The production’s deft use of technology gives 'Needles and Opium' a major “wow” factor.

If you asked me to name playwrights whose works were suitable for adaptation into musicals, Eugene O’Neill would be one of the last to come to mind. Length and gloom don’t lend themselves well to song and dance routines. But Bob Merrill boldly wrote not one but two musicals...

Theater news of interest for those in and around the San Francisco Bay Area. Magic Theatre today took the wraps off its 2017-18 season, and it's looking like another humdinger. See below for full list and details. The season, which kicks off in the fall features three (!) world premieres and...

The perfect marriage of art and technology for an empathy-deprived world.

Never have I seen an audience this excited.

Big news today in the world of theater. American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) has announced that after 25 years at the helm as artistic director Carey Perloff is departing. A.C.T. is one of the largest and most widely regarded theaters (and non-profits) in the country. It is also a member of the...

Broadway musicals continue to draw massive audiences. Hamilton, no doubt, is the most recent example to demonstrate that we still pine for good song and dance, along with a compelling story. That tickets are so outrageously priced (in many cases) and hard to come by further the notion that perhaps the...

The American Conservatory Theater’s newest offering, John, is almost a ghost story. Creepy dolls, spooky stories, battlefield lore, flickering lights, and temperamental rooms all feature, but the story stays within the natural (no “super”). That’s not a bad thing: there are plenty of good shows about crumbling relationships. Pulitzer...

Society Cabaret musical presentations at the Hotel Rex have been called “the essential San Francisco experience,” with quality performers in an acclaimed venue featuring excellent cocktails and food. The Hotel Rex is a “boutique” hotel owned by Joie de Vivre and located near Union Square. A recent visit to the...

Khaled Hosseini’s novel A Thousand Splendid Suns tells the story of two Afghani women, Laila and Mariam. Both end up married to the abusive Rasheed during the oppressive reign of the Taliban, but their friendship flourishes in these harsh conditions. Ursula Rani Sarma’s theatrical adaptation, currently receiving its world...