San Francisco Theater Reviews

Review: THE NIGHT ALIVE at Altarena Playhouse
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - September 07, 2024

THE NIGHT ALIVE is brimming with tension, humor, and talent. With characters that are rich in nuance but light on acuity, the show winds its way through rough waters. With more heart than wit to see them through, they grapple with big problems and hard circumstances with every moment adding to your ...

Review: ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE at Hillbarn Theatre
by Steve Murray - August 26, 2024

Bay Area musical icon Melissa Wolfklain delivers another bravura performance as country star Patsy Cline in Ted Swindley’s nostalgic jukebox musical play. Based on a true story of Cline’s friendship with a Houston super fan named Louise Seger, played with ebullient joy by Kimberley Donovan, the stor...

Review: DOING ALRIGHT at Gateway Theater
by Steve Murray - August 25, 2024

What did our critic think of DOING ALRIGHT at Gateway Theater?...

Review: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY at Golden Gate Theatre
by Steve Murray - August 10, 2024

What did our critic think of GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY at Golden Gate Theatre?...

Review: THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT at Aurora Theatre Company
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - July 12, 2024

THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT explores the terrain of where fact and story meet, where art and truth intersect, and how they can work together or against each other. Are facts negotiable? Can specificity kill interest and ultimately undermine the goal? What matters most and who gets to decide? These are th...

Review: MRS. DOUBTFIRE at Orpheum Theatre
by Steve Murray - July 07, 2024

What did our critic think of MRS. DOUBTFIRE at Orpheum Theatre?...

Review: EVITA at SF Playhouse
by Steve Murray - July 06, 2024

What did our critic think of EVITA at SF Playhouse?...

HELP IS ON THE WAY: BROADWAY & BEYOND 30th Anniversary Concert & Gala
by Steve Murray - July 02, 2024

The Help Is on The Way: BROADWAY & BEYOND 30th Anniversary Concert & Gala on Sun., July 14, 2024,7:30 pm is truly a milestone to be celebrated. When Ken Henderson and Joe Seiler began the Richmond / Ermet Aid Foundation in 1995 and producing these concerts, they could not have imagined how many live...

Review: Transcendence Theatre's 'BROADWAY IN SONOMA' in the Magical Field of Dreams - If You Dream It, They Will Come
by Christina Mancuso - June 24, 2024

The Transcendence Theatre Company kicked off its 2024 summer season with ‘Summertime!’ in an actual field of dreams at Fazio Field baseball park in the heart of downtown Sonoma.  Now in its (lucky) 13th year, this company has certainly transcended nearly impossible obstacles to keep its vision alive...

Review: MOTHER ROAD at Berkeley Repertory Theatre
by Steve Murray - June 22, 2024

What did our critic think of MOTHER ROAD at Berkeley Repertory Theatre?...

Review: THE CHER SHOW at Curran Theatre
by Steve Murray - June 20, 2024

The Cher Show blows through town faster than the multitude of Bob Mackie costume changes and we’re better off for it. Even die-hard Cher fanatics had a challenging time mustering excitement for this tired jukebox musical, settling for the flash and cheese of 60’s style comic vignettes rather than de...

Review: ALL WE NEED IS LOVE: SAN FRANCISCO GAY MEN'S CHORUS & SF SYMPHONY at Davies Symphony Hall
by Steve Murray - June 20, 2024

There are few things more glorious than over 300 voices raised in perfect harmony. Since 1978 the SFGMC has been a voice for uplifting the LGBTQIA+ community through times of great sorrow and joy. Persevering in the ugly face of intolerance and persecution, the chorus inspired a worldwide choral mov...

Review: BEING ALIVE: A SONDHEIM CELEBRATION at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley
by Steve Murray - June 10, 2024

Let the tributes begin, and there will be many. The enduring legacy of Stephen Sondheim’s music is ours forever and his works ensure he’s one of Broadway’s greatest composers. He is Theatreworks’ most produced composer and Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelly collaborates with Resident Musical Di...

Review: GHOST OF KING at Oakland Theater Project
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - June 09, 2024

Captivating from start to finish, GHOST OF KING brings the power of MLK’s words to life. Whether you are familiar with King’s speeches and sermons or not, the show provides all you need to understand the dilemma at hand. In a time where MLK is memorialized on street corners nationwide and with an an...

Review: COMPANY at Orpheum Theatre
by Steve Murray - June 09, 2024

What a mess – the characters I mean. Sondheim’s original Tony-winning play examines both the merit and harsh realities of relationships as seen through the perspective of a detached, intimacy avoiding individual. They’re all delightfully dysfunctional, their relationships messy, beautifully mirrorin...

Review: DOUBT: A PARABLE at Altarena Playhouse
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - June 03, 2024

One thing is for sure, Altarena Playhouse has a hit on its hands with DOUBT. Thoughtful, engaging, and provocative, the show is a masterpiece of details. In a world where some things should be black and white, DOUBT plants the tiniest seed of uncertainty that grows to envelope the entire story. You’...

Review: EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE at Ray Of Light Theatre
by Steve Murray - June 03, 2024

Who doesn’t like a good coming of age story, better yet a LGBTQ coming out story to boot? Mix a catchy pop/rock score, a delightfully innocent 16-year-old schoolboy, and some fabulous drag, and you have the makings of a hit show tailor-made for San Francisco’s audiences. Based on a true story and th...

Review: THE LEHMAN TRILOGY at American Conservatory Theatre
by Steve Murray - May 30, 2024

A fresh off the boat Jewish immigrant from Bavaria stands in awe of the musical box that in New York City in 1884. All he can repeat is Baruch Hashem (Blessed be God) and is amused when an immigration officer changes his name so easily from Chaim to Henry. This man is Henry Lehman who, along with hi...

Review: CABARET at Center Rep
by Steve Murray - May 29, 2024

Center Repertory Company closes its 2023-24 season with a stunning production of the Tony Award-winning Kander and Ebb masterpiece Cabaret. Artistic Producer Markus Potter helms the finely tuned production with a stellar ensemble, marvelous musical direction and a supporting technical crew that conf...

Review: HEAD OVER HEELS at Berkeley Playhouse
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - May 29, 2024

HEAD OVER HEELS finds its beat and makes its way into your heart. Melding classic Go-Go tunes with ancient mythology, the show makes the old new and the new timeless. From feathers and corsets to sheep and snakes, HEAD OVER HEELS is more than a celebration of diversity, it is a celebration of life. ...

Review: TICK, TICK...BOOM! at New Conservatory Theatre Center
by Steve Murray - May 24, 2024

What did our critic think of TICK, TICK...BOOM! at New Conservatory Theatre Center? Read here!...

Review: GALILEO At Berkeley Repertory Theatre
by Steve Murray - May 16, 2024

What did our critic think of GALILEO at Berkeley Repertory Theatre?...

Review: TORCH SONG at Marin Theatre
by Steve Murray - May 15, 2024

Marin Theatre closes out their 2023/24 season with a newly revised production of Harvey Fierstein’s Tony Award-winning Torch Song. A smash hit in 1982, the original trilogy opened the floodgate of LGBT representations in theatre, film, and television with its universal themes of self-acceptance, fam...

Review: THE GLASS MENAGERIE at SF Playhouse
by Steve Murray - May 09, 2024

Tom Wingfield opens Tennessee William’s haunting memory play with this admonition: “Yes, I have tricks in my pocket, I have things up my sleeve. But I am the opposite of a stage magician. He gives you the illusion that has the appearance of truth. I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusio...

Review: FUNNY GIRL at Orpheum Theatre
by Steve Murray - May 03, 2024

What did our critic think of FUNNY GIRL at Orpheum Theatre?...