Frank Loesser’s Music Highlights Gritty N.Y. Riffs by Lynne Stevens Broadway is the embodiment of the melting pot. Damon Runyon’s gritty 30s New York stories reveled in its variety. Broadway welcomed Italian, Irish, and Jewish, immigrants—the road to prosperity for many went through Times Square. Director Bill English’s cast for “Guys and Dolls: A…
Don Reed Wins Our Hearts with Warmth & Wit—Oakland Style by Barry David Horwitz If you’ve never seen a Don Reed stand-up show, now is the time for a rare treat. Don Reed has come home from Hollywood, and he’s got lots to tell us about how it rolls down there. His imitations of…
Millennial Notes L. Frank Baum Flies Over the Rainbow in S.F. Masterpiece by Nicholas Leither As a child, I watched it on broadcast television every single year. As a teenager, I watched it with Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” cued just so to the opening credits. As an adult, I use it as a metaphor…
Millennial Notes Tina Fey’s Hilarious Path to Privileged Girls’ Self-Approval by Amy Deng At the Golden Gate Theatre, Tina Fey’s satirical humor combines with Jeff Richmond’s dynamic music to make “Mean Girls” a delight. Based on the movie Mean Girls, the musical reminds us that comparing ourselves to others is self-destructive. In her suburban…