537 stories by "Lily Janiak"
The breakup play "The Last of the Love Letters" by Ngozi Anyanwu is indulgent, repetitive and trite.Â
The show reimagining Henry VIII's six wives makes clear that the boundary between pop concert and musical theater is increasingly blurring, to salutary effect.
Magic Theatre's world premiere about birdwatching and a disease carrier is gentle to the point of nonevent.
The comedian, actor and trans activist's approach to Shakespeare's tragedy is that of a speeding steamroller.
Stephen Sondheim and David Henry Hwang mark two highlights in San Francisco Playhouse's 23rd lineup.
In Yasmina Reza's 1994 play, an exorbitant purchase of an all-white painting turns men into beasts.Â
The boardroom drama seizes an opportunity many established local theaters have been slow to act on: the chance to delve into the current events dividing the tech world in its own backyard.
In American Conservatory Theater's "Nobody Loves You," a skepticism about the show's own mechanisms lends it an agreeable edge.
If TheatreWorks and Center Rep's world premiere more galumphs than fizzes, failing to root for it anyway would be like cheering against true love.Â
The Berkeley City Club is always an up-close-and-personal venue, but it's a special thrill when actors' necks are bulging and steaming to lift giant weights.Â
American Conservatory Theater's musical, written by Berkeley natives Itamar Moses and Gaby Alter, explores whether authentic, old-fashioned love is possible in the age of "The Bachelor" and …
"Cuckoo Edible Magic," inspired by gaming and anime, suffers from typical early-career shortcomings, but playwright Reed Flores proves himself a rising star.
Center Repertory Company's world premiere is a one-of-a-kind construction, complete with GoPros and foley sound effects.
The remake at BroadwaySF's Orpheum Theatre recalls a theme park in both joyous and infelicitous ways.
Reed Flores' world premiere seeks to represent CHamorro cuisine, language and culture onstage as part of a tapestry of AAPI identities.
"An Enemy of the People" has rarely felt as true-to-life as it does in San Jose Stage Company's trenchant production.
San Francisco Playhouse's production is "inject this into my veins" funny but shambolic, as if a ouija board is in charge.Â
In Geoff Sobelle's "Food," in a four-day Stanford Live run, our appetites write history itself.
Center Repertory Company's world premiere of "Froggy" is a departure on multiple fronts.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre's "Uncle Vanya" marks its first play from the theatrical canon since Johanna Pfaelzer became artistic director in 2019.
Cirque du Soleil returns to Oracle Park with "Echo," featuring a unique cube set and running Nov. 20 to Dec. 21.
'Exotic Deadly' at San Francisco Playhouse was inspired partly by playwright Keiko Green's experience as the granddaughter of a MSG food scientist.
You start to wish Daphne's story could take life as its own new musical instead of being shoehorned into preexisting intellectual property.
Shotgun Players, SFBATCO, Berkeley Rep and others offer shows to organize your calendar around.
Despite its indulgences, Marcus Gardley's world premiere stands as an example of how Oakland Theater Project is the most ambitious little theater company in the region.
