It’s never not impressive when a piece of theatre manages to capture a pitch-perfect production, where material matches direction matches design matches performance. The currently running Good Night, Oscar at Good Company Players’ 2nd Space Theatre is a masterly done production; helmed by J. Daniel Herring and led by Chase Stubblefield in the title role, this show, from first line to final bow, affects on every level theatre was meant to. (Chase Stubblefield (Oscar Levant) an

Nostalgia meeting talent is a recipe for an enjoyable experience at the theater. Such is the case for Roger Bean’s Don’t Touch That Dial, having its West Coast premiere at Sierra Repertory Theatre. The cast of five deliver an energetically earnest performance of the game show-musical where tunes of yesteryear bring audiences back to their living room by enjoying the original screen time-medium: Television. (Bets Malone and David Engel; Photo credit: Bill Herbert) The two-act

Kander and Ebb’s love letter to musical theatre, Curtains, has the hallmarks of a big musical comedy with a riveting murder-mystery tucked inside. Good Company Players’ production, which runs through July 19th, is in top form as it brings the laughs, love stories, and lush music to the Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theater stage. (Cast of Curtains; Photo source: Good Company Players) When a not-in-the-good-way triple-threat Jessica Cranshaw is murdered during bows of a tryout performa

Playhouse Fresno, for its debut production, premieres Rodolfo Robles Cruz’s El Rayo; Or Self-Deportation Nation, a play that harnesses the human condition when it comes to acknowledging those who are alien. Whether it’s by self-identification or labeled by others, the term alien carries significant weight, and this play puts it on display through the most compelling way: relationships. Directed by Claudio Laso, this play relies heavily on human-to-human relationships, which m

Page-to-Stage is such a fun, accessible way to experience theatre. When the right book finds its way to the right playwright, and a strong concept is applied in the adaptation process, there’s a sure-fire audience-pleaser in store. Such is the case for Rick Elice’s adaptation of Peter and the Starcatcher, a play with music, thanks to Wayne Barker’s wonderful swashbuckling, romantically inclined score. Director Ethan Magill helms a sweet, steady production which honors pacing

Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur’s The Front Page puts audiences in the room where the reporting happens. Essentially a living room comedy set in a reporters office, the beats and banter are what drive the completely enjoyable production currently running at Good Company Players’ 2nd Space Theater. Director Denise Graziani helms the play with an ensemble of actors that deliver the 1930s Chicago style in balance with this high-comedy script among the blackmail, scandal, and dri

Broadway audiences didn’t know what they had in their midst when a new rock and roll musical, dealing with high school angst, drama, and romance, opened at the Eden Theatre in 1972. Six years later, the iconic film was released, a subsequent sequel, and two more Broadway revivals. When Grease gets done nowadays, it takes a strong vision and harnessing of nostalgia (and assumed nostalgia) for the title and the material to seem urgent, relevant, and applicable. Now, with respec

One of the earliest jukebox bio-musicals in our modern era is Alan Janes’s Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, a show that brings so many highlights of the era and titular singer with his band, The Crickets, to stage. The show really knows no version of “medley,” which expedites the running time in favor of the audience's attention span to hear the hits while not sitting through a full presentation of the artist’s life. However, director Mark Standriff has helmed a production that

Among the two times I’ve previously seen Dear Evan Hansen on stage–and that film we don’t talk about–I’ve never been able to crack why there’s such a hardcore love for and connection to Evan. To be fair, I was bawling when I first saw it on Broadway, but it was due to Michael Park’s (as Larry Murphy) hard-hearted softening in the finale of act one that got me. Platt nailed the role, but I didn’t walk away feeling more than entertained by a mostly great score. However, Shine!

The Spectral Raven Theatre Company is closing out Maria Coon’s four-act play, Balada de Muerte, a dramatization of La Llorona, an iconic figure in Mexican folklore. Written and directed by company owner and founder Maria Coon, Balada de Muerte is a script which reads and speaks with heart, horror, and haunting humanization while still finding its legs as a balanced production. Currently staged in the cozy, welcoming Dulce UpFront venue, Coon’s writing fully honors how Mexican

Directing and choreographing a high school production of Mamma Mia!, as a 37-year-old, has made me enjoy the exhaustion of rehearsal and value the need to rest and reflect. To put my feet up after another multi-hour dance rehearsal. My cast, from the start, were ready to sing. To dance. To jive. To be part of a musical that exceeded their expectations. And I knew the responsibility I had. My cast, crew, and team were made well aware of our standards for this musical, and we w

My final two days of Rogue brought me to a variety of shows including spoken word, theatre, music, and guesting in a fabulously fun Improv show with Brian's Beard as well making a flyingly fun turn as a luna moth in the prior praised Wikipedilove . Below are my final reviews of Rogue 2026! Dysfunction I had the pleasure of seeing Ke’Lea Flowers’ full-length premiere of the song cycle, Dysfunction , a few seasons back at Selma Arts Center; I found it powerfully composed, stage

Day 3 of Rogue gave me two shows and they are two shows I'm so glad I had the time and ability to see! Erika MacDonald: TeaTIME (show #936) Just from the title I was intrigued, and from MacDonald’s two-minute teaser at the Teaser event, it became a can’t-miss. I was right. Erika MacDonald’s TeaTIME is an exquisitely paced and well-suited show for rewarding patience in a world that demands more and wants it yesterday. The very nature of the show matches the beautiful process o

Day 2 of the Rogue Festival brought me to six very different performances across three different venues. Below are my thoughts! Rooted, Reaching: We Carry Each Other Aleno Dance Project brings a most-impressive feat of a show to the Hart’s Haven venue, and by that I mean the entire venue. Audiences will be treated to a six-part dance show that begins in the front of the bookstore, makes its way through the bookstore proper, has a couple of acts in the performance space, a pi

Friday night lights: Rogue-style brought me to three very different shows and my first guest spot for the Festival! Cassini LIVE (#933) Rogue 2026 kicked off, for me, with the newly award-winning Cassini LIVE, an operatic-cinematic theatrical piece that is sure to give you awe and pause. Led by live organist Tony Imperatice and singer Bernadette LaMontagne-Schenek, this show delivers an appreciation, if not a wholly engaging celestial lesson, on the Cassini mission to Saturn

For the 25th time, we can say that the Rogue Festival is upon us! This year’s Festival is bringing locals and out-of-towners, clowns, magicians, singers, actors, dancers, and artists of all kinds to the Tower District for you, yes you , to enjoy! As we gear up for two weekends packed with shows, I wanted to give focus to the spaces these performers get to flex their artistry at: the Venues. Many of the Festival venues are local businesses, available to the public throughout t

There’s a daunting thrill when sitting down for a solo show. The comfort in knowing that one actor has decided to dedicate time for immense preparation, nuance, and allure to carry a whole show, perform a whole script, take up the entire stage, is one that comes from trust in the earliest moments of the play. The first time a solo performer takes on the mannerisms, or voice, or characteristics of the next character is when that trust is either earned or broken. Thankfully, Vi

I find the stage adaptation of Mary Poppins to be an absolute delight by being one of the stronger screen-to-stage adaptations in the Disney canon. The songs and plot hold true when done right in front of you, and the added plots and tunes service the whimsy of Poppins and Bert while supporting the lessons learned for the Banks family. Good Company Players is tapping away with a marvelous production of this classic, making this the very spoonful of musical theatre sugar you’l

Kicking off the 2026 Good Company Players’ 2nd Space season is David MacGregor’s Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Elusive Ear. This cozy, crafty mystery is helmed by Denise Graziani, who lets the comedy breathe and expositional reveals intrigue. The structure of a Sherlock Holmes tale is a time-tested source for entertainment, whether on the page, stage, or screen, and Graziani’s staging of the stellar cast fits this production perfectly. Gordon Moore takes on the tit

Every year, many people post their end-of-year highlights. I’ve done this same thing, in various forms, over the years, dating back to the Tumblr days. However, this past year I’ve read less, I’ve watched less, and I’ve listened to less. But not in a bad way. My high school theatre program is busier and more bustling than ever; I started my graduate work in pursuit of my MFA in Playwriting; and I–in partnership with my incredible wife, known in my writing as The Mrs.–have kep