Erika Chong Shuch Hip-Hops Beloved Musical into 21st Century by Jenyth Jo Oakland Theater Project’s rousing “Cabaret” compels us to pay attention to 1930s German youth as they slip into Nazism. As non-white immigrants disappear into ICE vans today, will we, like fictional American Clifford Bradshaw, stand up against racial hatred and white nationalism?…
Shakespeare’s Sorcery Illuminates Island Power Struggles by Jenyth Jo Prospero, the dethroned Duke of Milan, is a vengeful woman with magic in her hands. She conjures up a wild storm that brings shipwrecked Milanese rulers and sailors to her isolated island. For her plot, she enlists the help of a native “monster” and a…
Eady & Mast Unveil Palestinian Identity Nightmare by Jenyth Jo In “The Return,” playwrights Hanna Eady and Edward Mast sensitively portray the suffering of Palestinians in Israel, where they are under constant suspicion and surveillance. When a Palestinian car mechanic’s painful past comes back to haunt him, we learn that his constrained life is…
Michael Phillis Excavates Ironies in Dancing Dinos & Pop Songs by Jenyth Jo Can this incredible spectacle, extended until Sept. 13 and overflowing with talent and mischief, save the fabulous Oasis, slated to close in December? Can the Dinos save the humans? For my first-ever drag show, I wore animal print, a safari hat,…