A ‘Grapes of Wrath’ journey in reverse, the new play is surreal and ambitious, though the production’s 25 songs are a bit excessive.
Theater
Posted inArts
Aurora Theatre’s ‘Paradise Blue’ is richly imagined
Following the habitués of a jazz joint called Paradise in 1940s Detroit, Dominique Morisseau’s play has finely honed dialogue, realistic characters and a dazzling and dramatic second act.
Posted inSchools
Tour Berkeley High’s gleaming new building for visual and performing arts
The new A Building is now open for classes such as Jazz Band and video production. The revamped Berkeley Community Theater will open later this year.
Posted inArts
Berkeley Rep serves up a slice of life in the truck stop kitchen at ‘Clyde’s’
Formerly incarcerated cooks make ordinary sandwiches while dreaming of creating superb, unique ones in Lynn Nottage’s Tony Award-nominated human comedy.
Posted inArts
Teatro Jornalero aims to bring its immigrant stories to a larger audience
The day laborers behind the Oakland theater troupe are looking for community support to expand their reach.
Posted inArts
Berkeley Rep actor’s sorrowful eyes tell the story of Polish diplomat who reported on WWII extermination camps
Academy Award nominee David Strathairn never overplays his role in a tour de force one-person performance of ‘Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski.’
Posted inArts
Magic stage sets, tombstone humor lend irreverent touch to Berkeley Rep’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ adaptation
British director Emma Rice’s production is ingenious, though the dancing, prancing and antics alter the story’s overall feel.
Posted inArts
Dramatic world premiere adaptation of Book of Sand
For a small company, Oakland Theater Project productions are professional and proficient. The play based on Borges’ 1975 short story is no exception.
Posted inArts
Pho-focused play tackles food appropriation
In “Colonialism is Terrible, But Phở is Delicious,” playwright Dustin Chinn offers an oft-comedic take on thorny issues of race, history and dining.
Posted inArts
At Berkeley City Club, clever comic sketches explore range of Black women’s experiences
Playwright Mildred Inez Lewis’ world premiere, ‘The Museum Annex’ is a clever homage to the 1986 classic, ‘The Colored Museum.’
Posted inArts
‘We’re a theater, not a museum’: As he leaves Cal Shakes, Eric Ting reflects on making the classics relatable
Ting says he’s grateful for the community who “practice their art with a sense of justice at its core.”
Posted inArts
The king is a Fillmore District real estate magnate in Cal Shakes’ twist on ‘Lear’
The production, by Oakland’s Marcus Gardley, mirrors Shakespeare’s story, but reimagines it with a 21st-century, modern-verse vocabulary.