Get Even More Visitors To Your Blog, Upgrade To A Business Listing >>

Curtain Calls: Revenge, kung fu play ‘Man of God’ coming soon to Berkeley

September is a busy time for theater throughout the Bay Area. Lots of openings. Lots of excitement as theaters finally feel they can put out an in-person season without canceling shows. Below are just a few of the many anticipated productions to come.

Related Articles

  • Local News |
    Curtain Calls: ‘Steel Magnolias’ coming to Old Town Pittsburg next month
  • Local News |
    Curtain Calls: Murder mystery ‘Corpse!’ all about the set changes
  • Local News |
    Curtain Calls: Contra Costa Musical Theatre resumes operations
  • Local News |
    Curtain Calls: See excellent production of Sondheim’s ‘Follies’ till Sept. 10
Betrayal, courage and kung fu come together in Shotgun Players’ “Man of God,” running Sept. 3 through Oct. 2 on the Ashby Stage at 1901 Ashby Ave. in Berkeley.

“Personally, I love a good revenge narrative,” said playwright Anna Quyang Moench. “Then, of course, there’s the real confrontation at the end of the play, in which resistance, standing up for oneself and growth are very small, incremental acts when they happen at all. In the context of the characters involved and the reality of the power dynamic in the room, these small acts carry so much more weight than the arias of violence of the fantasies.”

Based on a real-life incident, “Man of God” delves into the lives of four young Korean women as they come to grips with being abused. A special haptic tour and performance for blind or low-vision patrons will take place Sept. 18. For further accessibility, a video-on-demand with closed captioning will be available Oct. 5-16. For more information, visit shotgunplayers.org online.

El Cerrito: Romance takes center stage for Contra Costa Civic Theatre (CCCT) as they present the timeless legend of “Camelot” but in a new, small-cast adaptation of Lerner and Loewe’s award-winning production.

Freshly imagined as a play-within-a-play, a band of eight traveling revelers brings the famous tale of the Knights of the Round Table and the love triangle that destroys it to life. The story calls for seven men and one woman but in CCCT’s version, it will be performed by seven women and one man.

The cast consists of Ariel Anderson (Arthur), Brenna Sammon (Guenevere) and Collette Roberto (Lancelot) with Meagan Marie (Mordred), Jamie Strube (Sir Dinadan), Adria Swan (Sir Sagramore), Lily Jackson (Sir Lione) l and Melanie Kibbler (Tom).

Diana Trotter directs with Armando Fox as music director and John Butterfield as choreographer. Butterfield returns to the Bay Area after years working in New Zealand. The choreographer and dance company/theater founder has been missed! Luckily for local audiences, he plans to work in the United States and New Zealand.

“I love that this small-cast version of ‘Camelot’ features a band of youthful storytellers who re-enact the tale of King Arthur and the founding of The Round Table,” said Trotter. “The young Arthur’s idealistic vision of a utopian society built on justice, kindness and integrity feels both relevant and necessary to our current moment.”

The show will run from Sept. 9 through Oct. 9 at 951 Pomona Ave. in El Cerrito. Call 510-524-9012 or go to ccct.org for tickets.

Castro Valley: Also opening Sept. 9 is Plethos Productions’ “Tiny Beautiful Things.” The touching drama continues through Sept. 18 on the meadow stage at Heirloom East Bay in Castro Valley.

The play is based on author Cheryl Strayed’s anonymous advice column known as “Dear Sugar.” Her honesty, sincerity, radical empathy and wizardry with words captured the hearts of millions. Over the years, she compiled the best letters from real-life wisdom-seekers into the book “Tiny Beautiful Things,” which Nia Vardalos, star of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” re-imagined for the stage.

Throughout the play, which takes place in Sugar’s living room, three letter writers come and go as they portray people of various ages, genders and backgrounds in what Plethos Productions’ Karin Richey describes as a “tear-jerker but with an uplifting message of resilience and hope.”

The cast includes David Patino, Amber Gee and Austine de los Santos as the letter writers with Sakura Nakahara as Sugar. For more information and tickets, go to plethos.org.

Orinda: Sept. 9 is certainly a popular date, as Orinda Starlight Village Players have also chosen it for the opening of “Pygmalion,” their final summer show.

Before it became the 1956 musical “My Fair Lady,” George Bernard Shaw’s play had been turning heads since its debut in 1913. Director Amy Cook feels the play is still relevant today with its criticism of the lack of women’s rights.

“In this moment, when half the women in this country have had their rights to bodily autonomy taken away, this play speaks directly to a woman’s right to make decisions for herself,” said Cook. “Unfortunately, the experience of being overlooked, unappreciated or mansplained happens all too regularly and I think many women will connect with Eliza as she strives to raise herself up and fulfill her own potential.”

The show will run till Oct. 1 in the Orinda Community Center Park Amphitheatre at 28 Orinda Way in Orinda. Call 925-528-9225.

At the Orpheum: Look out, San Francisco, the 10-time Tony Award winner “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” will take over the Orpheum Theatre from Sept. 8 till Nov. 6.

Broadway veterans Courtney Reed and Conor Ryan will play Satine and Christian in the North American your of this romantic musical full of the glitz and grandeur that is the Moulin Rouge. For more information, go to broadwaysf.com.

Sally Hogarty can be reached at [email protected]. Read more of her reviews online at eastbaytimes.com/author/sally-hogarty.



This post first appeared on This Story Behind Better Solution Weight Loss Will Haunt You Forever!, please read the originial post: here

Share the post

Curtain Calls: Revenge, kung fu play ‘Man of God’ coming soon to Berkeley

×

Subscribe to This Story Behind Better Solution Weight Loss Will Haunt You Forever!

Get updates delivered right to your inbox!

Thank you for your subscription

×