Wayne Harris Artfully Merges Three Angles on Prostitution by Robert M. Gardner Writer-Director Wayne Harris has re-opened his masterpiece “Train Stories” at The Marsh, Berkeley. His three storytellers have separate views of a railroad story from the 1948 pre-Civil Rights time. Each man has a singular revelation about a girl named Jesse Blueribbons. As…
Taylor Mac’s Absurdist Tragedy Faces Despair with Jokes by K. Marguerite Caronna Murder, mayhem, dismemberment, cruelty toward women, all drive Taylor Mac’s answer to Shakespeare’s bloody tragedy. At Oakland Theater Project, Emilie Whelan directs a fast paced, skillful performance of Mac’s sequel to Shakespeare’s scandalous early tragedy “Titus Andronicus.” With roots in Greek myth,…
Lisa Peterson’s Four Epic SuperWomen Reboot Homer by Barry David Horwitz Generations have pondered whether to admire or scorn Odysseus for his love affairs, lack of compassion, and clever disguises. But no one until now has changed the epic poem into a modern story of hospitality, rebirth, and asylum. Lisa Peterson has written and…
Geetha Reddy Joyfully Reclaims an Indian Masterpiece by K. Marguerite Caronna J Jha gives a stellar performance as the storyteller of Mahābhārata, an Indian epic rendered in a mere two hours of inspired acting and movement. Playwright Geetha Reddy carefully selects and condenses a retelling of both well-known and obscure tales. First presented at…