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KPFA - Bay Area Theater
by KPFA
Bay Area theatre reviews with KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky,.Older posts include theatre interviews recorded pre-pandemic.LINK TO ASSORTED LOCAL THEATER & BOOK VENUES
Episodes
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Review: “Every Saturday Night” a SFBATCO production at ACT Strand
Photo: ©2026 by Alexa LexMex Treviño KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “Every Saturday Night: A Harlem of the West Musical” presented by SFBATCO at ACT Strand Theare through November 1, 2026. TEXT OF REVIEW Cities change all the time. Napoleon III rebuilt Paris nto an Art Nouveau...
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Review: “The Fall Show” at Shotgun Players Ashby Stage
KPFA Theater Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “The Fall Show” at Shotgun Players Ashby Stage, extended to November 1, 2026. TEXT OF REVIEW: The boomer generation runs from almost eighty down to sixty two. The partying ended a long time ago, the next generation is grown, friends move away, or die....
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Review: “North By Northwest” at ACT Toni Rembe Theatre
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “North By Northwest,” adapted and directed by Emma Rice, at ACT Toni Rembe Theatre through October 18, 2026, TEXT OF REVIEW Along with having to be perfect night after night, live theatre can only rely on sets, costumes and craft to transform time and...
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Review: “African Stew,” presented by Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, at the Magic
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “African Stew” a rolling world premiere by Lisa B. Thompson, directed by Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe, presented by Lorraine Hansberry Theatre at the Magic Theatre in Fort Mason through September 27, 2026. TEXT OF REVIEW Tales of in-laws from opposite sides...
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Review: “The Cook” at Berkeley Rep Peets Theatre
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “The Cook” by Eduardo Machado, at Berkeley Rep’s Peets Theatre through October 11, 2026. TEXT OF REVIEW: Over the past seventy years, Cuba has gone through a remarkable series of changes. First there was the Batista coup overthrowing the 1940...
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Review: “The White Chip” at Marin Theatre
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “The White Chip” by Sean Daniels, directed by Lance Gardner, at Marin Theatre through September 20, 2026. TEXT OF REVIEW: We live in a world of addiction. Drugs, tobacco, overeating, even mindless scrolling. But the granddaddy of all addictions, going...
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Review: “R.O.I. (Return on Investment)” at San Francisco Playhouse Creativity Theatre
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “R.O.I. (Return on Investment) by Aaron Loeb, directed by Jonathan Moscone, a San Francisco Playhouse production at Creativity Theatre. TEXT OF REVIEW: Back just a few short years ago, despite the warning dystopias of Skynet in the Terminator films and...
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Review: “Orpheus Descending” at Oakland Theatre Project
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “Orpheus Descending” by Tennessee Williams, at Oakland Theatre Project through August 23, 2026. Text of Review: Over the course of his career, Tennessee Williams wrote thirty full length plays and a host of one-acts. Yet looking at the list of plays...
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Review: “Hairspray” at San Francisco Playhouse
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews the musical “Hairspray” directed by Bill English, at San Francisco Playhouse through September 12, 2026. Text of Review: The Golden Age of the Broadway musical faded in the sixties, the age of Sondheim and the pop opera died before the new century, and...
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Review: “The Employee Dharma Handbook” at TheatreWorks Palo Alto
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “The Employee Dhama Handbook: a world premiere play by Geetha Reddy at TheatreWorks Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto through August 2, 2026. TEXT OF REVIEW Discrimination comes at you in many ways. Racial bigotry. Religious fanaticism. Gender and...
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Review: “The Lunchbox” at Berkeley Rep Roda Theatre
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “The Lunchbox” at Berkeley Rep‘s Roda Theatre through July 5, 2026. TEXT OF REVIEW The golden age of the Broadway musical died over a half century ago. The post-golden age of Sondheim and the rock opera faded before the new century. Since then, we’ve…
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Review: “Dracula, A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really” at San Francisco Playhouse
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Woinsky reviews “Dracula, A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really: by Kate Hamill at San Francisco Playhouse through June 27, 2026. TEXT OF REVIEW According to Google’s unreliable AI, nobody beats Dracula as the single most portrayed literary character in film history, with...
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Review: “Pictures from Home’ at Marin Theatre
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “Pictures from Home” at Marin Theatre through May 31, 2026 TEXT OF REVIEW Acclaimed photographer Larry Sultan based his career on capturing life as lived through his art, and what better notion than collating photos of his own family and home growing…
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Review: “Alicia Keys’ Hells Kitchen” at the Orpheum in San Francisco
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews the national touring company production of “Hell’s Kitchen” at the Orpheum Theater in San Francisco. FULL TEXT: Following the release of her debut album in 2001, Songs in A Minor, singer songwriter Alicia Keys became an instant superstar, a position...
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Review: “Hamnet” at ACT Toni Rembe (Geary) Theatre
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews the Royal Shakespeare Company touring production of “Hamnet” at ACT Toni Rembe (Geary) Theatre through May 24, 2026. Text of Review: In November 2025, a film adaptation of the 2020 Maggie O’Farrell novel Hamnet hit the screens of America. Four months...
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Review: “Come from Away” at TheatreWorks Mountain View
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews the musical “Come from Away” at TheatreWorks Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts through May 10, 2026. Text of Review: Works of art age in different ways. Chekhov’s plays, for example, were written and performed as contemporary pieces. Now…
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Review: “The Monsters” at Berkeley Rep Peets Theatre
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “The Monsters” by Ngozi Anyanwu at Berkeley Rep’s Peets Theatre through May 3, 2026. West Coast Premiere. TEXT OF REVIEW: (minor differences between the text and the recorded review). Putting aside solo performances, the heart of the theatrical...
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Review: “Flex” at San Francisco Playhouse
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “Flex” by Candice Jones, at San Francisco Playhouse through May 2, 2026. TEXT OF REVIEW: Film and TV audiences love sports stories, groups of disparate people thrown together striving to work as one to achieve their goal, usually to win the big game....
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Review: “The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?” at Shotgun Players Ashby Stage
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews :”The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?” by Edward Albee at Shotgun Players Ashby Stage through April 28, 2026. TEXT OF REVIEW: (some wording is different in the recording) Edward Albee’s reputation beyond theatre junkies mostly rests on one play, his…
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Review: “Assassins” at Oakland Theatre Project
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “Assassins” by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman, at Oakland Theatre Project extended to April 12, 2026. TEXT OF REVIEW: When Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s Assassins first opened in 1990, the show focused on the relationship between America’s gun...
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Review: “All My Sons” at Berkeley Rep Roda Theatre
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “All My Sons” by Arthur Miller, at Berkeley Rep Roda Theatre through March 22, 2026. TEXT OF REVIEW Great plays stay relevant, no matter the time or setting, or even subject matter. It could be a castle in Denmark in medieval times, a diner in...
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Review: “Paranormal Activity” at ACT Toni Rembe Theatre
Photo: Teresa Castracane KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “Paranormal Activity” at ACT Toni Rembe (Geary) Theatre through March 22, 2026. TEXT OF REVIEW In real life, we hate being scared, but in a theatre or on TV, there’s nothing quite like it. The slow burn of suspense, the shock…
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Review: “M. Butterfly” at San Francisco Playhouse
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “M. Butterfly” at San Francisco Playhouse through March 14, 2026. TEXT OF REVIEW (minor changes were made during recording and editing): M. Butterfly Back in 1964, a French Diplomat in China became infatuated with a singer from the Beijing Opera. When...
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Review: “The Notebook, the Musical” at the Orpheum
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews the national touring company of “The Notebook, the Musical” at ATG Orpheum Theatre through March 1, 2025. TEXT OF REVIEW Towards the end of the twentieth century, as the corporate world eyed the record-breaking receipts of shows like Cats and Les Miz…
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Review: “The Mountaintop” at Oakland Theatre Project
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “The Mountaintop” at Oakland Theatre Project through Feb. 15, 2026. TEXT OF REVIEW: In late 2008, it felt as if we’d entered a new world. The Republicans were out of office, people of color were being appointed to key positions in business and...
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Review: “The Cherry Orchard” at Marin Theatre
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “The Cherry Orchard” by Anton Chekhov at Marin Theatre through February 22, 2026. TEXT OF REVIEW (differs slightly from final edit for time). For centuries, serfs had no power in Russia. They weren’t quite slaves, but they also were not free. It…
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Review: “How Shakespeare Changed My Life” at Berkeley Rep Peets Theatre
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “How Shakespeare Changed My Life” at Berkeley Rep Peets Theatre through March 1, 2026. TEXT OF REVIEW You’re just a kid. You’re Black .Your teachers think you’re stupid, a hopeless fat boy. At home, your mom tossed out your junkie dad. Mom herself is…
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Review: “A Streetcar Named Desire” at ACT Toni Rembe Theatre
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews the Streetcar Project’s production of “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams at ACT Toni Rembe Theatre through February 1, 2026. TEXT OF REVIEW (some changes were made during recording and cuts for timing were made for radio). The…
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Review: “Sunday in the Park with George” at Shotgun Players Ashby Stage
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “Sunday in the Park with George” at Shotgun Players Ashby Stage extended through January 31, 2026. Text of Review: The late great composer lyricist Stephen Sondheim tackled a variety of subjects in his work, from an examination of relationships in...
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James Lapine on his collaboration with Stephen Sondheim
A short excerpt from a 2019 interview with James Lapine, who collaborated with Stephen Sondheim on “Sunday in the Park with George” and “Into The Woods.” Sunday in the Park with George plays at Shotgun Players Ashby Stage through January 31, 2026. “Into the Woods” plays at San Francisco Playhouse...
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Review: “Sally and Tom” at Marin Theatre
KPFA Theatre critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “Sally and Tom” by Suzan Lori-Parks at Marin Theatre through November 23, 2025. Text of Review: All Men Are Created Equal. Or so Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence. It’s kind of weird then, to know that Jefferson owned slaves.…
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Review: “A Driving Beat” at TheatreWorks Mountain View
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “A Driving Beat” by Jordan Ramirez Puckett, directed by Jeffrey Lo, at TheatreWorks Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts Second Stage through November 23, 2025. TEXT OF REVIEW The nature of identity puzzles all of us. Who are we exactly?…
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Review: “Stereophonic” at the Curran Theatre
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews the national tour of “Stereophonic” at Broadway SF Curran Theatre through November 23, 2025. TEXT OF REVIEW What does it take to put together a hit rock album, especially if the band itself seems to be falling apart, particularly the two couples...
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Review: “Suffs” at the BroadwaySF Orpheum Theatre
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews the national touring company of “Suffs,” now at BroadwaySF Orpheum Theatre through November 9,, 2025. REVIEW TEXT: Imagine a political movement that seems to be on the ropes. Demonstrations aren’t doing it, talks with political leaders fall on deaf…
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Review: “Little Women” at TheatreWorks Mountain View
KPFA theatre critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “Little Women,” adapted by Lauren Gunderson, at TheatreWorks Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts through October 12, 2025. Little Women Review The classic pre-twentieth century books never die, on stage or on film. A Christmas Carol keeps…
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Review: “The Motion” at Shotgun Players Ashby Stage
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “The Motion” by Christopher Chen at Shotgun Players Ashby Stage through October 12, 2025. TEXT OF REVIEW THE MOTION With so much news in the world today, and with a CDC corrupted by politics and mentally ill cranks, the subject of animal testing...
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Review: “The Reservoir” at Berkeley Rep Peets Theatre
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “The Reservoir” by Jake Brasch, at Berkeley Rep Peets Theatre through October 12, 2025. The post Review: “The Reservoir” at Berkeley Rep Peets Theatre appeared first on KPFA.
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Review: “Shucked” at the Curran Theatre
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews the national touring production of “Shucked” at the BroadwaySF Curran Theatre through October 5, 2025. The post Review: “Shucked” at the Curran Theatre appeared first on KPFA.
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Review: “Eureka Day” at Marin Theatre
KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “Eureka Day” at Marin Theatre, in partnership with Aurora Theatre, through September 28, 2025. The post Review: “Eureka Day” at Marin Theatre appeared first on KPFA.
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Bay Area theatre reviews with KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky,.Older posts include theatre interviews recorded pre-pandemic.LINK TO ASSORTED LOCAL THEATER & BOOK VENUES
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KPFA - Bay Area Theater has 39 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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