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Jo Tomalin

Jo Tomalin
Dance & Theatre

Aug 19 2026
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Alan Cumming in New Musical A History of Paper in Scotland!

By Jo Tomalin No Comments

Review by Jo Tomalin
ForAllEvents.com

Alan Cumming and Shirley Henderson in A History of Paper – image by Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

 

A cardboard box full of memories is the starting point for this new musical written by Oliver Emanuel, composed by Gareth Williams and Directed by Andrew Panton, and produced by Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Dundee Rep Theatre. The Pitlochry Festival Theatre, under the new Artistic Director, Alan Cumming, includes this show in this season’s offerengs, headlined by Cumming himself with well known actor Shirley Henderson completing the cast of two. The large stage set designed by Ana Inés Jabares-Pita comprises several large craggy rocks and a beautiful white piano, for music composed by musical director Gavin Whitworth. The couple simply named He and She are looking at all the items in the box and each postcard, theatre ticket, script or other paper item reminds them of the special moments they had together.


Image of Alan Cumming and cast

Shirley Henderson, Gavin Whitworth and Alan Cumming in A History of Paper – image by Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

 

Cumming and Henderson are playful when they reenact their first date and budding romance, going back several years. These are two outstanding performers at the top of their game and they shine brightly in this theatrical musical. There is dialogue, physical acting, full character arcs and dynamite chemistry between the two. Cumming is well known globally for both film and stage work including musical theatre and this character suits him well. Henderson is well known for film and tv but not as much for theatre and she is a revelation! Director Panton has brought together the A team of creatives and together this cast they have produced a beautiful complete production that perhaps deserves to tour in other cities for those not located within a two hour train ride to Pitlochry from Edinburgh, Scotland.


Both performers are equally present and react to each moment in their characters in a natural way, which is refreshing and not over exaggerated. It’s easy to become engaged in this poignant story. At a slim seventy minutes the time flies as the story progresses. The relationship between He and She is tender and spirited, a post it note starts some sexy vibrant back and forth! They take turns with the songs as solos and several duets. This musical has some unexpected twists in the story which provides room for a range of emotions. Henderson is ready to respond sweetly and just as many times acerbically or with mischievous wit. Her character challenges Cummings character with curt questions, possibly coming from a combination of her character’s prior work as a journalist. These conversations, are fascinating, emotive and add depth to the story while avoiding saccharin responses. A History of Paper is a creative production of an intriguing story beautifully brought to life by Cumming and Henderson! Do not miss it! 5 stars!!

A History of Paper plays at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre until 12 September, 2026. For tickets visit pitlochryfestivaltheatre

A History of Paper plays plays at Dundee Rep Theatre from 16-19 September, 2026.

More Information:
Pitlochry Festival Theatre

Review by Jo Tomalin

Aug 14 2026
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Mr Bergmann of Deadman’s Point at Edinburgh Fringe 2026

By Jo Tomalin

Review by Jo Tomalin
ForAllEvents.com

Ronan Dempsey’s Performance is Riveting!

 

image of Mr Bergmann of Deadman's Point

 

Mr Bergmann is famous…as Ireland’s most famous unidentified man! Based on a true story, Ronan Dempsey of Nth Degree Productions, Ireland performs this new solo play. Dempsey is a highly skilled physical actor who brings his characters to life with delicious verve and singularity. The main character Dempsey plays is someone helping Mr Bergmann. There is a mix of the macabre with furtive humor in the dialogue and Dempsey is masterful at this genre of theatre, speaking with a lilting Irish accent and topping punch lines with the right balance of vocal emphasis and physical glee.

Dempsey talks to Mr Bergmann at the end of his infamous and curious life as if he is a friend. In fact, he may be Bergmann’s only friend given his circumstances. The news reported the true facts that years ago this gentleman had spent several days in Sligo erasing his identity and his body was found on a desolate shoreline. Dempsey plays the embalmer, trying to make a legacy with sharing this story as he chats with his latest client, Bergmann completely covered in a sheet, at first. This is fascinating stuff! And Dempsey ably leads us with energy and sensitivity into his world.

This show is crafted well and the theatricality is vivid. Brief flashbacks fill in their lives but the main action is the here and now. Using masks and effective transitions of place and time, with economy of movement Dempsey changes his body into the embalmer with a slight leaning forward, wildly expressive face and piercing eyes. Much of the humor comes from the way he speaks to Bergmann regaling him with folklore about nearby places, and tells him – and us – about how Irish nicknames are created. Balmy (his nickname) is an engaging character and it’s fascinating to be in his presence, in his domain, hearing about another side of life as we know it!

The story is undoubtedly interesting, mystical with a realistic yet poetic lyrical delivery of the embalmer’s inner musings that draws us in. Lively and endearing with a snappy wit Dempsey’s character talks using precise and deliberate gestures. He moves lithely like a stealthy weasel, and when he leans against a wall his body is angular and insect like!

The appropriately quirky atmosphere of the stage set, quick costume changes,and dynamite acting result in a very strong performance and outstanding delivery from Dempsey, with attention to detail, every moment is finessed. This lugubrious location holds its own secrets and it is the perfect setting. The play builds to a magnificent monologue performed with raw emotional depth and heatfelt commitment – we all have secrets it seems! Impactful and poignant to the end! Do not miss this new play, it’s 4 Stars Highly Recommended!

 

More Information:
Instagram  nth_degree_productions

 

Aug 12 2026
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Glob from Canada at the Edinburgh Fringe 2026!

By Jo Tomalin

Revewed by Jo Tomalin
ForAllEvents.com

Les Foutoukours’ Glob Dazzles at Edinburgh Fringe 2026Les Foutoukours

 

Two curious characters appear in front of us in white furry coccoon like costumes, each with a red nose. The gorgeous set evokes winter time, with several blue globes, leafless trees and a raised centre piece with hidden nooks and crannies!

The Canadian theatre company based in Quebec, Les Foukoutours comprise two performers: Rémi Jacques and Jean-Félix Bélanger who have created and performed in several shows encompassing clowning, acrobatics, physical expression and theatre, at least three of which have been presented at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In Glob, their latest show, they create an enchanting world of their own and they invite us in to spend time with them. Blue globes rise in billowing fog, while melodic instrumental music and interesting soundscape underscore most of the non verbal show. The gentle sounds are compelling and offer a refreshing change to the busy lives we lead.

What is this world? Where are we? And who are these gentle creatures?

They are playful and interact with each other and the audience by subtle looks, a shrug of the shoulder or minimal gibberish sounds. Their personalities are different and they revel in the moment of discovery in real time. What is impressive is their clear precision of facial expression, physicality and gestures, walking with an idiosyncatic shuffling movement gliding around the space!

The story and arc are well well crafted and beautifully performed with a variety of surprises! Discovery, joy, and pain are right in front of us when the two try to do things – or sense their limitations when they can’t do what feels entirely logical – they are learning about life in front of us.

This is indeed masterful clowning! When they move across the stage and make gibberish sounds of delight the audience reacts with giggles engaging their own sense of discovery following each second of this wondrous adventure.

In a melodic piano Interlude, an acrobatic routine emerges with exceptional slow extensions and physical balances, it is graceful, too. Glob’s movement based non verbal physical vocabulary and expressions between them are expertly performed and finessed. An example is a brief effective moment when one is learning to fly! Blue globes! How to make them all white? What else do they have to do today? A red ball arrives… and so it continues! This is a beautiful way to spend an hour transporting us away from our lives, allowing us to breathe, a rare moment, and it’s most welcome.

Productions by Les Foutoukours are always creative and imaginative supported by solid circus, clown and physical acting skills, and Glob is outstanding in every way. Their pure artistry and humour come across from rtheir subtle reactions and interactions. Whether clowning, juggling or balancing to beautiful music, Glob is a complete show for all that is entertaining, engaging, tender, well crafted and performed and will whisk you away into a beautiful land led by these two endearing characters. Don’t miss this show!  5 stars!!!!!

More Information:
Les Foutoukours
https://lesfoutoukours.com/en/home/

Apr 11 2026
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MACBETH UPDATED TO 70S NEW YORK, A VITAL NEW VISION—at SF Magic Theatre

By Jo Tomalin
Reviewed by Jo Tomalin

Migdalia Cruz Adapts Shakespeare for Our Time

The Magic Theatre’s new vibrant production of “Macbeth,” in a modern version by Migdalia Cruz, directed by Liam Vincent, is led by an earthy and feisty Catherine Castellanos as the ambitious general Macbeth. Castellanos is a force of nature commanding every scene!

Macbeth chats to us, and Castellanos displays mischievous unrest with a delicious, casual delivery, as if hanging out with us. Castellanos’ engaging manner breaks apart not only Macbeth’s character, but also Shakespeare’s language in this new adaptation. Playwright Cruz has translated Shakespeare’s words into a streamlined, user-friendly script for this 95-minute performance.

In these days of assault and ambition, Macbeth mirrors and highlights cutthroat political competition, literally. This queer re-telling shows the strength and gutsiness of the Macbeths in their lust for power at any cost. Yet, because Castellanos initially welcomes us warmly, we are hooked with empathy from the start.

Danny Scheie, Catherine Castellanos, Nora El Samahy, Brian Rivera, Sarah Nina Hayon
Danny Scheie, Catherine Castellanos, Nora El Samahy, Brian Rivera, Sarah Nina Hayon

Macbeth lives in New York. Sure! And in the gritty 70s, with dynamic societal changes like gay relationships, gangs, and immigration emphasized boldly in the casting. The 70s costumes include tracksuits and heavy gold chains.

Scenic Designer Carlos-Antonio Aceves creates a dark, theatrical world that evokes the lurid darkness of NYC at night. The set design features a creative multi-level set with a bar, alley, and steep stairs, all in black, surrounded by grunge and graffiti. This is a perfect setting for the underhanded scheming we see from Macbeth and others living in the neighborhood.

Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are played by women, a focal feature of this production, which populates the play with people who truly reflect our communities. Sarah Nina Hayon plays a glamorous, super ambitious Lady Macbeth, wearing a leopard skin coat and a silky red negligee. As she struts across the stage, Lady M is the cool power player leading Macbeth into a complex web of greed.

Kina Kantor
Kina Kantor

When cajoling Macbeth, Hayon reminds us of a viper hissing. Castellanos and Hayon make a forceful pair in their complicated relationship and interactions. Their bursts of strength and vulnerability show us the balance of emotions switching back and forth.

Nora El Samahy plays Banquo, Macbeth’s good friend, imbuing the character with heartfelt honesty from their first meeting. When Macbeth suggests Banquo’s days are numbered, a groan of sympathy rises from the audience.

Bright fluorescent lights flash and change color for every scene, evoking excitement and frenzy! A complete wash of green lights illuminates the witches’ scene, highlighting three gnarly witches in green wigs and quirky, unmatched clothing in shades of green.

The strong ensemble cast, led by Castellanos in an outstanding and layered performance, vividly shows how quickly conflict and violence escalate when ambition is the driving force—a tragedy indeed. Migdalia Cruz and Magic Theatre have produced a new “Macbeth” that is not only powerful but also passionately enlightening and entertaining.

“Macbeth” by William Shakespeare, new modern version by Migdalia Cruz, directed by Liam Vincent, scenic design by Carlos-Antonio Aceves, costumes by Alina Bokovikova, lighting by Justin Partier, sound by Matt Stines, and props by Imani Wilson, by Magic Theatre, San Francisco.

Info: magictheatre.org – to April 5, 2026

Cast: Catherine Castellanos, Juan Amador, Nora el Samahy, Sarah Nina Hayon, Danny Scheie, Kina Kantor, and Brian M. Rivera.

Review first published in Theatrius.com March 27, 2026.

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Apr 09 2026
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Alvin Ailey Opening Night Dazzles!

By Jo Tomalin


Review by Jo Tomalin
ForAllEvents.com

 

Alvin Ailey Opening Night Dazzles!

Cal Performances presents Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, April 2-7, 2024, in Zellerbach Hall. (credit: Dario Calmese)

 

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater presented their opening night program of four pieces including three Bay Area Premieres – and Revelations the well known Ailey favorite – on Tuesday April 7, 2026 at Zellerbach Hall, produced by Cal Performances in Berkeley. The company continues their run with four different programs until Saturday, April 8, 2026.

The program opens with Blink of an Eye, 2025, a Company premiere choreographed by Medhi Walerski, exploring the fragile boundary between presence and absence. Set to exquisite music by Johann Sebastian Bach, rapturously performed by Itzhak Perlman. Blink of an Eye is a beautiful virtuosic work for eight dancers. The approximately fifteen minute piece has everything, it is all at once muscular and sensitive, statuesque and flowing – and fleeting. Engaging trios, duos and solos intersperse with athletic motifs that melt into the inventive choreography – at times with a sense of urgency and others with a sustaining relationship to the music. A vibrant male solo of complex physicality and choreography is brief but oh so impactful! The Allemande from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor, V 1004; adagio and Presto from Violin Partita No. 1 in G minor, BWV1001 are a perfect pairing for this memorable piece. Blink of an Eye is an exciting new addition to the company repertoire that I look forward to seeing again.

Song of the Anchorite, 2025 Bay Area Premiere, is a meditative solo performed by Yannick Lebrun. This piece is choreographed by Jamar Roberts as a personal act of gratitude to Alvin Ailey, set to music composed by Maurice Ravel, the Adagio assai from Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major. Yannick’s sculptural dance to beautiful, soft, melodic music with heart beat punctuations is visceral and reflective. The choreography explores the space in pensive curves,arcs of movement with outstretched arms and a surprise at the end of this short piece. A visual highlight is the dramatic large branch of a tree upstage – scenic design by Joseph Anthony Gaito.

Next, Difference Between, 2025, Bay Area Premiere choreographed by Matthew Neenan in stunning turquoise light ombre to black highlights the seven dancers as they move together as a group set to wonderfully vibrant music written and performed by Heather Christian & the Arbornauts. Sections of interesting vocalizing and plaintive song merge well with theatrical dance motifs with sounds of whispers and sudden silences. Dancers frolic with joy and changes of pace until a sinuous duo accompanied by a moody guitar merge into a glorious atmosphere of friendship. This piece is poetic, profound and uplifting!

Finally, Revelations, the most famous piece of the company, choreographed by Ailey in 1960 is set to traditional music comprising ten different dance numbers including Wade in the Water, Sinner Man, and Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham, all adapted and arranged by Howard A. Roberts. The latter is the wildly popular oft repeated coda performed during encore curtain calls! Beautiful decor and costumes by Ves Harper and costume dresses redesigned by Barbara Forbes with lighting by Nicola Cernovitch all come together to create a moving rousing performance. Outstanding rhythmic dance, theatrical flourishes and visual storytelling! Seeing Revelations is always a glorious experience when the company and audience magically become one, enjoying the outstanding visual and moving dances that resonate with everyone, no matter how many times we see this piece! Highly Recommended!

More Information and Tickets:

Cal Performances

Jo Tomalin Instagram: jotomalin

Feb 21 2026
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The Sex Lives of Puppets at Stanford!

By Jo Tomalin

Review by Jo Tomalin
ForAllEvents.com

image of puppet

Puppeteer Dale Wylde and Tina from Blind Summit Theatre (photo: Jo Tomalin)

 

 

The Sex Lives of Puppets by Blind Summit Theatre from the UK performed February 18 to Saturday, February 21, 2026 at The Studio, Bing Hall presented by Stanford Live at Stanford, California.

The energetic and hugely entertaining one hour forty five minute show comprises a series of vignettes andinterviews told through puppets animated by four Blind Summit Theatre company puppeteers: Mark Down, Isobel Griffiths, Dale Wylde, Elliot Liburd. Down is also Artistic Director of Blind Summit, whose idea is behind this original show, written and directed by Down and Ben Keaton.

At least a dozen puppets of all ages and types share their innermost thoughts – their personalities are so real that they are instantly relatable! A couple, Meryl and Jeremy talk to us about sexual well being. Four puppeteers work the two approximately one yard tall puppet characters with one manipulating an arm and the head with mouth that opens as the puppeteer speaks, and another puppeteer works the other arm.Beautifully designed puppet people (puppet design by Down) sit on a platform of a high table and we see the puppeteers behind throughout. The faces, eyes, mouths and physical posture are exquisitely designed and the puppeteers lend their voices and bring them to life. The range of emotions and personalities is interesting and no two are alike, so the show moves along with a variety of topics and opinions about sex!

While watching each puppet is mesmerizing watching the puppeteers is equally fascinating. They each commit completely to the characters and their own facial features and intent focus on their puppet bringsthem to life magically. This is puppetry at its best with high level skills of creativity, acting, voice work and puppetry coordination animating these inanimate objects into an emotional life. Each character is individual with costumes varying from a leopard skin pattern cardigan to a black pleather jacket and a royal blue suit. In between each scene the ensemble present the title and names of interviewees with zippy cardboard signs!



The writing by Down and Keaton is smart, witty and real combined with their direction that emphasizes excellent timing and finessed physical gestures to the audience throughout the approximately ten scenes. In fact, a highlight is when the pairs interact briefly with their partner with spicy encouragement or juicy laughter! The puppeteers switch characters quickly and they all demonstrate a variety of voices and believable accents from British to Irish and American.

These puppets have fun and so do we! Suki, the actress is dramatic and sensuous in a wonderfully visceral scene. Two men share secrets of living in a care home in a revealingly poignant scene and the effusivefinancier Dimitri shares his secret sauce of life with delicate partner Robin. At times characters evoke people in our lives, which is a bit scary! Highly Recommended!

More Information:

Stanford Live
https://live.stanford.edu/

Blind Summit Theatre
https://www.blindsummit.com/
Instagram: Blind Summit

Feb 07 2026
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Batshit – Innovative Dynamic and Poignant – at Stanford Live!

By Jo Tomalin

Reviewed by Jo Tomalin
ForAllEvents.com

Batshit Solo Show with Leah Shelton (Photo Credit: Brandon Patoc)

 

 

Leah Shelton performs Batshit, a one person show, also created by Shelton and directed by Ursula Martinez at The Studio, Bing Concert Hall presented by Stanford Live, Stanford, California, February 4 to February 7 2026. Written by Shelton and Christine Shelton in collaboration with Martinez, Batshit is a dynamic exploration of mental health diagnosis inspired by their grandmother Gwen’s story.

Shelton arrives in a flouncy turquoise prom dress reminiscent of the 60s then does a song and dance number and tells a joke or two. Throughout the show she creatively transforms several times into both abstract forms and characters as she leads us through a poignant story. We get to know Gwen through Leah as this ethnographic memory album unfolds. Whether she is holding an axe or a microphone Leah is a force of nature!

From Perth, Australia, Gwen’s psychiatric reports appear on a screen upstage with searing details questioned by Leah Shelton. How was the population diagnosed? Or misdiagnosed decades ago? And what about these days? 
Shelton is a self described psycho-siren with substantial dance and theatrical movement training who successfully melds it with a mission to create “stylized, guttural, renegade feminist work soaked in cult references and dark humour.”

What sets Batshit apart is the very creative way that Shelton tells, crafts and performs this story, with a variety of visuals, voiceovers, video, characters and images so that the fifty minute story is entertaining, enlightening and builds to an unexpected moving and joyously innovative final scene.

There are so many moments that stand out as they flash by! Highlights are when Shelton is swallowed by the cushions of the chaise in an outstanding physical scene on the Stylish set by Shelton with Freddy Komp, including a retro TV on stage that not only shows fascinating black and white clips of familiar TV shows but also projects the actual audience – plus unforgettable interviews from past decades of people in the street being asked whether their life is dull! All these elements add up to the deliciously imaginative, visual and physical storytelling imagery Shelton and Martinez create in Batshit.

A program note says that Shelton hopes that this story will resonate with others to tell their own stories on these topics with the goal of improving things. Exiting the theatre, I heard people doing exactly that, which shows the power of theatre. Make no mistake, we are on a journey – Leah’s and Gwen’s journey – where Shelton shares her innovative humor and poignant zaniness to make a point about an important topic, 5 Stars!

More Information:
Stanford Live

 

 

Nov 24 2025
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Manual Cinema’s The 4th Witch at Cal Performances!

By Jo Tomalin

Review by Jo Tomalin
For All Events 

 

image of set

Cal Performances: Manual Cinema’s The 4th Witch
Photo: Courtesy of Manual Cinema /artists

 

Manual Cinema, an Emmy Award-winning performance collective, design studio, and film production company from Chicago, performed their latest show, The 4th Witch on November 22nd 2025 at Zellerbach Hall presented by Cal Performances, Berkeley, USA.

The 4th Witch is an immediately immersive experience that incorporates, shadow play, shadow puppets, actors in silhouette, live music and sound. Told without words, the story is about a young girl whose home and family are taken away from her during wartime by General Macbeth and she needs to fend for herself. Running to a forest she finds refuge and sanctuary for a while – and discovers through her dreams that she is the newest apprentice to the three witches from Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

Manual Cinema’s shows are always fascinating and The 4th Witch is highly accomplished in its visual storytelling with the integration of shadow puppets and actors in silhouette. Using a row of several old school overhead projectors and hundreds of flat page size hand made shadow puppets, the puppeteers transition into silhouette characters on the large screen above in a flash! This makes it possible for the finely crafted paper shadow play characters to suddenly move realistically in short scenes, to take the story forward in an almost animated way. The live blending of these techniques is astoundingly precise, imaginative and breathtaking!

Image of actor in silhouetteCal Performances: Manual Cinema
Photo Credit: Katie Doyle

Music and sound effects underscore the show throughout and are a vital element of the storytelling, composed by Ben Kauffman who is also co-artistic director of Manual Cinema. Three musicians play live throughout the show: Erica Kremer: cello and vocals; Lucy Little: violin and vocals; Alicia Walter: keys, guitar and vocals. These bold music and sound effect choices complete the story by adding to the atmosphere, drama and intrigue. The sophisticated music score and outstanding musicians are a perfect match for the wondrous concept, puppet design and direction by co-deviser and co-artistic director Drew Dir, and the impressive cast: Leah Casey: Witch, puppeteer; Kara Davidson: Witch, puppeteer; Sarah Fornace: Girl, puppeteer, co-deviser, co-artistic director; Julia Miller: Lead Witch, puppeteer, co-deviser, silhouette masks, co-artistic director; Jeffrey Paschal: Macbeth, puppeteer.

In concert with shadow play techniques in other parts of the world, puppeteers and musicians are all in full view of the audience throughout the show. Therefore, we can not only watch the shadow play story above the stage on a huge screen – but also see the many shadow puppets creating evocative imagery carefully placed on projectors by the puppeteers on the stage. It’s so fascinating when actors quickly move into place donning a hint of a costume or mask that evokes each live character through their silhouette! The movement quality of the paper characters and silhouetted actor characters is finely tuned and realistic, with great attention to detail to create both human and shadow puppet gestures, posture and angles of the head to communicate the wordless story. The color palette of The 4th Witch is very interesting – in black and white and in between tones, plus a few strategic choices of red and green, all appropriate to the story and its setting.

With lead commissioning support from Spoleto Festival, USA and co-commissioning support from Cal Performances, ArtsEmerson (Boston MA). The 4th Witch is also part of Cal Performances’Illuminations: “Exile & Sanctuary” programming for the 2025–26 season.

The 4th Witch is a sixty five minute show without intermission that is a richly visual, intense, sensory feast of inspired artistry and vibrant storytelling from Manual Cinema. 5 Stars! Do not miss it!

 

More Information:
Cal Performances
https://calperformances.org/

Manual Cinema
https://manualcinema.com/

Nov 22 2025
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The Monkey King Dazzles at San Francisco Opera

By Jo Tomalin

Review by Jo Tomalin
ForAllEvents.com
11/22/25

The Monkey King Dazzles at San Francisco Opera World Premiere

Kang Wang as the Monkey King with members of the San Francisco Opera Chorus in Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang's "The Monkey King."Photo: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera

Kang Wang as the Monkey King with members of the San Francisco Opera Chorus in Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s “The Monkey King.”
Photo: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera

 

There is something very special happening in San Francisco! The San Francisco Opera World Premiere of The Monkey King runs November 14-30, 2025,  and there is still time to catch it if you haven’t yet seen it! An extraordinary group of artists and creatives have assembled and brought the much loved 400 year old epic story of The Monkey King to the War Memorial Opera House stage as an opera. The story is inspired by the novel called Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en. Sung in English and Mandarin with English and Chinese supertitles, the two act opera The Monkey King is composed by Huang Ruo, libretto by David Henry Hwang. Directed by Diane Paulus with puppetry and set design by Basil Twist, and costume design by Anita Yavich. Carolyn Kuan conducts the brilliant San Francisco Opera Orchestra, Chorus and cast. This is an unmissable opera!

The Prologue sets the tone visually and musically for what we are about to see. An exquisite floating tear drop gently lifts Guanyin, in long gossamer white robes across the stage high in the air while she sings beautifully. She is all goodness and encourages people to be calm and patient. The ethereal Guanyin is played by soprano Mei Gui Zhang in an extraordinary role in an extraordinary setting and Zhang as Guanyin returns several times in a highlight performance. The lighting (by lighting designer Ayumo “Poe” Saegusa) changes ever so slightly and groups of the superb San Francisco Opera Chorus (led by Chorus director John Keene) begin to show through on different levels which evokes another time and place. It’s a stunningly beautiful start to this opera.

Next, we meet the eponymous Monkey King, impeccably played by tenor Kang Wang who has such command of a wide range of facial expressions, emotions and mischievous subtext with agile physicality – while singing beguilingly in an outstanding performance.

Ruo’s melodic music is filmic and drives the story adding atmosphere such as rippling fast rhythms of expectation and intrigue or increasingly vibrant loud punctuations for battles. Instrumental sections in between arias are well timed for the audience to take in the visual atmosphere. Hwang’s libretto is relatable and modern including everyday phrases and words that keep us in the moment and surprise.

Joo Won Kang as Lord Erlang (center) with Christopher Jackson as King of the North, Chester Pidduck as King of the South, Jonathan Smucker as King of the East, and William O'Neill as King of the West in Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang's "The Monkey King."Photo: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera

Joo Won Kang as Lord Erlang (center) with Christopher Jackson as King of the North, Chester Pidduck as King of the South, Jonathan Smucker as King of the East, and William O’Neill as King of the West in Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s “The Monkey King.”
Photo: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera

Monkey King is irate because he has been imprisoned in a cave for five hundred years and wants to burst out of this prison. At this point, the story (his Journey to the West) does not happen because we are taken back in flashbacks to the beginning with Monkey’s birth from a stone and his journey as a troublesome monkey causing unrest everywhere he goes. 

In a series of vivid scenes with characters singing dynamic and pensive arias Monkey arrives in different places meeting the Jade Emperor, Supreme Sage Laojun and several nobles and kings who soon discover Monkey’s bad manners and each in turn says they must discipline this undisciplined one. The cast of soloists in each kingdom and land are exceptional in voice and emotive characterization: Master Subhuti/Buddha (Bass-Baritone Jusung Gabriel Park), Dragon King Ao Guang (Baritone Joo Won Kang), Crab General and Venus Star (Mezzo-Soprano Hongni Wu), Jade Emperor (Tenor Konu Kim), Supreme Sage Laojun (Bass Peixin Chen), Lord Erlang (Baritone Joo Won Kang), King of the North (Tenor Christopher Jackson), King of the South (Tenor Saint Louis Missouri), King of the East (Tenor Jonathan Smucker), King of the West (Bass-Baritone William O”Neill), Lord Erlang Dancer (Marcos Vedovetto).

The Monkey King puppet in Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang's "The Monkey King."

The Monkey King puppet in Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s “The Monkey King.” Photo: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera

Richly theatrical in its visual storytelling, Twist creates outstanding mystical and imaginative locations with curtains that rise, fall, exit to the left and right in rapid succession, transporting us to an underwater realm with giant floaty jelly fish and projections with bubbles, to an ostentatious world in a gloriously surreal nightclub scene – and much more. Yavich populates these worlds and realms with equally impressive costumes that are as bold as they are intricate and colorful. Twist and Yavich are a formidable creative design team.

Twist’s puppet direction and set designs are original, effective and each is revealed and completely unexpected in look and feel. The amount of puppetry in this opera is perfect and exquisitely used to add dimension and humor, such as when swelling the ranks of the tribe of monkeys with human to miniature size monkeys; and especially as the Monkey King (who is triple cast: singer, puppet, dancer). This casting allows for visceral acrobatic moments by the puppet and dancer timed with Kang Wang’s masterful character performance, so we see a monkey King puppet flying or jumping with perfectly timed moments when Huiwang Zhang as the Monkey King dancer appears with exuberant turns, spritely jumps and fast changes of levels – matching Kang’s posture and stances – so the flow from Kang to dancer is seamless (choreography by Ann Yee). A highly creative scene with several white heavenly horses is a breathtaking master stroke! And the Mountain of Fruits scene, with the famous peach tree, is visually abstract and beautiful. The Monkey King is a magical sensory feast indeed!

More Information + Tickets:

San Francisco Opera
https://www.sfopera.com/

 

 

Nov 13 2025
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Burnout Paradise at Stanford’s Bing Studio is Dynamic + Creative!

By Jo Tomalin

Review by Jo Tomalin
11/12/25
ForAllEvents.com

Burnout Paradise by Pony Cam

image of actors on stage

Burnout Paradise by Pony Cam at Bing Studio in Stanford, CA on November 12, 2025. Photo Credit Matthew W. Huang

Burnout Paradise has arrived in town and is a must see show – the intriguing title is evocative of many things and so is the experience! Presented by Stanford Live at the Bing Studio in Stanford, California, Burnout Paradise runs November 12-15, 2025.

This is inspired programming by Stanford Live – and it’s a welcome palate cleanse from our daily tasks. Instead get yourself to the theatre to see others do their tasks! The creative theatre company Pony Cam from Australia is an award-winning experimental collective of five theatre makers. Burnout Paradise is created by Pony Cam Collective: Claire Bird, Ava Campbell, William Strom, Dominic Weintraub, and Hugo Williams; Produced by Dans Maree Sheehan for Parrot Ox.

Formed in 2019, Pony Cam has created several shows on wide ranging themes such as a food drama, an apocalyptic fantasia set inside a teenage dystopia and a large-scale community-led intergenerational collaboration. The cast of Burnout Paradise comprises Laura Aldous, Claire Bird, William Strom, Dominic Weintraub, and Hugo Williams.

As an ensemble creating their own original work Pony Cam Collective’s ideas are fresh and edgy with underlying reflections of society challenging audiences to question their conventional ways. Pony Cam’s latest show, Burnout Paradise is a unique experience for all in the theatre as it disrupts the performance space (and the audience space) in such a way that is completely unexpected and truly wonderful!

The stage is set with four treadmills each with a cardboard sign on the front: Survival, Admin, Performance and Leisure. These topics are common to us all and relatable, but it is the way each topic is explored and how their numerous tasks are carried out that is the structure of this show. The performers arrive and have their To Do list of “deadly tedious tasks” ready and they challenge each other to complete everything in their lists 100% while running on treadmills! Yes, these performers get their steps in mightily, bravely – and hilariously!

image of actors on stage

Burnout Paradise by Pony Cam at Bing Studio in Stanford, CA on November 12, 2025. Photo Credit Matthew W. Huang

While Claire, William, Dominic and Hugo run ferociously forwards, backwards and sideways while doing household tasks, theatre company office work, performing their own skills and leisure activities, Laura is the warm and friendly host who is also the time keeper and makes sure everything happens. Laura comes around offering beverages on a tray and periodically updates a chart with miles run by each runner. The runners valiantly prepare vegetables, type forms, act, dance or do a Rubric’s cube, to name but a very few of the things they need to accomplish – as a race against time, energy, their minds and spirits.

It’s suddenly busy and gets a bit frantic, is it mayhem? Maybe, but it’s absolutely brilliant and the audience help out here and there, melting the conventional stage and audience division in the most creative way. Make no mistake, it is the afore mentioned structure of this piece by Pony Cam that is the art in Burnout Paradise and what may look chaotic or silly is highly imaginative gutsy stuff and was very well received by the audience at the performance I attended on 11/12/25.

The sixty five minute show is entertaining, physical and interactive, challenging us to consider how we spend our time on this planet – and Burnout Paradise creates a delicious complicity with everyone in the shared space. This is a dynamic rethinking of theatre! Highly Recommended 5 Stars!

More Information:

Stanford Live
https://live.stanford.edu/ 

Pony Cam
https://ponycam.co/