Mission Mission

Golden Thread Productions has been on the DT&D radar for a while, but bad timing has stopped us from reviewing one of their shows…until now. They’re wrapping up their 20th season with a West-Coast premiere of Our Enemies: Lively Scenes of Love and Combat by Egyptian-American playwright Yussef El Guindi, so off we went to Thick House theater in Potrero Hill for a night of Drama Talk and Drinks.

James Asher as Gamal (left) and Kunal Prasad as Mohsen (right)

Katie: Wow. What a great story. A good set, good lighting, good acting, and good writing that was deep but also funny. It’s cool to have a theater company focused on stories from the Middle East. I feel like this play offered a well rounded and balanced perspective that often doesn’t get onstage.

Brittany: I agree. It was refreshing to have a show give voice to so many nuanced and authentic perspectives, while still being entertaining. It would be easy for a play that’s dealing with frustration about the way Arab-Americans are represented in American media to get preachy or pedantic. This play stuck to good storytelling and somehow avoided that. I thought that it was a really honest play.

K: I loved the actress who played Noor (Denmo Ibrahim). She was so authentic and in the moment. It was great to watch her find so many discoveries in all her lines. There were moments when she was onstage and I forgot I was watching a play.

B: I loved her too. I also really liked the character of the Sheikh’s son, Hani (Salim Razawi). His monologue emails back from visiting his family in Egypt were really lovely. Overall a pretty strong cast.

K: There just isn’t a reason not to see this show.

B: And it’s cool that it’s Golden Threads 20th anniversary. It’s entertaining, and engaging…

K: It’s unpredictable.

B: It isn’t a perspective you necessarily get to hear a lot either. People should absolutely go see it.

The Verdict: Go see it! It’s a smart, refreshing, and all around engaging night at the theater.

The Drama Talk: This is Golden Thread Productions 20th anniversary year. They are the first American theatre company who is dedicated to focusing on the Middle East and producing “passionate and provocative plays… that celebrate the multiplicity of its perspectives and identities.” Our Enemies does just that. By focusing on three intersecting storylines the show shares the struggle of the Arab American community as it tries to define itself. Families fight and sometimes those who are most like us can be the most frustrating. The heartfelt and multidimensional characters in this play show us how we can sometimes be our own worst enemies.

The Drinks: As is often the case when we go to a show at the Thick House, we decided to head up the hill to Blooms Saloon for great city views and cheap drinks. If you’re looking for a nearby place to get into the spirit of the play though, consider hitting up Pera before the show for some awesome Turkish food. They close too early to be a good post-show option.

Our Enemies: Lively Scenes of Love and Combat runs through November 20th at Thick House. Tickets are $34 for general admission and $24 for students and seniors and can be purchased on their website.Tickets are also available on Goldstar on select nights for $17.

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Halloween season is here! That means it’s time for another year of Thrillpeddlers’ annual Shocktoberfest; a festival of Grand Guignol horror theatre. Shocktoberfest 17: Pyramid of Freaks promises an evening of ‘terror and titillation’, all in the Thrillpeddlers purpose-built horror theatre the Hypnodrome. Never wanting to miss a night of titillating theater, off we went to SOMA for a night of drama talk and drinks.

Brittany: I don’t know if I have just been to Burning Man one too many times, or have seen enough Thrillpeddlers shows that I’m a little jaded, but it was so much less shocking than I thought it was going to be. Yes you had some sodomy, some penises, a little bestiality, but it was much more tame than I remember last year’s Shocktoberfest.

Katie: I didn’t see last year’s Halloween show, but I did see another one of their regular season shows, and it was a lot more rated X than this one. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I enjoyed this one either. This time I was just super entertained, even if some of the acting was a little rough around the edges, the vignettes were short and sweet and kept me engaged.

B: So true, they didn’t go too far this time, and I think it made it a stronger show.  It’s so fun how much the audience gets into it too. That’s what I love about every Thrillpeddlers show. It’s not just the actors having fun, the audience is having a blast . It’s easy to forgive some pacing issues, and a few too many scene changes, when everyone is having a great time.

K: It’s a great show to see for Halloween. I’m not a fan of horror movies, and don’t love a lot of gore and blood, but even I still had fun. I did have to look down a couple of times, like when he was ripping people’s hearts out literally, but even during the lights out spook show at the end it never went so far I felt uncomfortably creeped-out. It was just a cool different experience.

B: Thrillpeddlers does a great job creating an experience. From the moment you enter the door of the Hypnodrome and hear the pre-show band playing you feel like you enter a different world.

K: It sounds odd, given the subject matter, but I got this warm and fuzzy feeling about the whole show. It’s such a great community. This free spirited attitude of let your freak flag fly, do what feels good, be in costume, sing, dance, hoot and holler, be whoever you want to be. It makes me happy there’s still a community of avant garde San Francisco artists around to put on a fun night of spooky, bawdy, sexual, twilight zoney, old school San Francisco theater.

The Verdict: Looking for something to do this Halloween? Go see this show! Definitely not for kids, or for your friend who can’t sit through a rated R movie, but a great night of sexy scary fun theater.

The Drama Talk: Thrillpeddlers does a great job creating fun, sick, sexy and twisted worlds. Done in the style of Grand Guignol  Pyramid of Freaks is made up of four vignettes with a black out spookshow finale. Great costumes, cool lights, neat special effects and lots and lots of fake blood make for some memorably spooky scenes. Although there are some strong actors and singers, this show is more about the experience than it is the quality of the performances. While all of the vignettes had some good moments, the second one in the series, The Hellgramite Method, written and adapted for the Thrillpeddlers by William Selby, the original writer of the Twilight Zone episode by the same name, stood out as the one that will give you nightmares. In the same way a haunted house can bring people together, by making you grab your friends hand in terror, Shocktoberfest creates community by letting people share in a ridiculous evening of gory sexy Halloween inspired inappropriateness.

The Drinks: The Hypnodrome isn’t near much, so we decided to go back to the Mission to the Armory Club, to continue the night of spooky sexiness. Katie got the Zombie Princess  and Brittany got the Bawd Rye, and we toasted to San Francisco and the wonderful freaks and artists that still make this city great.

Thrillpeddlers Shocktoberfest 17: Pyramid of Freaks runs until November 19th, with shows Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm. Ticket are available on their website and are $30 for general admission or $35 for the front row or one of the specially decorated “Shock Boxes”. There were tickets on Goldstar, which have now sold-out, but it’s worth checking to see if more become available when you go to purchase.

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When Hedwig and the Angry Inch was on Broadway in 2014 with Neil Patrick Harris as Hedwig, we had friends who flew to New York just to see it. These aren’t super theatre nerds either, just people who love this show. So when we heard it was coming to SF with Darren Criss and Lena Hall, we knew we needed to see it. Unfortunately for her, Brittany caught a nasty cold and couldn’t make it the night we had tickets. This gave Katie the opportunity to invite her Aunt Deirdre, an actress whom Katie credits for originally instilling in her a love of the theatre, to join her for some Drama Talk and Drinks.

Photo by Joan Marcus

Katie: So, what did you think?

Deirdre: I thought it was unexpected. I have to admit I liked it way more than I even thought I would. The audience participation was great. It was almost more like being at a comedy club than a broadway musical. I loved all the San Francisco references, it made people feel even more part of it. You feel like you aren’t seeing the same show that you would see in Chicago. At first I wasn’t very sold on Lena’s part (Yitzhak), but I loved her by the end and wanted more of her. I thought Darren (Criss) was truly amazing. His physical abilities, vocal abilities, his humor, his timing. Fantastic.

K: Agreed! He (Darren Criss) carried the show so well, but I just couldn’t take my eyes off Yitzhak (Lena Hall). Even though her part isn’t the center of attention, she was fascinating to watch. I also loved the set, especially the use of the scrim that came down during the song “Origin of Love”. The projections of the animations were freaking incredible. I felt like I was watching the most awesome hour-and-a-half music video.

D: The most powerful moment for me was Hedwig’s last song, where he took off the wig and costume. When he was done, and the lights came up, not one person broke the silence, he did it so well. The whole audience was so taken by that moment; we didn’t clap and it was silent for at least 30 seconds and then the guitarist started playing and they started singing again. Such masterful direction. It was an incredibly touching moment to have that huge audience so moved that they couldn’t clap, they just had to be present in the moment. Amazing.

K: This show went by so fast for me and I love that it had no intermission. I want to see this again with Lena Hall as Hedwig!

D: I got it, here is my tagline for you: “It’s a wild interactive rock concert with a heart, and an amazing pair of gold shoes!”

K: Nice! We can use that.

The Verdict: One word “wow”. This show is moving, funny, beautiful. Get your tickets now. This show is worth every penny.

The Drama Talk: Hedwig and the Angry Inch was all around spectacular. From the story, to the actors, to the direction, to the band, to the set and lighting design, it was truly an amazing show. Literally everyone should go see it, because everyone who was in that audience (which was a pretty diverse audience) seemed to have a great time. It’s not your typical Broadway experience. In fact, at times it feels more like a rock concert or a cabaret comedy show, but the ridiculously talented actors, and amazing production totally live up to Broadway quality. Darren Criss’ Hedwig couldn’t be better, and it’s so clear why Lena Hall won the Tony for this. It’s worth every penny, despite the pricey tickets.

The Drinks: We headed up the street a block to another theatrical venue Pianofight, because we didn’t want the theatrical night to end. We had some wine and listened to an accordion playing duo as we beamed about the show.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch runs through October 30th at the Golden Gate Theatre. Tickets range from $50 – $212 and are available through the SHN website. They are doing in-person AND mobile $40 rush tickets, which is pretty cool (Click here for more info). There are also currently some tickets on Goldstar selling for $50-$70.

We love seeing theater that challenges the norm and we had a feeling that Theatre Rhino’s production of The Brothers Size, which is a play about two brothers, the Louisiana bayou, and West African mythology, would do just that. So we headed to the outskirts of the Financial District to the Eureka Theatre for some Drama Talk & Drinks.

Pictured left to right: Lakeidrick S. Wimberly as Ogun, Gabriel Christian as Oshoosi, and Julian Green as Elegba. Photo by Steven Ho.

Katie: I’m dying to hear your thoughts.

Brittany: It’s a cool play. I think it is highly likely that those actors did exactly what they were told to do. It was just so slow and so indulgent. They tried to milk every single second of drama out of the play to the point that it was no longer dramatic.

K:  I feel like I was yelled at. The actors stayed at one level of intensity most of the play, and when that happens it really turns me off.  I feel like I lost a lot of the story, which was a beautiful story.

B: Yeah, there was a lot of yelling. The stakes were so emotionally high the whole time it didn’t give the play anywhere to go. I don’t think they were bad actors, I just think they were not given good direction.

K: There was also a lot of huffing and puffing, a technique that actors often over use to indicate they are frustrated or angry, that really drives me crazy.

B: I did really like the movement and physicality of the actors, they were definitely present and focused. Also, the set and sound design were cool. The two brothers had a really lovely moment at the end where I really felt like wow, you guys really care about each other, I felt that emotional connection. But that was just one moment in what should have been a much more moving play.

K: I agree, so many aspects of this production didn’t hit the mark, so for me it makes the whole production meh.

The Verdict: Beautifully written play. Such a great story, just not told in a way that let us fully take in its glory. However, if you are hungry for a show that isn’t the typical narrative, we would say this piece is worth checking out.

The Drama Talk: We wanted to like this show so badly. A cool play, important themes, diverse actors, and a theater company with a great mission, but this production of The Brother’s Size fell short. While there was some good physical work, and a few touching moments, most of the time the actors were acting so hard that they ended up losing the beautiful language given to them.

The Drinks: Since this piece was set in the bayou, we thought some New Orleans-inspired cocktails would be appropriate. Luckily we found that only 3 blocks away on the embarcadero at Hard Water.

The Brothers Size runs through October 15th at the Eureka Theatre. It’s one hour and 40 minutes with no intermission. Tickets can be purchased through their website and range from $15-$40. Right now there are tickets on Goldstar from $0-17.50.

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It’s not often you hear about a hilarious black identity-politics play. So when we heard that Crowded Fire Theater was doing the Bay Area premiere of Korean-American playwright Young Jean Lee’s play, The Shipment, we knew it was time for a night of Drama Talks & Drinks.

William Hartfield and Nican Robinson open Crowded Fire’s THE SHIPMENT.
Photo by Pak Han

Brittany: I thought it was good. The opening was so energetic. From a theater-history standpoint the script was fun too. All the different vignettes were nods to different types of performance, from minstrel shows, to stand-up comedy, to Brecht, to a modern tv show. When viewed together they critiqued the way African Americans have been and are portrayed, but it did so without forcing the audience to sit through a history lesson.

Katie: I liked the different pieces individually, but despite some strong performances, I don’t think it flowed very well between them.

B: You’re right. It took me a minute to get into each piece. Once I got into it, it was great, but those transitions felt abrupt.

K: I constantly felt like I was playing catch-up when a new section began, because you had to get used to a totally different style of theater and different characters. An impressive feat for the actors. There were a lot of layers in there, which made it interesting, but I felt like I was missing a lot. I wish I had read the script first.

B: I do too, it was definitely a smart play. It left me more contemplative than emotionally impacted though. I appreciate that the final piece made the audience confront implicit biases, but I wish there had been a call to action. Laughter is a place to start, but I don’t think it pushed the audience far enough given our current news cycle.

K: Crowded Fire is doing cool new works though, and I appreciate that. It’s important that they’re supporting writers of color, actors of color, directors of color, and bringing in more diverse audiences. This play hit all those marks, and I enjoyed it.

The Verdict: Go see it! It’s an interesting play, with strong performances, and an important message.

The Drama Talk: While some of the messages in this 2009 play may not feel as revolutionary as they did when it originally premiered, it’s still a smart play which reminds us of the long history of racial bias in the media and thereby in our culture. It was an interesting and thought provoking night at the theater.

The Drinks: Crowded Fire’s theater tends to get pretty warm. Warm enough that the night we went they had fans on everyone’s seats.  After the show we needed a refreshing drink to cool us down so we headed up the hill to Bloom’s Saloon for great views and cheap gin and tonics.

The Shipment runs through October 15th at The Thick House theater. Tickets range from $15-30 and can be purchased on the Crowded Fire website.

We try not to miss our chance to see a show at PianoFight, after all what’s better than food, drinks and theater all in one place? We are particularly glad we didn’t miss The Ice Cream Sandwich Incident, a new play by Barry Eitel (head writer of Boxcar Theater’s 2014 production of Speakeasy) that looks at what happens when you put together a crew of four oddballs on experimental space mission….to nowhere. If you haven’t experienced a Faultline Theater show at the PianoFight venue, this is the show to do it.

Brittany: That was fun.

Katie: It was really fun. I love that the play was a walking, talking social experiment. Super entertaining and well done. My only criticism is the scene transitions could have been a little tighter.

B: Yeah, they definitely had some trouble with transitions. I think a lot of the problem was the lighting design. There were a few times I noticed the lights, and you really aren’t supposed to notice the lights. People didn’t even know it was intermission, and people only knew it was the end of the play when people started bowing.

K: Exactly, the ending didn’t feel like an ending. The lighting really threw me off.

B: I thought it was a creative concept though. Exploring what happens when four people share a small “space station” is surprisingly relatable, at least if you have had roommates. Somebody eating all the ice-cream sandwiches can totally create a month long drama. It’s so ridiculous, but so feasible at the same time. I would be pissed if I was stuck on a “space station” and I was looking forward to dessert all week and someone ate my goddamn ice-cream sandwich.

K: Me too! I thought there were a lot of clever moments in this piece. Those blue rope lights tho… so college dorm room.

B: I agree, but if the worst thing is the lighting design that’s a pretty good show.

K: True, and if you are wanting more after this show you can hit up the 9:30 show and after that you can hit up the 11:59 improv show and just theater your face off. Or just sit in the bar, eat, drink and listen to the live music. Not a bad night.

The Verdict: Refreshing, fun and clever. If you like seeing shows that have ridiculous relationship drama, but also hilariously reflect real-life, this is the night out at the theater for you.

The Drama Talk: Faultline Theater reliably pulls together talented people to put on interesting plays; The Ice-cream Sandwich Incident is no exception. Good talent, good set, good costumes, all around well produced (except we didn’t like the lighting design). The playwright’s ideas about how-to mediate conflicts in space are funny and fantastic. With such activities as a “space ballet” dance-off, a mock talk-show, and a reality TV style “chamber of emotions”, the play explores realistic roommate drama in hilarious ways.

The Drinks: We love PianoFight, because it’s a one stop shop for food and drinks and entertainment. If you haven’t made it to this venue yet you really should! Great food (OMG their fries), cocktails (the Goldrush is delicious and dangerous), two  theaters and a cabaret stage with live music. Sometimes it’s nice to only have to go to one place, and this night we did just that.

The Ice Cream Sandwich Incident runs through August 27th, with shows at 7:30 Thursday – Saturday, and 6pm on Sundays. Tickets range from $25 for VIP front row tickets, to $15 for general admission, or $10 (The Double Date) for groups of 4+, and are available through the Faultline Theater website.

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Summer time in San Francisco means free theater in the park from the long running (57 year old) SF Mime Troupe. No, they’re not silent mimes. They’re a troupe committed to creating socially relevant theater. In the throws of one of the most dramatic election seasons in recent history, we needed to see something that would make us both laugh, and think. So off we went to see SF Mime Troupe’s Schooled at the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival for some drama talk and drinks.

Velina Brown (Lavina Jones) and Rotimi Agbabiaka (Thomas Jones) in Schooled. Photo: Mike@mikemelnyk.com

Katie: Seeing a play in San Francisco produced by a democratic-socialist theater company about why one shouldn’t vote for Trump seemed….I don’t know, like singing to the choir? Did I like the song? Hell yes! It was the song I like to sing;  anti-Trump, anti-oppression, anti-big business and lets do what’s right for the people and not just what’s right for the bottom line. I was into it, but it didn’t feel like it was changing any minds. It was great to feel part of the community though.  What an awesome crowd.

Brittany: Yeah, the crowd was genuinely diverse, which was neat. You don’t see that at a lot of shows. You are totally spot on with the fact they are singing to the choir, but I don’t know if that’s a problem.  It was terrifying that in the end the character which was most like Trump won. The liberals couldn’t get their shit together. If our election plays out like this super liberal theater troupe is saying, we are going to have a Trump presidency and, as you’d guess, it doesn’t end well.

K: Terrifying for sure, I think that’s the point, to show the audience what’s at stake if we don’t all work to make sure he loses. The actors did such a great job. A really well rounded cast with some great singers. They all played multiple characters really well too.  The show moved and held my attention. Here we are, in this busy urban park in the middle of downtown, people everywhere and I was so in it. It had good pacing, scene changes, and use of music and sound effects. It all really came together in this piece.

B: Their sets are so cool. I love the way they are so small but do so much. The song where the actors were being spun on and off stage singing about why they should be elected for president of the school board was really well done. You have to think, they do this in different locations where they have to set it up break it down. They’re outside, people everywhere, and technically it goes perfectly. Really impressive and so on point. The show was maybe too real for me, despite being satire. It didn’t feel as hopeful as other Mime Troupe shows I’ve seen, and we need a little more hope in politics right now. That really has nothing to do with the show though, just my depression regarding the current state of political affairs.

Verdict: Relevant. Entertaining. Well done. It’s FREE & anti-Trump. We think this is a well spent day in the park.

The Drama Talk:  There’s good reason SF Mime Troupe has been around so long, producing high quality, politically relevant theater, they’re very good at it. Although the show is obviously intended as a satire of the current election, with characters representing Hillary, Bernie and Trump, they did a good job creating their own story-line (a school board election) so it doesn’t feel stale. Although by the end of the play you can’t mistake the commentary on contemporary events, they also tackle some interesting topics which go beyond the election including the purpose of education, the mechanization of labor, and other important themes. The actors are all extremely talented, the band is fun, the set is great. Although none of the songs are super memorable, the message of the show is.

The Drinks: We have been hearing a lot about Susan Sarandon’s ping-pong bar and restaurant project called Spin and since it was very close to Yerba Buena Gardens we decided to check it out. We didn’t play ping-pong (It’s $50 for 1 hour!) but we did have some cocktails which were delicious and average SF prices. This extremely modern, street artsy, swanky “social club” was quite the contrast to our afternoon in a park watching free community theater. Fun, but fancy enough that you could imagine Jay-Z making an appearance.

Schooled runs through September 5th at various parks (see below). Tickets are FREE.

Lakeside Park- (Lake Merritt)in front of the Edoff Memorial Bandstand

Wed., July 27-7:00 pm (Music 6:30)

Thurs., July 28 – 7:00 pm (Music 6:30)

Bellevue Ave. & Perkins St., Oakland

McLaren Park-Jerry Garcia Amphitheater

Sat., July 30-2:00 pm (Music 1:30)

100 John F ShelleyDr.,

San Francisco

Walnut Park-Petaluma Progressive Festival

Sun., July 31-4:00 pm (Music 3:30)

201 4th St. (at D St.), Petaluma

See the complete schedule HERE.

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A former co-worker of Brittany’s was in a new show at Piano Fight, Adventures in Tech (with Pillow Talk on the Side). Katie was busy, but Brittany wanted to see the show, so she rounded up a group of co-workers (groups of 6+ get discounted tickets) and out they went for a night of Drama Talk and Drinks – co-worker-edition.

Brittany: So did you like it?

Co-worker 1: I thought it was fun!

Co-worker 2: Yeah, it was great.

Co-worker 3: I feel like I am supposed to say something really profound.

Brittany: Have you read Drama Talk & Drinks? You don’t need to say anything profound.

Co-worker 4: I thought it was very thoughtful, very good characters.

Co-worker 3: I loved the characters too. The were really rich. I wanted to hear more from them. The scenes moved so quickly. I felt like it was unfinished; I wanted resolution.

Co-worker 2: I kind of liked that.You get to peak inside of someone else’s life, but you don’t know how it ends.

Co-worked 1: I also appreciated the diversity of people and themes they included in the show. They touched on rising rents, homelessness, women in tech, and lots of other issues, all while making me laugh.

Brittany: I came in worried that it may be too snarky, and I was happy it wasn’t. It was funny but earnest.

Co-worker 5: I didn’t always know when to laugh. There were times when it would jump between something funny, and then suddenly jump to something deep, and I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry.

Co-worker 6: It was very genuine though. I felt like I was watching conversations I’ve had before be performed on stage. You have to laugh at how ridiculous real life is sometimes.

The Verdict: Our group was unanimous, and not just because we’re bias, this is a show worth seeing.  While it makes fun of the tech industry, and touches on some of the negative impacts the influx of people and money has had on our city, it does so with a warmth. This show reminds us that we are more similar than we are different, which feels like an important message to take home nowadays.

The Drama Talk: We’re a group of privileged young professionals, and this show definitely is written for that demographic. The script was supposedly pulled directly from the life of the playwright (Stuart Bousel), and his time working – at first reluctantly – as an office manager for a start-up. From intimate moments in bed with his boyfriend worrying about how to pay rent as an artist in SF, to awkward and funny conversations at work, a coffee-shop, and a recruiters office, the show jumps quickly between quick scenes giving the audience the feeling of being a fly on the wall. Although the quick cuts were a bit jolting at first, and the constant lights up and down with lots of (efficient but distracting) set movement sometimes forced you out of the moment, the show on the whole is a funny and honest look at life in today’s San Francisco.

The Drinks: As is often the case with a night out at Piano Fight, there’s no real reason to leave the venue after the show. We got post-show drinks at the bar, toasted our friend and a successful night of drama talk and drinks.

Adventures in Tech is already half way through their run. They have a show tonight (July 8) and one more weekend July 14-16, so go soon if you want to catch it before it closes. They have a great deal that tickets are $15/person for groups of 6 or more. Goldstar also has some discount tickets ranging from $12.50-$20. Regular general admission tickets are $25 and can be purchased

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There’s something about summer that makes a person nostalgic for childhood. Maybe it’s a pining for the good-ol’-days of summer vacation, or the longer hours of sunlight awaken something inside, but summer always feels like a good time to give-in to our more juvenile instincts. Perhaps that’s why when we heard that Beauty and the Beast was coming to SHN’s Orpheum Theater we decided to go for some Drama Talk and Drinks.

Brittany: It was cute. The kids in the audience were adorable.

Katie: Yes! It’s always fun when you have a responsive audience. It was cute to hear the kids get into it.

B: Lumiere was awesome. I loved him.

K: “Be Our Guest” was fucking FUN. It’s fun in the movie, but it was more fun on stage. Amazing costumes, choreography, and sets. You really felt transported to a magical world. I was obsessed with Beauty and the Beast when I was kid. I literally watched it every day the year it came out.

B: So did it live up your expectations?

K: Not exactly. The opening song and “Be Our Guest” were great. I didn’t care much about the new ones they added to the score though.

B: The new Beast songs were droning.

K: Right? He was like (singing) “I’m the BEEAAST, you are YOOOU!”. There were also different character development things I preferred in the movie. The Beast seemed a lot more abusive in the stage version. He wasn’t just losing his temper, he was throwing Belle around.

B: Belle is always a little Stockholm Syndrome-y, but I feel like the live-action makes it darker than the cartoon. The ending seemed more aggressive than I remember too. Gaston in the movie was a jerk, but funny. In this he was a little more sinister and violent.

K: The voices were beautiful, the actors were very talented, and the set was amazing, but I still think I prefer the movie version. There were certain things that were awesome to see on stage. They used the puppets really well, and the transformation of the Beast was so cool to see live. I just wish they had either gone really different from the film, or stayed true to it. This felt in-between.

B: At the same time, the kids in the audience seemed to love it. Which, really, is the point. I think it’s a show for kids. It just also happens to appeal to adults since it’s a Disney classic.

The Verdict: Have family visiting for the holiday weekend or summer vacation? This is a great family friendly activity. Love Disney and want to see your favorite characters live on stage? Go, but it may not be exactly what you expect. Hate Disney and the patriarchal sugar coated fairy-tales it peddles?  This show is probably not your cup of tea.

The Drama Talk: Like so many touring shows, there are lots of great things to say about this production. The set, costumes, and spectacle truly transport you to a fairy-tale world. The leads are all very talented. Lumiere, played by Ryan N. Phillips, could not be more fun to watch. Yet despite a lot of good, it didn’t quite live up to our childhood memories of the original Disney animated film.

The Drinks: If you too want to find yourself in an enchanted castle, and return to a different kind of childhood, we recommend walking a few blocks up to Geary to the classic dive bar Edinburgh Castle Pub after the show. You’re best off if you stick with beer, but they do have a full bar.

Beauty and the Beast runs through July 10th. There are $40 “virtual rush” tickets available for every show, so go ahead and try your luck here. There are also currently discount tickets available on Goldstar for as little as $45. Otherwise, you can always purchase tickets through the SHN website.

I love me some classic, yet ahead of its time theater and one of my favorites is Cabaret. Even if you have never seen this musical, I’m sure you have heard one or two of its iconic songs.      [HERE is a link to the musical highlights, I urge you to get nostalgic (or educated) and check it out.] It’s too bad something came up for Brittany and she couldn’t make this one, but I was so excited to be able to take my friend Tara who has never been to a live musical. After grabbing a really good, well priced burger (we definitely recommend Popson’s as your dinner before the show) we crossed the street and headed into the beautiful Golden Gate Theatre to (hopefully) demonstrate to Tara the magic of live theater.

 Katie: I love that I was with you for your first live musical! So how was it?

Tara: It was what I had expected. I’ve seen some theater but not much in my life, being from Florida and Arizona. I would say that the engagement with the audience was more than I anticipated and I really enjoyed that.

K: For me, overall, there was a lack of chemistry between characters, but there was some great individual performances. Who was your favorite character?

T: The master of ceremonies for sure. He really engaged with the audience. Although, if I was the one he pulled up out of the crowd to dance with I would have been mortified.

K: At the end a lot of people immediately stood up for a standing ovation, but not us. Why do you think you didn’t immediately stand up for the ovation at the end?

T: I’ve never experienced something that has made me feel like I wanted to stand up…so I’m not sure what that would be, but it wasn’t this.

K: This play didn’t make me want to stand up either. It might be because I’ve seen this play so many times, it’s just no longer exciting. I felt weirdly uninterested in what was going on.

T: The story line itself, while it was sad and people really did experience the scariness of pre-WWII Germany, didn’t bring the intensity of emotion until the end.

K: Would you go see another live musical?

T: Yes, of course. A musical on screen I don’t connect with at all. It loses my focus. Where seeing this live I was able to stay focused and connected with the songs and the actors. Also, I stayed awake the whole time, which says a lot since I’m known for falling asleep during movies.

K: Would you recommend this show to your friends?

T: Yes, totally. Especially friends who don’t go see live theater. I’m a big fan of doing something new, something different. Don’t just stick with the same’ol same’ol. Experiences like these are important. I mean, what good is sitting alone in your room? (wink, wink)

The Verdict: This show is a must see for those who have never seen Cabaret. If you have seen it this might not meet all your expectations, so consider getting rush or Goldstar tickets and save for some upcoming big Broadway touring shows. (such as Beautiful, Hedwig & the Angry Inch, or Hamilton – I know we CAN’T wait for those shows!)

The Drama Talk: This 1966 musical still holds up as a fearless, beautiful and important piece of musical theater. It’s been revived 8 times for a reason. With that said, there was something about this revival and cast that felt business as usual. There was very little surprises for those who are familiar with this musical, and for those who are unfamiliar it’s entertaining but due to a lack of character chemistry and complicated production value aren’t necessarily blown away.

The Drinks: There are quite a few options near the Golden Gate Theater. We recommend crossing the street to a bar called Showdown.

Cabaret runs through July 17th, at the Golden Gate Theatre. Tickets range from $50 – $212 and are available through the SHN website. They are doing in-person AND mobile $40 rush tickets, which is pretty cool. Visit the show’s homepage to find link to the mobile app. There are also currently sometickets on Goldstar selling for $55-$110.