"Odyssea", A Dose of Deliciously Campy Comedy

Mix a tale of a Greek hero and his gods, a dose of deliciously campy comedy, and a subtle poke at the patriarchy, and you’ll get the We Players’ new show, “Odyssea”.

'Peter Pan Goes Wrong' at SF Playhouse

In these times, when political debates seem to need a preschool teacher rather than a passive moderator, and conversations often circle back to weighing the merits of robots that might also end humanity, “Peter Pan Goes Wrong,” now at SF Playhouse, might just be the right medicine. This play within a play, directed by Susi Damilano, skillfully draws out the laughter from the very first scene and just keeps getting better.

Indigenous Futures, Native American Artists at Haines Gallery

As the land known as the United States of America celebrates its 250th anniversary in its current iteration, Haines Gallery’s new show views this past through a different lens.

Terrifying Immigrant Takes the Form of a Soft Chubby Bear

"What I want in all my shows is to entertain an audience, make them laugh, make them cry, turn them on a little, and hopefully make people happy

Treasures of the Pharaohs is at the de Young

Once upon a time, ancient Egypt had gods and goddesses for the afterlife, the seasons, and the harvest. What then must it have looked like when the Egyptian ruler Akhenaten attempted to reform religion by declaring the solar god Aten to be the principal god of Egypt?

"American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez."

El Teatro Campesino (Spanish for "The Farmworker's Theater"). Founded in 1965 by playwright, director, and impresario Luis Valdez, himself the son of a farmworker, the company's improvised skits and scenes brought the Delano grape strike screaming into the American consciousness from 1965 through 1967

"Surface Tension" at Gray Loft

20 Bay Area artists whose practices draw on water in its many forms

Disney's Beauty and the Beast is a Lavish Spectacle Serving Nostalgia With Style

If you happen to be in need of a delightful piece of escapism, then Disney's Beauty and the Beast, which opened on July 16 at the Orpheum, hits all the right buttons.

San Francisco Opera’s ‘Barber of Seville’ Delivers a Delightful Start to the Summer Season

If you are opera curious and want to give it a try, San Francisco Opera’s “The Barber of Seville” is the perfect gateway. This witty opening to the summer season, directed by Emilio Sagi and conducted by Benjamin Manis, showcases Gioachino Rossini’s masterpiece, written in just under two weeks. The result is a well-timed, action-packed show. Comedic timing is everything, and this tale of love, money, and mendacity takes audiences on a three-hour and fifteen-minute journey that keeps the energy high.

A Feminist Fantasy That Never Finds Its Bite

I got to see SF Playhouse’s “Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really,” by Kate Hamill, and it might be one of the worst plays I’ve ever seen. That added “Really” in the title should serve as an excellent warning of what is to come, and perhaps it should come with a question mark. Landing somewhere between midlevel fanfiction and a parody of a Scooby Doo episode, the feminism can be hard to spot.

The Fabric of The Odyssey: The Bay Area Artist Shrouding Nolan's Epic

A Bay Area Weaver Brings Ancient Craft to Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’

Buried Desires Rise to the Surface in Oakland Theater Project’s “The House of Bernarda Alba”

Buried desires and family secrets simmer in Oakland Theater Project's visceral staging of Lorca's "The House of Bernarda Alba."

Basketball & Drama at SF Playhouse

How do you drag yourself out of the clutches of poverty and into a better life? You have to be extraordinary at something, and you have to want it with your entire being. No one knows this better than Starra Jones (Santeon Brown) in San Francisco Playhouse’s “Flex.”

At Bioneers, Urgency and Imagination Meet in a Time of Crisis

Every year, the Bioneers conference takes place in Berkeley and hosts an extraordinary group of scientists, artists, authors, and activists. From the Native-led Indigeneity Program, which brings tribes together from across the nation, to the Youth Leadership Program that enables students to attend on scholarships, it is a place where like-minded people gather to share solutions

Monet and Venice Finds New Light at the de Young

Review: “||: Girls :|| ||: Chance :|| ||: Music :||” Explores Girlhood, Ambition, & the Messy Harmony Between Them

Eisa Davis' new play explores the lasting impact of girlhood friendships, ambition, and the messy connections that shape who we become.

Spamalot Farts in The General Direction of San Francisco

“It’s big, but is it art?” ask the French after threatening to fart in the general direction of a bemused King Arthur (Major Attaway) in the North American tour of Spamalot, on now at Golden Gate Theater. Well, it has all of the beloved signifiers of classic Monty Python.

The Soulful, Musical Medicine Served at Bambu Sessions in Oakland

At Audiopharmacy. They’re bringing the collabortive H.I, 'Human Intelligence', or art created without AI.

The Notebook Sings, but Does It Soar?

The musical version of “The Notebook” has arrived, and loyal fans of the 2004 film will likely swoon while sobbing into their tissues. Boxes of tissues are sold for $3.00 at the merch table. However, less romantic theatergoers might find the saccharine predictability of the story overpowering.

The Quiet Resistance of Japanese Internment, at Potrero Stage

Sometimes the most powerful show of strength comes in the form of quiet resistance. Two chairs, two rice paper screens, a desk, a suitcase, and a coat rack make up the stark set of Miyoko Sakatani’s In the Spirit of Gaman: The Mitsuye Endo Story.

Witness MLK's Final Night in the Play “The Mountaintop”

Bear witness to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s final night through a provocative lens in Oakland Theater Project's "The Mountaintop"

Folklore and Hard Truths: The Art of Christopher Burch

Maybe you have seen his murals, spilling off the wall in riotous colors all over San Francisco. Or his drawings, which are equal parts reinterpreted Black mythology and folklore, and part poetry manifested on paper, or any other medium he chooses.

Time Written by the Sun: The Works of Chris McCaw at Haines Gallery

The arc of the sun burnt into the curling edges of mural-sized images, landscapes solarized and reversed, hang on the walls of Haines Gallery. The effect is immediate and arresting. Some works revel in a metronomic study of landscapes presented in black and white panels. Reversals and Revolutions marks the second solo exhibition of photographer Chris McCaw’s work at the gallery.

“Arco” Looks to the Future Through Climate Grief

As I sat sobbing through the credits of “Arco,” director Ugo Bienvenu’s animated visionary film courtesy of The California Film Institute, the sparring emotions of hope and doom ping ponged around the room at large

Altars, Ancestors & AI: World-building a History Where Slavery Never Existed

Unbroken Lineage: Inside Rhiannon Evans MacFadyen’s AfroFuture Past