Steve Murray

JC Lee’s 2022 To My Girls continues the tradition of a group of gay guys getting together to trade snarky barbs, renew friendships and uncover hidden grudges.

Andrew Bergh’s The Radicalization of Rolfe, winner of a 2016 FringeNYC Overall Excellence Award, might have had its germination by observing the naïve American white males joining the MAGA movement of our current president.

San Francisco Producing Director and co-founder Susi Damilano has done a remarkable job of imagining the world of fifteen-year-old mathematics genius Christopher who just happens to be autistic.

The San Francisco Mime Troupe, founded in 1959, started with movement 'Events' with visual art elements and music, segued to commedia dell’arte, and now presents fully fledged outdoor political musical theatre with a decidedly “left” bent.

Jiehae Park’s World Premiere of her memory play the aves is gorgeously presented with a remarkable scenic design by visual artist Marsha Ginsberg. That the setting, and some fanciful avian puppetry by Erik Sanko becomes the focal point of the play is problematic. The story, set in a number of vignettes, involves two elders (Bill Buell, Mia Katigbak), apparently partners for fifty years, sitting on a park bench having a mundane conversation about pigeons and the weather.

It’s hard not to be swept up in the Mamma Mia juggernaut. Since its Broadway premiere in 2001, it’s grossed over $4.5 billion,  been seen by 70 million people, turned into two record-breaking movies with productions in 16 different languages.

A sensational rape trial with high profile participants, the female accuser’s reputation besmirched, the alleged rapists’ pals piling on the dirt - a he said, she said scenario being played out in the male dominated courts.

Two Trains Running is the seventh work in two-time Pulitzer winning author August Wilsons Pittsburg Cycle and continued his chronicling of the Black experience post migration to the North. Set in Pittsburgh’s once prosperous Hill District, the play focuses on diner owner Memphis Lee, facing the pressures of economic decline caused by segregation, industrial restructuring, and suburbanization in the 1960s. With Wilson’s signature poetic voice and vivid character development, this production, produced by the Tony Award-winning The Acting Company, sparkles with beautiful acting and a spirit of resilience and hopefulness.

The apocalypse just wouldn’t be any fun without the rapier wit ruminations of actor/comic/performance artists David Mills, here in San Francisco for two shows as part of his ‘four-show national tour.’ After decades in London, Mills is back in NYC and his acclimation isn’t as joyous as you’d think. With his silver-tongued signature and very droll manner, he launches into a nightmarish description of a stroll uptown replete with rats, feces, homeless drug addicts and children selling Chicklets. The harangue is intermixed with “Native New Yorker,” a 1977 soul dance hit.

What did our critic think of THE HEART SELLERS at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley?

Solo performances of major works are hot these days -  Isabelle Huppert, Sarah Snook and Andrew Scott have all performed their own solo shows recently. Izzard herself tackled Great Expectations, also directed by Hamlet’s Selina Cadell, and adapted by brother Mark. This Hamlet, trimmed down for a solo performer, is a daunting memory feat and should be lauded just for that point. In Izzard’s very capable hands, she makes Shakespeare’s tragedy more accessible while injecting her style and personality into the 23 characters presented.

What did our critic think of SAN FRANCISCO GAY MEN'S CHORUS - BROADWAY, OUR WAY at Curran Theatre?

What did our critic think of FAT HAM at SF Playhouse?