Marcus Gardley’s Modern Verse Adaptation Shakes US Up! by Lynne Stevens At Cal Shakes, Co-directors Eric Ting and Dawn Monique Williams have staged a first-rate “Lear” with all its rage and fury. In his new, modern verse adaptation, playwright Marcus Gardley uses Bay Area Black history to modernize Shakespeare’s King Lear. The smartest play…
Arthur Miller’s 50s Warnings Resonate in 21st Century by Lynne Stevens Arthur Miller had the Big Red Scare in mind when he wrote “The Crucible” in 1953. Miller depicts the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts, but he was addressing the outrage of MacCarthyism in the 50s. The accusations of witchcraft represent the Big Lie…
Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen in the Dog House by Lynne Stevens Sunlight filters through the redwoods as a gentle breeze mingles with the music of the band before the play begins. Curtain Theatre’s delightful band, under the direction of Don Clark, plays traditional and original music throughout the play. Some Italian tarantellas help to establish…
Cristina Garcia Condenses Her Celebrated Novel to Its Essence by Lynne Stevens This is a play of rebellion and revolution, a tale of the struggle between mothers and daughters. In Brooklyn, a Cuban immigrant’s daughter Pilar (vivacious Thea Rodgers) yearns to see her grandmother in Cuba, whom she hasn’t seen since she was two….