Engelhardt

With a running time of about 85 minutes performed without an intermission, “Constellations,” written by British playwright Nick Payne in 2012, is a fascinating examination of love, beekeeping, string theory, heartbreak and cosmology – NOT cosmetology!

It’s obvious that director Reed Flores steadily guided his cast of six to find new ways to explore the two characters in Payne’s play.  It was his idea to use six actors – three men and three women – to play the two roles.( Payne originally conceived and wrote this play as a “two-hander” – meaning it’s meant to be performed with just two actors.)

Even more interesting, Flores switches his cast around so that if a person attends “Constellations” next Thursday, and then decides to see it again with a friend a few days later, the actors would likely be playing what is described as a different track than the ones they played the first time.

Payne’s characters, Roland, a beekeeper, and Marianne, a physicist, meet at a party and find they are both curious and surprised by the profession of the other.  As Roland attempts to convey his joy at helping bees – and how they contribute so much to life on earth – Marianne discovers she is fascinated by something so completely foreign to her world.

In turn, Marianne captivates Roland by talking about her profession that is world’s away from his.  She is, she tells him, a physicist who spends her days on a computer working through complex topics like quantum mechanics and the belief that there are multiple universes that direct people’s lives.  Despite their very different backgrounds, they fall in love and move in together. But eventually they break up when Marianne admits to having sex – more than once – with a man she works with.

From left: Vivienne Truing and Thomas Nguyen
Photo credit: Reed Flores

Fast forward several years and they accidentally run into each other at a ballroom dance class.  Marianne surprises Roland by telling him that she happened to notice his honey (now bottled and sold at a nearby farmer’s market), so she bought some.

Both are at the ballroom dance class because they are going to weddings –- as guests — and each admits to being a terrible dancer.  It’s charming to watch them try to dance a rudimentary box step without stepping on each other’s feet!

Eventually they realize that they love each other and marry.  What happens after that won’t be revealed here.  It’s best to watch how it all unfolds at The Pear.

While all six actors in “Constellations” are universally excellent, Vivienne Truong stands out for her gut-wrenching acting as she deals with a serious illness.. Sahil Singh also demonstrates sincerity  as he shows sympathy for Marianne.

From left: Raven Douglas and Sahil Singh
Photo credit: Reed Flores

Louis Stone-Collonge’s simple, yet amazing set design adds much to this show.  The floor is covered with blue and pink string designs, a nod back to the fact that Marianne studies string theory, while the back wall is dotted with various sizes of white balls, reminiscent of outer space.

Lighting designer Carsten Koester also deserves mention because his lighting must be precise, going on and off quickly as one set of actors stops talking and another pair start their conversation.

From left:  George Alexander K. and Elana Swartz
Photo credit: Reed Flores

“Constellations’ includes four other actors (Elana Swartz, George Alexander K., Thomas Nguyen and Raven Douglas), and all show their acting chops in this production.  Occasionally Douglas speaks too softly, especially when her back is turned to some of the audience, which means a few of her lines are hard to hear.

Nevertheless, thanks to Flores’ steady direction, such a fine production deserves full houses for every performance.

Note: “Constellations” comes with a warning that the play has mature content.

The Pear Theatre presents “Constellations” by Nick Payne.
Now through July 20, 2025
Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.  and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. No performance on Friday, July 4.
Pear Theater, 1110 La Avenida, Mountain View, CA 94043
Tickets are $45 and can be purchased online at www.thepear.org. For more information, call Pear Theatre at 650) 254 – 1148.

Jun 23 2025
Love0

Delightful performances and a socko set highlight TheatreWorks’ production of “Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, a New Musical”

By Joanne Engelhardt

The first thing anyone attending the TheatreWorks Silicon Valley production of “Come Back to the 5 & Dime,  Jimmy Dean,  Jimmy Dean, a New Musical” sees is the unbelievably detailed set created by Nina Ball.  It’s the interior of the “5 & Dime” store in the small town of McCarthy, Texas.

That’s where the entire play takes place, save for one short scene in the store’s restroom.

The TheatreWorks version of Ed Graczyk’s 1976 play is a musical, and it’s having its world premiere at the Mountain View Center of the Performing Arts, directed by Giovanna Sardelli, TheatreWorks’ artistic director.

As the play opens,  Loretta (skillfully performed by Judith Miller) is cleaning the lunch counter with a cloth and trying to kill an errant fly with a flyswatter.

There’s no mistaking that audience members are now witnessing what life is like living in McCarthy in the 1970s.

But this is no ordinary day.  It happens to be the 20th anniversary of the day James Dean died. His small but loyal Texas “fan club” vowed to get together to commemorate his death — and they plan to meet at the 5 & Dime store where they have a small cabinet filled with his photos.

First to arrive is Mona, realistically played by Lauren Marcus.  Mona walks in, looking bedraggled after a long, hot bus ride.  Loretta greets her and says she’ll perk up with a glass of Orange Crush.  Mona drinks a bit, then runs out the door to look for her son,  Joe, the boy she says is the result of once having sex with James Dean.

Mona later returns and remembers the cabinet full of James Dean photos at the 5 and Dime.  She runs over to turn on a string of white lights surrounding the photos.  Then she opens her suitcase and pulls out a piece of concrete that she says she picked up when the bus stopped at James Dean’s crumbling down house.

Next to arrive is a buxom blonde named Sissie (amusingly performed by Stephanie Gibson).  Dressed in a short red-and-white dress and cowboy boots, Sissie sashays around and sings the song “Big Time Country Singer.”   Bursting into the restaurant next is Hayley Lovgren as Stella Mae. Stella May is a robust woman with a voice to match.  She’s a hoot to watch as she belts out “Goddamn! I Love Texas!”

From left: Judith Miller as Loretta, Lauren Marcus as Mona and Stephanie Gibson as Sissy.

Photo: Kevin Berne

A very tall redhead wearing sunglasses enters next, dressed in a white suit.  The other women look at her but don’t recognize her.  When she takes off her sunglasses, she smiles at them and tells them she used to be named Joe, but 15 years ago she changed it to Joanne and is now transgender.

This is Shakina, who not only performs in the show but also wrote the lyrics for the songs.  Her rendition of “Survival” is nothing short of riveting and a play highlight.

On her heels enters a shorter woman wearing what almost looks like a nurse’s uniform.  She’s holding an orange and green dress in a plastic bag over her arm.  Ashley Cowl disappears into her role of Edna Louise, provoking the audience’s sympathy when she’s berated by Stella May.

But Joanne comes to her defense, which effectively shuts up Stella May.

Another highlight is Lovgren and Cowl singing the song “El Cajon Chiquito” in both English and Spanish, with Lovgren singing the English lyrics and Cowl singing them in Spanish.

Later,  the women collectively put up a big sign that says “The 20th Anniversary Reunion of the Disciples of James Dean.”

The next scene is about a talent show when all of the women were in the 1955 class of McCarthy High School. This part of the play needs some work because it seems somewhat out of place (or perhaps it just needs to be more closely integrated into the rest of the play).

From left:  Shakina as Joanne and Hayley Lovgren as Stella Mae.

Photo: Kevin Berne

The lone male in the show is Ellie Van Amerongen who plays both Mona’s son  Joe as well as Jimmy Dean.  (Mona insists that Joe’s father is James Dean,  who Joe does resemble. Yet the other women aren’t sure whether what she says is true or is a figment of her imagination.)

As music director,  Jacob Yates does a fine job of both playing the keyboard and leading the small band consisting of Stephen Danska and Tim Roberts on guitar, Kendra Kop on bass and Artie Storch on percussion.

Alina Bokovikova’s costumes seem to fit the roles of each actor in “Jimmy Dean,” and Y. Sharon Peng’s wig and hair design is spot on. Although Kurt Landisman’s lighting is excellent, sound design by Cliff Caruthers needs some fine tuning so that every actor can be heard distinctly in all parts of the theater.

This production contains mature language and themes, including violence and references to sexual interactions. Parental guidance is suggested; not recommended for youth under 13.

 

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents “Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, a New Musical” based on the play by Ed Graczyk.  Book by Ashley Robinson, music by Dan Gillespie Sells and lyrics by Shakina.
Now through July 13, 2025
Tuesdays through Sundays

Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts
500 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041

Tickets are $44 – $94 and can be purchased by calling (650) 903-6000 or online at www.theatreworks.org

Jun 22 2025
Love0

Empathy coach, office crazies populate Do You Feel Anger? at Marin Theatre

By Woody Weingarten

Empathy coach Sofia (Sam Jackson, right) looks on as Jon (Joseph O’Malley, left), Jordan (Phil Wong, second from left) and Howie (Max Forman-Mullin) laugh in Do You Feel Anger? Photo by David Allen.

By WOODY WEINGARTEN

If you think the phrases “non-reciprocal blowjob,” “piss chart,” and “life is an oblong” are inherently funny and might be even funnier if they’re each repeated about 49 times in 90 minutes, go see Do You Feel Anger? at the Marin Theatre.

If you believe several adult characters acting like acting-out, clueless toddlers crammed into an office playpen of debt collectors might be funny in a slapschtick, farcical way, do go.

And if you consider mysterious or untethered themes, an O. Henry ending, a marvelous secondary set spotlighting three toilets, or good lighting and sound effects between scenes as items that might satisfy your cerebral or sexual needs, go.

A recent gray-haired audience liked the show’s office absurdities enough to applaud more than a little when it was over, enough to periodically chuckle quietly or even cackle or guffaw on rare occasion. On the other hand, a woman in the front row volunteered a three-word stinger: “That was painful!”

The plot? Sofia is an empathy coach newly hired to buoy the consciousness of three workers drawn by playwright Mara Nelson-Greenberg as somewhere between the classic personas of TV’s hilarious satire, The Office, and David Mamet’s biting dark satire, Glengarry Glen Ross.

The staff is overseen by a fourth cartoonish character, an office manager who doesn’t know what a woman’s period is and who joins the others in the belief that empathy is a bird.

Eva (intentionally played by linda maria giron with a grating ever-screechy voice and theater-shaking laugh) keeps getting mugged, or is delusional about it, or maybe both, and is obsessed with being a mermaid.

Jordan (left) and Howie goof around while Sofia watches. Photo by David Allen.

Howie (exquisitely portrayed by Max Forman-Mullin as a macho man-child whose anger is always on the brink and whose horniness is almost always on display) is physically and verbally over the top.

Jordan (a Phil Wong tour de farce distortion whose bug-eyes are aways in humorous motion) joins Howie as a resident misogynist.

Jon, the manager who’s interested only in having his mandated documentation signed by Sofia even if she’s unsuccessful, is skillfully delivered by lanky Joseph O’Malley with legs that jerk and slide like a ballet dancer on coke.

Jesse Caldwell, by the way, is excellent in his cameo monologue as Marcus, a geezer bomber-wannabe who’s seemingly lost the key to his dementia ward.

And Atosa Babaoff acquits herself well in dual roles, that of Janie, a woman who’s permanently ensconced in the bathroom, and Sofia’s long-suffering mom who’s featured in a parallel storyline that ultimately ties some stuff together.

It should be noted that there’s a major disconnect between the entire cast of crazies and Sam Jackson, who inhabits Sofia with a serious insatiable need to please. That gap might have been shortened.

Director Becca Wolff might also have sliced the text a bit or added an intermission; the workplace comedy feels a tad long in spite of being timed at an hour and a half.

All the acting’s worth seeing and there are, to be sure, a few wonderful lines. Such as “Everyone’s starting to say the clitoris is a hoax.”

Not incidentally, a “piss chart” is never explained in the show but one Google keystroke will instantly indicate that it’s used as an unclear metaphor based on its definition of a color map designed to illustrate hydration and urine levels. Who knew?

Do You Feel Anger? Will play at the Marin Theater, 397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley, through June 29. Tickets: $47 to $85. Information: 341-388-5200 or info@marintheatre.org.

Sherwood “Woody” Weingarten, a longtime voting member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theater Critics Circle and the author of four books, can be contacted by email at voodee@sbcglobal.net or on his websites, https://woodyweingarten.com and https://vitalitypress.com.

Jun 19 2025
Love0

Review Midsummer Night’s Dream

By Peter Robinson

Ain’t Love Grand When It Happens
Peter Robinson’s review of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Marin Shakespeare Company

To follow the story in A Midsummer Night’s Dream the audience needs to pay careful attention. There are

three main storylines: the tangled love affairs of four young Athenians, a feud between the fairy king and queen, and the rehearsals of a group of amateur actors who prepare a play for Duke Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding. The Marin Shakespeare’s production does a good job at presenting the complexity of these themes and keeps the action moving.

Add to that Puck, the mischievous fairy, introduces magic to meddle with the lovers’ relationships, causing chaos and confusion. Puck (Rob Seitelman), delivers his key line with the gusto it deserves:”Lord, what fools these mortals be!” The play culminates in the resolution of these conflicts and the celebration of multiple weddings.

The Lovers: Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and Demetrius are all intertwined in a complex web of love and infatuation. Hermia loves Lysander, but her father wants her to marry Demetrius. Helena loves Demetrius, but he is uninterested in her. The acting in these relationships underlines the intriguing and ever-changing nature of love and restored my own faith in the creative imagination of dreams. So it is a story of order and disorder, reality and appearance and love and marriage.

This production developed the magic and escapism essential to this play, and I admired the energy of the overall performance. In the dance routines the actors made good use of their knee pads in the skilled choreography. 

In the play a group of amateur actors, the “Rude Mechanicals,” add to the comedic mix and eventually  present their play during the wedding festivities of Theseus (Johnny Morenoand) and Hippolyta. Steve Price plays a memorable Bottom.

This is an enchanting and entertaining night at the theater and the audience is left with provocative questions about appearance and reality—things are not quite what they seem and how quickly order can change into disorder in a matter of moments. So yes this sixteenth century drama is relevant today.

A tip for older theatergoers attending an evening production, take a blanket as it gets chilly by the second half. I’d support a fund for bringing in outdoor heaters as the play ends close to 10 pm. 

The play runs until July 13 at Dominican University.