Joseph Cillo

If you’ve ever hosted a gathering that went off the rails before the first drink was poured—Rumors will feel like sweet, hilarious revenge. Sonoma Arts Live presents this classic Neil Simon comedy through June 15, delivering a fast-paced evening full of mistaken identities, missing hosts, nosy neighbors, and plenty of snappy dialogue.

The moment the curtain rises, the message is clear: this is a farce. The set—stylish, upscale, and peppered with 6 doors in every direction—promises that what you’re about to see will involve people dashing, hiding, fibbing, and doing everything but telling the truth. And it absolutely delivers.

Director Larry Williams steers this chaotic ship with skill, letting the absurdity bubble up without ever boiling over. His cast keeps the momentum brisk and the laughter flowing, balancing farcical mayhem with character-driven charm.

From the first slammed door to the final frantic cover-up, this comedy never lets up.

The setup: Charlie and Myra Brock are celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary at their elegant New York townhouse. At least, that’s the plan. When the first guests arrive, they find Charlie in the bedroom with a superficial bullet wound to his ear—and Myra has vanished. With no explanation and plenty of social reputation at stake, the guests hatch a cover-up on the fly. As more couples arrive, confusion compounds, lies multiply, and the whole evening devolves into one elaborate game of rumor control.

It’s a party where nobody knows what’s going on—but everyone has something to hide.

Photo Credit: Miller Oberlin

The cast of 10 plays 8 guests and 2 police officers—each performer delivering high-energy, sharply timed comedy. Jimmy Gagarin and Katie Kelley, as the first couple to arrive, kick off the frenzy with perfectly paced panic and quick-thinking cover stories. Jenny Veilleux gives Claire a dry wit and calm-in-the-storm composure that anchors the room—until her husband Lenny, played by Max Geide, unleashes a finale-worthy monologue that practically shakes the stage.

Max Geide’s one-man recap of the entire situation is worth the ticket alone.

In this unforgettable moment, Lenny attempts to “explain” the entire evening to the arriving police officers—playing every character, inventing motives, and barely keeping up with his own spinning tale. It’s a comedy showcase that alone is worth the price of admission.

Bright Eastman and John Gibbins, as Cookie and Ernie Cusack, bring excellent physical comedy and a slightly deranged optimism to the party. Matt Farrell and Chelsea Smith, as Glenn and Cassie Cooper, crank up the tension and bickering, adding fire to an already overloaded evening. Mike Pavone and Hudson Dorian Gorman, playing the police officers who arrive just in time to unravel the mess, provide the perfect deadpan punctuation to the evening’s frenzied energy.

Every entrance adds another match to the fuse—this cast knows how to light it up.

This is farce the way it’s meant to be: mistaken identities, frantic whispering behind closed doors, and guests climbing over one another to avoid being caught in a lie. But underneath the rapid-fire lines and slamming doors is a timeless theme: we’d rather invent wild stories than admit the truth—especially when company’s over.

If laughter is your goal, Rumors delivers—fast, funny, and fully unhinged.

Don’t miss the hilarity. Whether you’re a lifelong theatergoer or walking into your first live play, Rumors delivers pure fun, big laughs, and a reminder that the truth is sometimes stranger (and more inconvenient) than fiction.

Sonoma Arts Live presents Neil Simon’s Rumors
Now through June 15, 2025
Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30pm
☀️ Sunday matinees at 2:00pm
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.

★★★★★

If you’ve ever waited for a bus that didn’t come—through sleet, heartbreak, or bureaucratic letdowns—Ironbound will ring true. It’s not some abstract metaphor. It’s a beat-up bench in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and a woman who’s been through more than her share of no-good men, low-wage jobs, and broken promises.

That woman is Darja, played by Lisa Ramirez, and she is no-nonsense with a capital NOPE. The play’s writer, Martyna Majok, doesn’t write soft characters—she gives Darja all the hard lines, sharp angles, and glints of buried hope you can pack into 90 minutes. Ramirez doesn’t sand any of it down. She builds Darja from the inside out—tough, tired, and just barely holding the line.

Majok’s Darja is tough as steel wool—and twice as useful.

Darja’s got a story made of flashbacks and freeze-frames. We see her with three men across 20 years: Maks (played with sincerity and sweetness by Adam KuveNiemann), Tommy (a fleeting figure with just enough charm to bruise), and Vic (brought to life with quirky kindness by Kevin Rebultan). There’s heartbreak, survival, and something like love. But mostly there’s grit.

Photo Credit: Ben Krantz Studio

Director Emilie Whelan keeps it all on the rails, knowing when to pause and when to let the silence do the talking. She writes in the program that Ironbound is about those moments where we can’t choose—when we’re stuck at life’s intersection, “like a leaf on the ground in the middle of a highway, begging for a breeze.” That’s the kind of line you underline and stick on your fridge.

The design team—Sam Fehr (set), Ashley Munday (lighting), Bethany Deal (costumes), and Ray Archie (sound)—delivers just enough world to keep us anchored without ever distracting from the story. A curb. A streetlamp. A hum of the past.

You walk out of Ironbound not inspired, exactly, but steadied. You think about the people you pass every day and don’t see—people making tough calls, again and again, without fanfare or applause.

And here’s the kicker: Darja might frustrate you. She clings to the wrong men. Pushes away the right ones. She trades safety for money, money for control, and control for silence. You might even think: why does she keep doing this?

But that’s the point.

Majok doesn’t give us a saint. She gives us a woman stuck in a system that grinds people down. Darja isn’t noble—she’s real. She makes bad choices because those are the only choices on the table. The play doesn’t ask us to agree with her. It asks us to see her.

What does love look like when it costs too much? What does dignity mean when you’re broke?

That’s what Ironbound is really about: a woman at the edge of the world, still getting up every day, still showing up at the stop, still hoping the next ride takes her somewhere better.

Oakland Theater Project nails it again with this beautifully stripped-down gut-punch of a play.

Performances:
Now through May 25, 2025
Thursdays through Sundays at 7:30 pm
Run Time: 90 minutes, no intermission

Location:
Oakland Theater Project
Inside the FLAX Building
1501 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Oakland, CA

Tickets:
$10–$60, with pay-what-you-can available at the door (space permitting)
oaklandtheaterproject.org/ironbound
Email: tickets@oaklandtheaterproject.org

Matilda Wormwood is not your typical child. Just 5 years old when the story begins and turning 6 along the way, she’s whip-smart, book-obsessed, and deeply misunderstood by the two people who should love her most—her parents. While her father scams customers and her mother dreams of dance trophies, Matilda finds comfort at the local library, spinning stories for a kind librarian and devouring everything from Dickens to Dostoevsky.

But things don’t get easier when she starts school. Crunchem Hall—a joyless institution that sounds exactly like what it is—is more a battleground than a classroom, ruled by Miss Trunchbull, a former hammer-throwing champion turned headmistress who delights in terrorizing children. Her signature punishment? The Chokey—a dark, narrow, spike-lined cabinet where misbehaving students are locked away. Subtle it is not.

Fortunately, Matilda is tougher than she looks. As the chaos builds, she discovers she has a special power (yes, the moving-things-with-her-mind kind), and with the help of her gentle teacher Miss Honey, Matilda finds a way to stand up for herself—and everyone else—before rewriting the ending to her own story.

That’s the plot. Now here’s what Novato Theater Company does with it: they bring the magic to life—and then some.

Under the surefooted direction and choreography of Marilyn Izdebski, Matilda the Musical strikes a beautiful balance between spectacle and storytelling. With Judy Wiesen guiding the music, Tim Minchin’s rapid-fire, emotionally rich score shines—full of wit, rhythm, and unexpected sweetness.

Piera Tamer brings the role of Matilda to life with remarkable poise, intelligence, and just the right touch of mischief—anchoring the show with a performance that feels both grounded and luminous. Jane Harrington’s Miss Trunchbull is a towering comic force—she’s the Hunchback of Notre Dame with her hunch on the front, stomping through scenes with a chest full of rage and ridiculousness. It’s a big, bold performance that leans into physical comedy without losing the menace, and Harrington pulls it off with fearless commitment. Anna Vorperian delivers a quietly powerful performance as Miss Honey—the gentle presence who shows Matilda what kindness and courage can look like.

Photo Credit: Jere Torkelsen

Pat Barr and Melody Payne, as Matilda’s cartoonishly awful parents, go gleefully over the top—delivering perfectly timed performances that feel outrageous but never out of step with the story’s tone. They’re not just a source of comedy—they help define what Matilda is fighting against.

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And then there are the kids.

A couple dozen young performers light up the stage like a coordinated burst of energy. They sing, dance, and nail tight choreography with the kind of discipline that would be impressive at any age. But beyond the precision, there’s something else happening: joy. Watching these kids perform—fully present, fully committed—is enthralling, entertaining, and yes, inspiring. For a few shining scenes, everything feels right with the world. That’s the kind of theater that sticks with you.

By the time “Revolting Children” kicks in, the audience is with them—cheering not just for Matilda, but for every underdog who dares to speak up. This production isn’t just a good time—it’s a reminder that stories matter, kids matter, and sometimes, the smallest voices carry the most power.

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Performances:
Through June 8, 2025
Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 pm
Sundays at 2 pm

Novato Theater Company
5420 Nave Drive, Novato, CA

Tickets:
Visit NovatoTheaterCompany.org
or email Tickets@NovatoTheaterCompany.org

The boy is Christopher Boone, a brilliant math student with autism, and the scene sparks a journey that’s part mystery, part emotional odyssey. What begins as an investigation into the dog’s death soon unravels a complex web of family secrets, personal revelations, and a powerful coming-of-age story told through a lens both singular and universally human.

San Francisco Playhouse’s staging of this Tony and Olivier Award-winning play is captivating—visually, emotionally, and intellectually. Under Susi Damilano’s clear and compassionate direction, the production draws on stunning design and movement elements to immerse us in Christopher’s mind while never losing sight of the tender human story at its core.

Brendan Looney makes a stunning Playhouse debut as Christopher. An actor with autism portraying an autistic role, Looney brings truth, nuance, and intensity that make this portrayal particularly poignant. This marks a turning point not just for Looney’s career, but for Bay Area theater representation more broadly.

Liz Sklar (Judy) and Mark P. Robinson (Ed) deliver compelling turns as Christopher’s parents—flawed, loving, and struggling with their own truths. Sophia Alawi gives a calm, steady presence as Siobhan, guiding Christopher with warmth.

The supporting ensemble—Cassidy Brown, Laura Domingo, Whit K. Lee, Catherine Luedtke, Renee Rogoff, and Wiley Naman Strasser—morphs effortlessly between characters and moments, helping to build a cohesive world where every element—movement, sound, visuals, and narrative—serves a unified vision.

Photo Credit: Jessica Palopoli

This production succeeds on all levels. Like a master painting built from layered textures, each theatrical choice adds definition and emotional depth. It’s a master class in integrated stagecraft:

• Narrative: A compelling mystery that becomes a deeply moving emotional journey.

• Performance: Anchored by a remarkable portrayal of Christopher, supported by an expressive, adaptive ensemble.

• Visuals: A vivid map of Christopher’s mind brought to life through precise, electric, and ever-shifting design—including tightly integrated projections that enhance both setting and emotion.

• Movement: The choreography is the glue and the guide—holding the story together while revealing inner truths.

• Sound: A rich, immersive soundscape that echoes Christopher’s heightened perception and emotional states.

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Choreography Highlight
The movement direction by Bridgette Loriaux is transformative. Her choreography is central—turning narrative beats into kinetic bursts of insight, structure into emotion, and ensemble transitions into visual poetry. It’s through her work that Christopher’s inner world comes vividly alive on stage. The choreography doesn’t just support the story—it is the story’s heartbeat. Kudos to Loriaux for crafting a movement language that elevates this production to something extraordinary.

Design and technical execution are equally impressive. Scenic designer Bill English creates a flexible, geometric environment pulsing with light and motion, thanks to Christian Mejia’s lighting and Sarah Phykitt’s projections. James Ard’s sound design and Kimberly Mohne Hill’s dialect coaching enhance the clarity and emotional impact of every line and cue.

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Tickets & Info:

• Through June 21, 2025

• San Francisco Playhouse – 450 Post Street, San Francisco

  • Tuesdays & Thursdays: 7 PM

  • Wednesdays: 2 PM & 7 PM

  • Fridays & Saturdays: 3 PM & 8 PM

  • Sundays: 2 PM

• Tickets: $35–$135

• Box Office: (415) 677-9596

• Online:sfplayhouse.org

Imaginative, emotionally charged, visually striking — The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a rare theatrical event that fully engages the heart and the mind—anchored by movement that makes it soar.

Historical Background

In 1612 Rome, 17-year-old Artemisia Gentileschi—already a gifted Baroque painter—accused fellow artist Agostino Tassi of rape. In a world where a woman’s testimony held little weight, her decision to press charges was not only radical—it was dangerous.

What followed was a grueling public trial based on real court transcripts, now dramatized in It’s True, It’s True, It’s True. Under Roman legal customs of the time, it was Artemisia—not her attacker—who had to undergo torture to “prove” she was telling the truth. Her fingers were crushed with thumbscrews, a method known as the sibille, designed to test whether she could remain consistent in her testimony under excruciating pain. She did. Repeatedly, she declared, “È vero, è vero, è vero”—It’s true, it’s true, it’s true.

Gentileschi’s significance goes far beyond this act of bravery. She became one of the most acclaimed painters of her era, known for her vivid, emotionally charged portrayals of heroic women—often biblical figures exacting justice. Her work, especially Judith Slaying Holofernes, is often read as an act of artistic revenge and feminist defiance.

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Marin Theatre’s U.S. premiere of this award-winning Breach Theatre production is urgent, intimate, and emotionally arresting. The script, originally created by playwrights Billy Barrett and Ellice Stevens, fuses classical language with feminist commentary and unexpected theatrical devices.

Artemisia is portrayed with restrained strength and rising intensity by Emily Anderson, whose performance is both grounded and electrifying. As Tassi, Maggie Mason delivers a disturbing portrayal with calculated charm and menace. Supporting players Keiko Shimosato Carreiro as Tuzia and Alicia M. P. Nelson as the Judge/Judith bring clarity and depth to the courtroom ensemble.

Photo Credit: David Allen

In an unexpected twist, the cast also moonlights as a punk/goth rock band, delivering bursts of LOUD music between scenes. Where this fits into the dramatic arc is not entirely clear—but it does keep you awake.
The story (true) is arresting, but the loud goth band takes getting used to — you are warned!

Director Rebecca Wear keeps the tempo tight and the tone volatile, drawing tension from every moment. The integration of modern movement, physical confrontation, and sly humor makes this more than a courtroom drama—it’s a reckoning.

Set designer Mikiko Uesugi keeps the visuals spare and symbolic, allowing Marshall’s lighting and Matthew Stines’ sound design to fill in the emotional textures. Costumes by Pamela Rodriguez-Montero offer period nods with a contemporary edge. Even the silences in this show speak volumes, thanks in part to intimacy coordinator Maya Herbsman’s precision and care.
Stage management is by Kevin Johnson, with production assistance from Sam Hannum.

In the final scene, Artemisia repeats “It’s true” not just as testimony, but as a kind of incantation—spoken dozens of times in this production. The sheer volume and repetition turn the phrase into something beyond words: a defiance, a protest, a reclaiming of power.

Gentileschi’s story may be centuries old, but It’s True, It’s True, It’s True makes it painfully relevant. This is not just about one woman’s testimony—it’s about who gets to tell the story, and who is believed.

Recommended for those who want their theatre with a pulse, a message, and a righteous fury.

Marin Theatre
397 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley
April 16 – May 4, 2025
Tickets: $47–$81
www.marintheatre.org | 415-388-5208

The Lark Theater’s production of The World Goes ‘Round is a vibrant and heartfelt celebration of the iconic songwriting team John Kander and Fred Ebb. This tightly woven musical revue delivers some of their greatest hits—songs known from Cabaret, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and more—along with a few lesser-known gems that deserve their time in the spotlight.

Directed and choreographed with flair by Carolyn Hutchinson, the show moves briskly, but with grace. The cast— Maureen McVerry, Emma Roos, Noel Anthony, Ken Brill and Dyan McBride (pictured) — bring both polish and playfulness to the stage, each with moments to shine. Whether it’s comedy, tenderness, or full-on Broadway razzle-dazzle, they meet the moment.

photo credit: Stephanie Clarke

Seated in the Lark’s supremely comfortable chairs, with perfect sightlines in every direction, you feel more like a guest in the showroom of a luxury cruise ship than an audience member at a small-town venue. The Art Deco interior is beautifully restored, and the theater’s atmosphere matches the class and style of the performance onstage.

The musical direction by Dave Dobrusky is sharp and inventive. These are familiar tunes—but here, they get fresh arrangements full of tight cross-harmonies and clever transpositions that reveal new layers. The cast delivers them with clarity and heart, and Dobrusky’s presence on the keys adds energy and connection.

Adding even more dimension are the full-screen digital projections that roll behind the performers—beautifully designed and precisely timed to support the mood of each number without ever distracting from it. They help set the tone, the place, and sometimes even the punchline.

Song List

21 songs from across Kander and Ebb’s prolific careers:

• “The World Goes ‘Round”

• “Coffee in a Cardboard Cup”

• “Colored Lights”

• “Sara Lee”

• “Arthur in the Afternoon”

• “My Coloring Book”

• “I Don’t Remember You”

• “Sometimes a Day Goes By”

• “All That Jazz”

• “Mr. Cellophane”

• “There Goes the Ball Game”

• “How Lucky Can You Get”

• “Marry Me”

• “A Quiet Thing”

• “Kiss of the Spider Woman”

• “The Grass Is Always Greener”

• “We Can Make It”

• “Isn’t This Better?”

• “Money, Money”

• “Cabaret”

• “New York, New York” (with a rousing, join-in finish)

Performances Through Sunday, April 20

Remaining showtimes:

• Thursday, April 10 – 7:00 pm

• Sunday, April 13 – 2:00 pm

• Saturday, April 19 – 7:00 pm

• Sunday, April 20 – 2:00 pm

Tickets:

$50 General Admission
Order online at www.larktheater.net or call the box office at (415) 924-5111
Location: The Lark Theater, 549 Magnolia Avenue, Larkspur, CA

This is a high-quality, joyfully performed production that honors its source material while adding something fresh and local. Whether you’re a Kander and Ebb devotee or someone just looking for a stylish night out, this show is well worth catching before the curtain falls.

Buttercup, the theatrical debut of St. Helena’s J.D. Murphy, now playing at Marin Shakespeare Company—is a smart, fast-paced, and delightfully ridiculous ride through 1880s France. Directed by Bay Area theater veteran Nancy Carlin, this new comedy delivers sharp satire disguised as farce, complete with door slamming, social skewering, and a heroine guided by visions of Joan of Arc.

From the opening moment, Lizzie Calogero sets the tone with comic precision as a witty, pipe-smoking nun who serves as our dryly observant narrator. With a raised eyebrow and the calm of someone who’s clearly seen it all, she introduces us to a world where social hypocrisy and comic mayhem go hand-in-hand.

Then the madness begins. The play features three doors onstage—always a good sign—and they’re constantly in use. But that’s not all. With a square stage setup, actors dash in and out from all four corners, weaving through the audience and into the action with perfectly-timed chaos. It’s physical comedy done right: choreographed confusion, crisp pacing, and just enough absurdity.

Gianna DiGregorio Rivera plays Buttercup with spark and sincerity, anchoring the show with warmth even as she leaps through farce-worthy hurdles. A former nun turned courtesan, Buttercup is determined to reunite with her baby daughter—and winds up in a traveling group of bourgeois couples, a cool-headed coachman, and a reserved Prussian officer. Her scenes bring both humor and heart, grounding the absurdity in real emotional stakes.

Nancy Carlin’s direction is tight, lively, and laced with nuance. She guides a strong ensemble—Rebecca Pingree, Titus VanHook, Brennan Pickman-Thoon, Richard Pallaziol, Norman Gee, Sarah Mitchell, and Brian Lohmann—through quick turns, layered dialogue, and rapid-fire entrances and exits, all while keeping the audience engaged and grinning.

The production is visually sharp, thanks to a talented creative team. Scenic designer Randy Wong-Westbrooke crafts a clever, flexible space. Maggie Whitaker’s costumes are a parade of period flair and comic exaggeration. Lighting by Christian Mejia, sound by Ray Archie, and choreography by Bridgette Loriaux all work together to support the show’s quick rhythm and high energy.

Underneath the laughs, Murphy’s script offers commentary on class divides, hypocrisy, and resilience. The humor lands, but so does the message. Buttercup is farce with a brain—and a soul.

Performances run through April 13, at Marin Shakespeare Company, 514 Fourth Street, San Rafael. The show runs Thursdays through Sundays. Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.

Tickets are $20–35, available at purplepass.com/buttercup. More information at buttercupstage.com.

Murphy, known for his award-winning film Valley of the Heart’s Delight and political satire, proves he knows how to stir theater into the mix. Buttercup is quick, clever, and consistently fun. A terrific debut—and a thoroughly entertaining night out.