The madcap comedy — revolving around anarchists, bombings and false flag events — is an enjoyable night of theater, though the humor sometimes plods rather than scampers.
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Emily S. Mendel
Emily S. Mendel reviews Berkeley’s vibrant theater scene for Berkeleyside. As a native New Yorker (although an East Bay resident for most of her life), Emily grew up loving and studying theater, from Off-Off to On Broadway, as her multi-volume Playbill collection attests. Ending her law practice has given Emily the time to indulge in her love of the arts and travel.
A marathon fact-checking battle is the smart, funny core of new play at Aurora Theatre
Based on the book ‘The Lifespan of a Fact,’ the play probes thorny issues of journalistic integrity as a magazine editor moderates a conflict between a headstrong writer and a punctilious fact-checker.
Berkeley Rep’s ‘Mother Road’ takes the Joad family back to Oklahoma
Martín Jodes, a descendant of ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ lead character Tom Joad, travels along Route 66 from California to Oklahoma in this modern sequel to the classic novel.
‘Ghost of King’ features dramatic reenactment of Martin Luther King Jr.’s last sermon
Oakland Theater Project presents Michael Wayne Turner III’s interpretation of King’s ‘Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution’ sermon through June 23.
Facing financial woes, Aurora Theatre Company seeks funding to stay afloat
The 32-year-old nonprofit theater in Berkeley has asked the city for $350,000 to help bridge a budget gap. Councilmember Sophie Hahn has proposed a one-time emergency grant of $150,000 for the theater.
‘Best Available’ cleverly skewers regional theater
The Shotgun Players’ production of Jonathan Spector’s new play turns the author’s satirical eye to a group of liberal, privileged and opinionated folks who support a nonprofit theater company.
Does Berkeley Rep’s world premiere of ‘Galileo’ live up to the hype?
The rock musical about the pioneering scientist includes sophisticated lyrics and melodies, but lacks musical and choreographic diversity.
Dramatic world premiere of ‘Red Red Red’ explores unrequited gay love
William Hodgson adeptly directs this play based on Greek scholar Anne Carson’s 1989 novel-length poem, Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse. Now playing through May 19 at the Oakland Theater Project.
An African American math professor struggles with alienation from his familial and racial heritage in ‘Blue Door’
The title of Tanya Barfield’s play derives from “a belief in Gullah culture that if you paint your door blue, you keep away the evil spirits,” she has said.
Funny and fast-paced, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ inspires love and harmony
Featuring a multi-tier, colorful set and a mix of period and modern costumes, Shotgun Players’ Berkeley production is imaginative and cheerful.
‘The Far Country’ lyrically explores the complexity of the Chinese American immigration experience
Lloyd Suh’s play universalizes three generations of one family’s immigration story in its West Coast premiere at the Berkeley Rep.
Oakland Theater Project explores the toll of disability in ‘Cost of Living’
Directed by Emilie Whelan, ‘Cost of Living’ explores the lives and relationships of two disabled people and their caregivers in modern-day New Jersey.