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.

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 20^th 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 20^th 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

Watching a Lynn Nottage play like “Sweat” is a little like peeling an onion. What you see at first is the whole onion, but then gradually the top layer comes off, then another and another until you are eventually left with just the raw core.

“Sweat,” which won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2017, gets a commanding production locally by Palo Alto Players at the Lucie Stern Theater in Palo Alto.  It runs through June 29.

Nottage’s play sometimes shifts in time between 2008 and 2016. It starts out with a parole officer (a steady Shawnj West, who also directs this show) talking with two young men who have been incarcerated for about eight years and are now out on parole.  One,  Jason (Will Livingston), is angry about missing out on a good chunk of his life and has reverted to getting facial and neck tattoos and hanging out with the wrong crowd.

The other, Chris (a convincing Adam C. Torrian) only wants to move forward with his life and tells the parole officer that he has taken a number of courses while in prison and eventually hopes to finish work on a bachelor’s degree.

Saturday’s opening night crowd – which saw the theater about 85 percent full – gave “Sweat” a standing ovation which was well deserved (at least for the majority of the actors).

The set then shifts to a typical bar – where the majority of the action takes place.  As Stan, the bar’s owner, Scott Soloman is outstanding.  He’s on stage for the majority of the play and serves to ground the action taking place in his bar.

Three long-time friends (a dynamic Kimberly Ridgeway as Cynthia,  Amy Meyers as somewhat hot-headed Tracey, and Tannis Hanson as sweet Jessie) are already there. It’s clear that all have already had a number of drinks and Jessie, whose birthday they’re celebrating, has had way too many. She tries to get up, but only succeeds in getting part way before she plunks her head on the table and falls asleep again.

When she finally does succeed, she goes to Stan to order another drink, but he cuts her off.  (Good thing, too, because shortly afterward she runs toward the ladies’ room to barf!)

That’s when things are good between the three women.  But Cynthia applies for – and is selected – to be a ‘token woman’ on the management team.  This causes a rift with Tracey, who now feels Cynthia is lording her new role over her two friends.

From left: Amy Meyers as Tracey,  Tannis Hanson as Jessie and Kimberly Ridgeway as Cynthia.

Photo: Scott Lasky

Although there’s much to like about PAP’s production of “Sweat,” there are some problems as well.  For one, there’s the gimmicky use of three mostly unintelligible television monitors located at each side and in the middle of the set. The problem is that all three TVs have different station personalities on screen, yet only one of them talks about the problems happening in Reading, Pennsylvania in 2008.  It would have been better to have all three TVS showing the same station person talking.

There’s also a problem with occasionally using the far edges of the set.  At least once a character was sitting stage left but only his feet could be seen by audience members sitting on the far left.

As the play progresses, the audience discovers that Chris is Cynthia’s son, and the initially hot-headed Jason is Tracey’s son.

It helps if the audience understands what NAFTA is (the North American Free Trade Agreement which promoted trade between the U.S., Canada and Mexico from 1994 and 2020).  What the factory workers learn is that most of their jobs are being phased out, and Hispanic workers are being brought in because they will work for lower pay.

One other character deserves mention here because he is pivotal to so much that happens in Act 2 when some of the action takes place in 2008 and some in 2016.  That is Aaron Edejer as Oscar.  He is Stan’s helper at the bar, whipping down tables, fixing things that get broken, ferrying glasses back to the bar and generally doing whatever Stan tells him to do,  He tells Tracey Columbian/American, and when the factory workers are let go, he crosses their picket line to work for less money at the factory.

From left:  Anthony Hayes as Brucie, Aaron Edejer as Oscar, Amy Meyers as Tracy, Scott Solomon as Stan, Tannis Hanson as Jessie and Kimberly Ridgeway as Cynthia.

Photo: Scott Lasky

“Sweat” has a swift and surprising ending, which won’t be divulged here.  But it left audience members gasping.

This production is not recommended for children under 10 due to strong language, staged violence, racism and adult themes.

Palo Alto Players presents “Sweat” by Lynn Nottage
Now through June 29, 2025
Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., select Saturdays at 2 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.
Lucie Stern Theater
1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301

️ Tickets are $20 – $63 and can be purchased at the PAP Box Office (650) 329-0801 or online at www.paplayers.org

TWELFTH NIGHT: By William Shakespeare. Conceived by Kwame Kwei-Armah and Shaina Taub.  Music and lyrics by Shaina Taub. Los Altos Stage Company, Bus Barn Theater, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos, CA 94022. (650) 941-0551 Weds – Fri., www.losaltosstage.org May 29 June 22, 2025.

 When you combine a long-loved Shakespearean comedy like Twelfth Night with a terrific score of funny and sweet songs as well as a very talented cast, a small, but fine sounding orchestra and a director/choreographer who knows when to push her cast to even more hijinks – well, it’s a can’t miss production!

You say you’ve never seen a musical production of “Twelfth Night?”  Then it’s best to get tickets to LASC’s outstanding fabrication before it closes June 22.

The Pear Theatre’s new artistic director Sara K, Dean directs the LASC production with a light, comedic touch – exactly what is needed here.  She also serves as choreographer for the show which includes some first-rate musical numbers.

It’s difficult to list the best actors in this show because nearly all of the 17-member cast are excellent. Dean makes sure each member of her cast finds ways to stand out – both in their musical numbers as well as when they’re intentionally overacting in their roles.

The entire cast of “Twelfth Night” in all their colorful costumes

As Viola, petite Kristy Aquino shows her versatility both when playing the part of her brother, Sebastian, as well as when she can literally finally let her hair down and be herself.  As Feste, Melissa Mei Jones, is probably onstage more than any other actor.  She’s an excellent singer as well as a good comedic actress.

Sarah Thermond is also exceptional as the fool, Malvolio.  She wants so much to be loved, even resorting to wearing knee-high yellow socks covered over with what is described as “cross garters that are painful.”

If you’re somewhat familiar with Shakespeare’s play, you’ll likely remember that Viola and her twin brother Sebastian (played here by Rachel Rivera) are shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria.  But the twins have become separated and Viola believes that her brother has drowned.

As Olivia, Naomi Murray makes a formidable heroine.  Tall and assured, he wears long, black gowns with shimmering light summer shawls over them.  Her height makes it all the more amusing when she falls in love with the pint-sized Aquino dressed as her brother.

Big kudos to costume designer Katie Strawn who has come up with so many costumes – some in monochromatic hues of greens and blues.  But there’s also many dark black or black-and-white costumes as well.

From left: Ray D’Ambrosio and Dan Cardenas

It’s astounding how much musical sound music director Debra Lambert is able to get from her three-piece orchestra.  In addition to conducting, Lambert also plays the piano, while Adriano Tecson plays drums and Brandon Voss plays bass.

Remember that this “Twelfth Night” is a musical so there are a multitude of musical numbers.  Some of the best are “Play On,” “Word on the Street,” “Tell Her,” “If You Were My Beloved,” “You’re the Worst,” “Viola’s Soliloquy,” “Is This Not Love?” and “Eyes of Another,” which ends the show and is sung by the entire cast.

With so much talent amassed on the Bus Barn stage, this production clearly is a show worth seeing.

(“Twelfth Night” runs approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.)

 CAST:  Kristy Aquino, Naomi Murray, Joe Cloward, Sarah Thermond, Melissa Mei Jones, Ray D’Ambrosio, Dan Cardenas, Patty Reinhart, Rachel Rivera, Ralph Shehayed, Katherine Nails, Lauren D’Ambrosio, Sruthi Jayakumar, Corinna Laskin, Luna Lau, Kristen Soriano and Jen Yuan.

 ARTISTIC STAFF: Director and choreographer: Sara K. Dean;  music director: Debra Lambert; scenic designer: Camryn Lang; lighting designer: Aya Matsutomo; stage manager: Carla McCreight; props designer: Laura Merrill; costume designer: Katie Strawn.

Joanne Engelhardt is a former San Jose Mercury and Santa Cruz Sentinel writer and theatre critic and is a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle. Contact: joanneengelhardt@comcast.net.