Don Reed’s Wit & Brilliance Charm Hometown Crowd by Jennifer Ann Charron Don Reed truly does it all. Star of TV and film, he writes, acts, produces, directs, and does standup comedy—all with great presence and indisputable warmth. His solo show at The Marsh, San Francisco called “Going Out” is simply sidesplitting: Reed’s grace…
Millennial Notes Thornton Wilder Summons Ghosts of 1900s America by Alex Stimmel As a Los Angeles native, I’m a stranger to the small-town dynamic. Yet Center REP’s version of “Our Town” immediately pulled me into the old world of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, a world of friendly neighbors and close-knit community. It also reminded…
Dave Malloy Melds Music, Madness in Brilliant Chorus by Barry David Horwitz Dave Malloy has gathered us at Berkeley Rep with his musical show from Signature Theatre in New York. We find ourselves in the basement of a church for a 12-step meeting where eight singers give up their phones and confess, “Hello, my…
Yilong Liu’s Queer-Sci-Fi Whisks Us Back to the Future by Barry David Horwitz Lots of people are taking the anti-HIV pill to protect themselves from getting the virus. Taking the little blue PrEP pill helps fight off the virus that causes AIDS. Some people report side-effects—including bizarre dreams and nightmares. “PrEP Play, or “Blue…