reviews

Right from the start, there is a serious tension between the symbolic and the singular facts of the street that gives Ethos de Masquerade a strange realism.

Marcus Gardley accomplishes something astonishing with Black Odyssey, a Shakespearian take on our present world that soars with ambition and care.

Whereas the whole of Nachtrieb’s House felt like an AI program replicating itself in strange and unsettling ways, Great Moments has a mushy humanism that feels stale. It’s as if the playwright is trying to will himself to have a heart.

Sam Shepard's presence in the Bay Area was a catalyst for great and daring work. He wasn't just a playwright, but an idea of what the theater might achieve.

We live in a world where "smart" and "distanced" have become signs of sophistication and intelligence. The postmodern hijinks of Jacobs-Jenkins’ An Octoroon seems knowing, but it's really safe and docile.

The San Francisco Mime Troupe delivers another lackluster performance in the face of a real political crisis. Will this company ever wake up and stop preaching to the converted?

In these times, it’s hard to think of a more fascinating and emblematic artist than Scott-Heron. His mystery should demand great art. But Ong’s retreat into commercial sitcom aesthetics is just another example of how timid our playwrights and theaters have become.

The transformation of the set from the verdant Arcadia of the court to the industrial landscape of Oakland -- both displaced and bohemian -- is a breathtaking transposition. The production feels like it's going to take off with it and then it doesn't.

That such delightful froth should achieve a striking level of philosophical depth is kind of amazing, especially as it does so by haphazardly dashing its way through the lives of a party’s worth of characters.