Mission Mission

We’re suckers for the Stern Grove Festival (which, PSA starts next weekend). Epic picnics, redwoods, and culture all in one place. A trip to Stern Grove also means layers though. No matter how warm it may be when you start, you’ll end up shivering and cocooned in your dusty picnic blanket by the end. So when Brittany learned that a similar phenomenon, Mountain Play, existed just across the Bay on Mt. Tam, high out of Karl’s reach, she was intrigued. This summer’s production is the classic, West Side Story, so she asked her boyfriend (and frequent DT&D contributor Sam) on a Sunday date. They packed a picnic, rented a car, and drove up the mountain for a day of Drama Talk & Drinks.

Sam: I think this is the widest set I’ve ever seen. This theater is insane, I can’t believe that view! Did you get a good picture of the set?

Brittany: Yeah, I took it before the fog took over when you could still see the City.

S: Oooo, it looks cold down there. We should stay up here, above the clouds, there’s a place for us.

B: So did you like the show?

S: Yeah, I thought it was great. Great set, good costumes, this space is amazing.

B: They had great voices too. The dancing was the only thing fell a bit short for me. West Side Story is part ballet. Nothing says gang violence like grand jetés, and only some of the dancers were up to the task, although the fight choreography was on-point

S: They’re baking under the hot sun, at 2000 feet. I was impressed.

B: True, the audience was dropping like flies. I saw at least 3 people near us need to get medical help during the first act because of the heat.

S: I felt bad for the orchestra, they were outstanding, but they were stuffed into that little black box on stage. It must have been boiling.

B: I think it’s hard when seeing a play in a venue like this to fully appreciate the show. There’s so many distractions, the view, the wine, the picnic, kids walking around, audience members fainting. I think they did a good production of West Side Story, but with so much else going on you lose some of the emotional impact. You’re never fully immersed into the world of the play.

S: You don’t get the same punch, that’s for sure. It’s nice that outdoor theater doesn’t have to be as buttoned up though. The whole experience of spending a day on top of Mt. Tam, listening to the pre-show music, having a picnic, hiking up from the car to get here and then there’s a great show on top of it all. It’s a great way to spend a Sunday.

The Verdict: There’s a reason people are more likely to call this production by its company name, Mountain Play, than the name of the show they’re seeing. West Side Story was good, but it’s the whole experience that makes this day-trip worthwhile.

The Drama Talk: The actors had fantastic voices, the set and costumes were great, and although the dancers fell a bit short of Broadway-quality, it was still a well-choreographed show. West Side Story is a classic for a reason, and this is a solid production. Mountain Play is all about the experience. It’s a whole day affair. Music starts at 12:30 so if you get your act together you can arrive around noon, eat your picnic, kids can get their face painted, and hang out before the show starts. There’s even a picnic judging competition, which is just too intimidating, but it gives you an idea of how serious there people are about enjoying Sunday. Get there early for parking on-mountain and a place to sit in the shade.

The Drinks: Lots of people bring wine with their picnics, and there’s also wine and beer for sale on the Mountain. Just be careful to hydrate, it is hot and you’re at altitude. After the show we reluctantly rolled down the mountain back into the fog and Mill Valley, picking up a stranded fellow audience member on the way whose car was parked at the bottom. She told us that she grew up in Mill Valley and hadn’t been back to a Mountain Play since she was a kid. For her, this defined Marin summer. Jonesing for Puerto Rican food, we went to the closest thing we could find nearby, Joe’s Taco Lounge and Salsaria. We got some margaritas and toasted to a successful day of Drama Talk & Drinks.

West Side Story runs through June 19th, shows are on Sunday’s at 2:00pm, but pre-show music starts at 12:30 so get there early to picnic and enjoy the view. General admission tickets are $40 and available on the Mountain Play website.

We always love going to Pianofight. Great food, drinks and theater. What’s not to like? We also love San Francisco, so plays that touch on SF history usually make it to the top of our list. When we saw the press release for Maggie’s Riff “A time-bending examination into the memories of Beat Generation trailblazer Jack Kerouac.” we knew we had to go for drama talk and drinks.

Brittany: The guy who played Jack Kerouac (Paul Rodrigues) was insane – incredibly talented. The show was over an hour, he was on stage pretty much the entire time, and his high-energy kept the audience with him. Mad props.

Katie: His acting was on point. I really enjoyed the way he switched between young Jack, and old Jack. It was seamless but you could feel the shift in energy between the two. His physicality gave you a sense that he went through some crazy shit in the intervening years. In general I think they did a great job with casting. The whole cast really looked like they fit the time period.

B: Yeah, they did a good job establishing the world of the play, from actors who looked the part, to the set, to the music, to the costumes. I imagine that’s what the inner mind of Jack Kerouac felt like.

K: I really loved their use of space. The way they used the shadows behind the scrim to set the scenes and also light Mr. Sax was really cool.

B: The set was great. At the beginning I honestly couldn’t breath very well because there was SO much haze in the space, but it was all worth it for that opening image of Jack Kerouac talking into a mic, smoking a cigarette, with that eery light shining down on him. That was a sexy stage picture.

K: Yes, totally. I’m not gonna lie though, I struggled with staying focused at times. I’m not very familiar with Jack Kerouac’s work, so maybe that’s part of it. When the play went more into the abstract monologue beat poetry parts, or when the multiple actors were all saying lines at the same time, I felt my mind wandering. I also was distracted by the noise and music from the restaurant coming through the wall.

B: For this show I think you kinda need to like Jack Kerouac, the playwright borrows a lot of language from Kerouac’s poetry. But I bet if you’re super familiar with his writing, and really like it, this would be amazing for you – it’s so well produced.

The Verdict: If you like Kerouac and beat poetry, get your tickets now! If you’re kinda meh about Kerouac, but still love to see a tight piece of theater, go for it. If you really can’t stand abstract narratives, and beat poetry isn’t your thing, you may want to skip this one, but you’re missing some sexy smoky stage pictures.

The Drama Talk: Paul Rodrigues, who played Jack Kerouac, put on one of the most engaging and energetic performances we’ve seen in a long time. He was fantastic. The show had incredibly high production values, and despite the noise coming through the wall from the restaurant, did a good job of transporting the audience to the different time and place. Although the play itself may not end up at the top of our favorites list, Faultline Theater is quickly rising to the top of our SF theater company list. We saw their production of Tinderella, also at PianoFight, and also loved it.

The Drinks: We got moscow mules at the Piano Fight bar, but if you want to get that authentic Kerouac experience just go for shots of Southern Comfort.

Maggie’s Riff runs through June 11th, with shows at 7:30 Thursday – Saturday, and 6pm on Sundays. Tickets range from $20 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. There are also currently some Goldstar tickets selling for $7.50-$10.

DT&D has reviewed a We Players show before. Last summer we loved their site-specific Ondine at Sutro Baths. So when we heard about their season kick-off party, The Capulet Ball, we were intrigued. Katie was busy, so Brittany and Sam donned their best Shakespearean-Masked-Ball garb and headed out for a night of Drama Talk and Drinks.

Brittany: So did you have fun?

Sam: Yeah, I had a blast.

B: I think that the show (the full production of Romeo and Juliet) is going to be good. The girl who was Juliet was great.

S: She had great energy. She really got the physicality of a teenager. She had no inhibitions, and couldn’t filter when Romeo was nearby. The balcony scene felt really genuine and fresh, and I don’t normally like Shakespeare since it so often feels stale.

B: Even though this was just a sneak-preview of the show that’s opening this summer, you really got a good sense of the characters. Even if you never saw the actors saying their lines, by just interacting with them- in dancing or making small talk- you could tell who they were.

S: The characters were really intimate with the audience. It reminded me of Sleep No More, where you don a mask and become part of the scene. I wish that it went longer.

B: Yeah, it was really short. It was supposed to go until 10 but it only went until maybe 8:45 before the action ended and people started to leave. Even the band wrapped up early.  I guess it’s good to leave the audience wanting more, but I thought it would be a longer production.

S: For the brief production it was, the costumes were phenomenal. The animal masks were haunting, they added something whimsical to the production.

B: It’s also fun that so many audience members got dressed up. There were some elaborate costumes and impressive masks. The show only worked because the audience bought-in. If you had come into that space with the audience wearing normal street clothes it would have been a very different experience. People dressed up, danced and interacted. That’s what made it fun, getting to be in character yourself.

S: I wonder if we could have convinced the band to keep playing, it ended so early and I wanted it to continue. There was still a boy to kill!

B: And a girl. And a few other people too.

S: Not enough death for an evening out.

The Verdict: The Capulet Ball is a fun way to support an innovative Bay-Area theater company. It’s not even the whole first act of Romeo and Juliet, so if you want to see the full play, hold out until R&J opens this summer. But if you want to have a very cool interactive theater experience, that lets you dress up and be part of the show, go to this. It’s pricey, but it supports a good cause, and drinks and light food are included.

The Drama Talk: We Players is great at site-specific work, and The Capulet Ball is no exception. The space for this production was perfect, and looking at the future venues, there are some neat places on the list. Production values are super high. Once you walk through the door and put on your mask you’re transported to the Capulet’s home and the party where Romeo and Juliet’s star-crossed paths first cross. It helps if you get dressed up, drink some mead, and go in with no inhibitions.

The Drinks: The party has an open bar, so we drank there. Wine, beer and mead only, but the pours are generous and flow all night.

There are only three more performances of The Capulet Ball, all in different parts of the Bay Area. They run through June 18th, and range from $75 for the show in Oakland, to $150 to the show in Calistoga (which includes dinner). Tickets are available through the We Players website: http://www.weplayers.org

Sam & Brittany in Masked-Ball Finery

This show had me at two words “Sean Hayes” (I’m a big Will and Grace fan). I actually didn’t know much about the show going in, so it was fun to learn that the writer David Javerbaum was a head writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and started the twitter account @TheTweetOfGod which has over 2 million followers. Since Brittany couldn’t make it to this one, I turned it into a date night. I mean there is nothing more romantic to me than entertainment about how ridiculous religion can be!

Katie: Okay…the writer has to be an atheist, right?

Garrett: I don’t know, but now I’m even more of an atheist. I thought the show was freaking brilliant.  Sean Hayes was perfect. I don’t think many other actors could pull this off. His energy was so good, he made it really come to life.

K: Totally! Such a difficult show to do. It’s not easy to pull off pretty much a one man show, I mean the two angels roles were so minimal that barely counts. It’s great they kept it to 90 minutes, that format really couldn’t be a minute longer. The story was good for that length of time. Towards the end it was losing some steam, and I feel like the jokes were about to get old. But it kept my attention and it ended right when it needed to end.

G: I think it lost steam for me at a couple different points but not for very long and it picked up each time. I liked that it had a lot of topical and local humor and it was a combination of really specific current topics but with the broader scope of human existence, god and earth and all that fun stuff. And I liked how the actors played off the audience a little bit, making it feel like an improv show…really fun. And “God” even broke character temporarily to mock a group of people walking in late to the show. Awesome.

K:  With a one man show like this, I think that format of interacting with the audience made us feel like they were having a conversation with God. And by bringing in the audience it made us more present. I feel like if that character didn’t bring in the audience I don’t think it would have been as compelling. That format made us feel like we were all hanging out with Sean Hayes having a conversation.

G: Definitely. I would have to say this is the best one man show I’ve ever seen.

The Verdict: This is a really smart show and super entertaining. Must be open minded. The existence of God is always a sticky subject, but this format and acting style was wonderfully silly and successful.

The Drama Talk: The main character (Sean Hayes) doesn’t move much from the couch in the middle of the stage but his energy and range as an actor made this story come to life.  As with all SHN shows the technical aspects of this show, though simple, were amazing. The set never changed but the lighting, sound effects, and use of video were on point.

The Drinks: This is a show that we recommend going into a little loose. We had a couple of classy (expensive, yet strong) drinks before the show at the theater. Then afterward we wanted to take that class down a notch (or 10) and went down a few blocks to one of our favorite dive bars the Tempest.

An Act of God runs through April 17th at the Golden Gate Theater. Tickets are available through the SHN website and range from $75-$150. Right now there are tickets on Goldstar from $55-$70. Also, take note that a limited number of $40 Rush tickets will be available for every performance beginning 2 hours prior to curtain at the SHN Golden Gate Theatre Box Office. Tickets are subject to availability. Cash only. 2 per person.

Once on a road trip back from Yosemite, Brittany and friends Chad and Thais got on the subject of musical theater. During the course of that conversation the lesser known 1930s Rodgers and Hart musical, The Boys from Syracuse, came up as a topic. Brittany had never heard of it. Chad had it on his iPod. The inevitable happened and the car filled with show-tunes.

One of the passengers was not a musical theater fan, so after a couple songs a new DJ was appointed, but Brittany was intrigued. She knew the songs and recognized the plot (it’s a musical retelling of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors), but she didn’t know the show. When she found out there was a production of The Boys from Syracuse happening at Eureka Theater, she knew she had to take Chad and Thais with her for a night of Drama Talk and Drinks.

Brittany: Thanks for joining me for Drama Talk and Drinks, what did you think of the show?

Thais: I loved it, I thought it was a blast.

Chad: I thought it was fun. I love music from the 1930s. It’s jazzy, brassy and just fun.

T: The performances were fun too.

B: I liked three leading women in particular (Abby Haug, Elise Youssef, and Erin Yvette). The guys…some of them were better than others.

T: The guys who played Antipholus looked like James Franco.

B: That’s so true! They looked exactly like a taller James Franco.

C: They didn’t really stand out to me. “This Can’t Be Love” didn’t sound the way I expected it to sound. It should be more romantic. I know it’s a farce, but they didn’t take the time for a more serious moment.

T:  I loved the two Dromios though! The choreography, the references to Groucho Marx. It was hilarious.

B: The Dromios were great, but I agree with Chad on the love songs. I was hoping for more love. These songs are such Broadway songbook classics, even though the show isn’t necessarily that well known, they come with certain expectations. Also I could have done without the dance breaks.

C: You can only see a grapevine so many times. They were having a good time though, which made it enjoyable to watch.

T: The women’s voices were lovely too.

C: “Sing for Your Super” was the stand-out song of the show. It made my night.

The Verdict: If you’re a fan of Rodgers and Hart and the Great American Songbook, you’ll probably enjoy this show. It’s got some great voices, fun songs, and great energy. If traditional musical theater makes you want to pull the car over and scream, skip it.

The Drama Talk: 42nd Street Moon, the company behind this show, is committed to restoring, preserving and producing rarely performed musicals. The Boys from Syracuse is one such ‘lost classic’, typical of 1930s American musical theater, when the genre was in it’s hey-day. If you know Rodgers and Hart’s music, you’ve heard some of the songs in this show, you likely just didn’t know where they came from.

It’s possible part of the reason the show has been lost is the overtly sexist messages throughout the show. The idea of women singing for their supper is more than a little regressive now. But just like those awkward things your grandparents sometimes say, it’s a product of its time, so you feel like you can’t blame the musical. The three female leads are incredibly talented. The costumes are great. It’s generally a fun time.

The Drinks: Opening night started early and ended early, so we needed to get dinner and drinks after the show. Although Kokkari across the street would have technically been more fitting, since the show is set in Greece, we didn’t have $100 to drop, so we went to Osha on the Embarcadero. The sweet drinks and the bright colors seemed a fitting end to a technicolor Broadway “forgotten classic”.

The Boys from Syracuse runs through April 17th at the Eureka Theater. Shows are Wednesdays & Thursdays at 7pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 6pm and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are available through the 42nd Street Moon website, and range from $22-$75, but Eureka theater is small enough, it really doesn’t matter where you sit for the show.

Katie & Brittany sat this one out, (they reviewed another DD production a few years back) and I took over for the week, to bring a Dirty Dancing superfan (my wife) to see SHN’s latest musical.

Ariel: I had a good time.
Sharon: Me too.
A: But the biggest issue is that it felt to me that instead of a set and set design, the whole thing took place in a pinball game.
S: Yeah, the fact that they projected 90% of the backgrounds made it feel like it was trying to be a film production with live actors.
A: They were in front of video screens almost the whole time. It was really distracting. And it didn’t fit the style.
S: And they changed the set more often than they needed to, which made it feel like beat, beat, beat instead of a flowing story. And all the sets were so literal.
A:  And the story takes place all in one basic setting, they didn’t need to change the backgrounds that much.
S: I did really appreciate the set pieces that were there, I thought they were cool. The orchestra up top and the rotating centerpiece added great dimension to it.
A: Every time they revealed the orchestra it had an impact.
S: Yeah. I was unsure that live music was going to work, but it totally worked. The vocalists were great, and I was glad they were background dancers and not Johnny and Baby, which I had feared. The use of songs was good. The variation between prerecorded and live was solid. The singing and dancing were great. The acting was not as good. I don’t know if that was because of the acting or because of the direction. The movie is so sincere. And in the staged version they were hyper-caricatured versions of those characters. Baby’s sincerity is gone, it’s just her awkwardness, Lisa is just loud and you don’t care for her at all, etc.
A: Right, if you have a movie that has that archetypal feel, then you bring it on stage and lose a lot of the nuance, you reduce them down to the essence and it feels forced.
S: The combination of that with the constantly changing backgrounds/screens, plus, the audience has seen the movie and they clearly felt a responsibility to give everyone the part of the movie they’re looking forward to, and that’s hard.
A: If they left anything out they would have been criticized for leaving that out.
S: And what they ended up leaving out was the flow of it. But I did look forward to every number and scene because I too knew what was coming. But there was some really bad acting by people who are really talented at singing and dancing.
A: They weren’t allowed time to really act. Somewhere along the way pacing was sacrificed for getting every treasured moment in there.
S: It’s a tough one, to please everyone. But they included a lot of scenes that didn’t matter. I wish they had tested this before an audience of super-fans, we could have told them what didn’t matter.
A: On film you can get up in a character’s space, but in theater you’re held at a distance, so if you add more time, it has to be used really skillfully, or else it just feels like dead space. So every moment was filled.
S: Baby was a little too goofy. But they had good chemistry. I warmed up to Johnny. I liked Penny a lot.
A: The dad was more J. Peterman than Jerry Orbach.
S: Yeah, I didn’t like the dad. The mom is pretty much a throwaway character in the movie, unfortunately, and even more so here. Considering the subject matter and how strong Baby is in the movie, the mom and the sister are underused. There was also more humor than there was in the movie, which I had to get used to. I think they were trying to make it entertaining for the whole family, hence humor.
A: The beginning was a little tough to get into, the second act got a little better, but the finale was great.
S: The finale was the best dance.
A: The whole room was lit up by it.
S: And it was finally not relying on the screens. It was just the people dancing, their energy. It’s a tough one, bringing this to the stage. I think they did a pretty good job. I was entertained and wanted to keep watching. It’s worth it if you love seeing live dancing. Now I want to watch the movie again. On the big screen.

The Verdict: If you like to sit at home on your couch and watch Dancing With The Stars, the music and dancing here is well worth getting out of your house. If you’re a huge fan of the movie, you will enjoy seeing it on stage, but maybe you’ll just end up wanting to watch the movie again. And you’ll be excited to go home with a “Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner” shirt.

The Drama Talk: We felt like the producers weren’t able to make this their own, since so many different parts of the movie are iconic to the fans who will come out for this. It’s a difficult challenge, and the storytelling suffered. If the singing and dancing weren’t great, it would be a bomb, but those two aspects helped it still feel worth the experience.

The Drinks: We went out before the show (had to get back for the babysitter) to Farmer Brown. We split a bunch of appetizers, and they were all really good. Especially the ribs and the shrimp hush puppies. Ariel had an Old-Soul Fashioned, which was all kinds of tasty flavors, and nicely strong. Sharon had the Front Porch Ice Tea, which was good, but tasted pretty watery.

Dirty Dancing plays through March 2oth at the Golden Gate Theater, you can buy tickets here.

Modern times call for modern fairytales. So when we heard there was a new musical called Tinderella, by FaultLine Theater, happening at PianoFight we knew we wanted to check it out.

Tinderella’s Nightmare Exes – Photo courtesy of FaultLine

Brittany: I enjoyed it. I thought it was delightful. They were really good voices and it was clever.

Katie: I was pleasantly surprised at the talent. All of the 5 actors had good voices and the two girls – WOW such great voices. Also, I’ve done some online dating, so I felt close to the content too.

B: Yeah, but I don’t think my mom would get it . There were too many pop-references. You kinda need to be living in San Francisco, or another big city, and be in your 20s or 30s to really get this show.

K: Definitely. I also thought they could tie in the story of Cinderella little better, since it is called “Tinderella”.

B: Yes the only thing she really has in common with Cinderella is she forgets her shoes at a party. But it’s pretty unrelated otherwise. He doesn’t look for her when she runs. She doesn’t have weird family drama. There’s not any magic (although one bizarre moment where she appears to talk to birds). It wasn’t a fairytale, more of a story about how fairytales don’t really happen. Also the ending fizzled a bit for me. It felt like they ran out of ideas and just found the fastest way to wrap it up.

K: The night itself definitely didn’t fizzle for me. I really enjoyed the whole night out. A good show, good food, good drinks. Just one Lyft and everything you need for a great night all in one venue.

B: I’m already looking forward to our next DT&D date at PianoFight!

The Verdict: If you are in your 20’s or early 30’s and have done some online dating, this show will be a hoot for you.

The Drama Talk: Overall, good cast and funny concept, but the script still needs a little work. It just seemed like they ran out of material, and never really lived up to the un-said promise of giving us a contemporary retelling of Cinderella. We left wanting more, specifically more live dramatizations of Tinder date train-wrecks.

The Drinks: You are in luck. Going to a how at PianoFight means you have access to a full kitchen and bar. AND you can bring your drinks in the theater and sip while you watch.

Tinderella runs through February 27th at PianoFight. Tickets are available on Faultlines Theater’s website for $20-$30. Right now there are VIP front row tickets available on Goldstar for $20.

The final countdown to Christmas has begun! If you’re all done with your shopping, and have already seen Star Wars, you’re probably looking for something festive to do this holiday season while you’re off work and half the Bay is away visiting family. We did the leg work for you and went to Eureka Theater to check-out their holiday show of the season, SantaLand Diaries, by David Sedaris.

Brittany: That was cute. I really enjoyed it.

Katie: Really adorable.

B: I’m always impressed by people who do one person shows and can keep the energy up the whole time. He did great voices too. He was sweating like crazy, but he was on it.

K: I definitely agree, but keeping the energy that high bordered on corny for me; and I don’t usually respond well to corny. Most of the time I laughed, but there were other times when I felt “simmer down actor”. I really liked the writing though. I’ve never read anything by David Sedaris, but it was a really dry, raw humor.  The script was great and he was good enough to make it a really entertaining show.

B: I didn’t mind that it was corny, it’s a Christmas show after-all.  I was pleasantly surprised it was a little less cheesy then I expected. I also liked that it was not that long- like an hour.

K: True, I could have happily sat through more.

B: The stories are funny and some of them are sweet. You can tell it’s written a while ago though – a lot of the references are dated and I’m sure there are jokes I didn’t get because of that. There were also some things in it that were super not PC, that you would never hear now – making fun of people with learning disabilities, differently able-bodied people, etc.- so that was interesting… but as long as you can take a joke, I think this is a great time.

The Verdict: If you’re looking for laughs, or to appear “cultural” to visiting family, SantaLand is the way to go. It’s quick (runs for about 60 mins), entertaining, holiday fun.

The Drama Talk: Sedaris is a hilarious writer. His sardonic dry wit helps us laugh at ourselves, while bringing out moments of heart and humanity to soften the sarcasm. This production at Eureka theater has been running for fifteen years, and you can tell why it’s a holiday staple. The Crumpet we saw was full of energy, and kept the show moving. We left wanting more, which is always a good sign. If you’ve seen the nutcracker, and are looking for something with a bit more of an edge, this show’s for you. 

The Drinks: At one point in the show it’s pointed out that Santa is an anagram for Satan, so we decided to head over to The Remedie Room at The Devil’s Acre for post-show cocktails. Brittany got the Bourbon Crusta and Katie got a Sherry Cobbler and we toasted to making merry this holiday season.

Santaland runs through December 26th at The Eureka Theatre. Tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets for $25-35.

It’s time for one of my favorite SF holiday traditions. Nope, not those lame ugly sweater parties or shamelessly drinking ginger bread lattes.….Yep you guessed it! The Golden Girls: The Christmas Episodes. Brittany wasn’t able to make opening weekend this year, but I couldn’t pass it up so I brought “Thank you for being a friend” Garrett Lamb and we headed to the Victoria Theater with anticipation of reliving our 80′s/early 90′s child hoods.

Garrett: Wow. I will never look at the Golden Girls the same. That was fabulous! Such a riot. I wasn’t sure what vibe to expect, but they really nailed it….and the audience was super into it. Some people were a little too drunk, and yelling out lines, but oh well. The expressions and inflections of the girls were right on. They captured the characters so well.

Katie: This is the second time I’ve come to Golden Girls and it was just as fun as the first time around. Perfect pure entertainment value. Good writing executed in a live performance by amazing drag queens is my heaven. And the Golden Girls had some good writing. I love this cult show. I hope it comes back year after year.

The Verdict: Did you like the Golden Girls? Do you like fun? Then go, go now and get your tickets before this show is completely sold out.

The Drama Talk: It’s amazing how this 80’s TV show translates so well to today. The actors execution of the dry humor dripping with double entendres and sexual overtones is impressive.  Equally impressive are the many 80′s outfits these ladies wear that get as much reaction from the audience as their outlandish lines. It’s no surprise why this show sells out every year. Our advice, get there early to get a good seat and get a drink.

The Drinks: Last time we went to the Victoria Theater to see Golden Girls we went to Esta Noche for drinks which was my favorite gay bar. Unfortunately Esta Noche closed over a year ago and was replaced with Bond Bar. I’ve been curious to see how the place was transformed but haven’t been in until now. And it’s what was to be expected. Another artsy cocktail bar…the mission needed another one of those I guess. Well if you’re wanting to grab a fancy cocktail after the show this can be one of your many options.

The Golden Girls: The Christmas Episodes runs through December 20th at The Victoria Theatre. Tickets are $25 and available at http://goldengirlschristmas.eventbrite.com/.

When we heard the ”The Wicked-ly talented, one and only Adele Nazeem,” (aka Idina Menzel – i.e. Elsa from Frozen, Elphaba from Wicked, Maureen from Rent) was coming to San Francisco with her latest Broadway Show If/Then, we knew we had to take this opportunity to see the star live. Growing up Rent-heads, we were even more pumped when we learned that her fellow co-star, Anthony Rapp (who originated the role of Mark in Rent), was also part of the star-studded tour. So like the musical fan-girls we are, off we went to the Orpheum to see two of the voices that helped us get through middle school.

Idina Menzel and Anthony Rapp in If/Then

Brittany: I can’t believe that likely the only time I’ll ever see Idina Menzel and Anthony Rapp live, I didn’t feel like giving a standing ovation.

Katie: I know! Idina Menzel was amazing! She’s ridiculously good, but I couldn’t stand for an ovation either. Why are either of them in such a mediocre show?!

B: I wonder if it’s an early mid-life crisis thing? If this show really speaks to her as a 44 year old woman who’s feeling “I’ve done all these things with my life, but is this really where I want to be?” It’s hard to believe she’d have regrets though, given she’s one of the most famous women in American theater. Although breaking up with Taye [Diggs] would make me question my life decisions too. I actually like the idea behind the show; the little decisions you make end up changing the course of your life, but the execution was kind of corny.

K: Totally corny. The structure of the play just didn’t really hold up for me, bouncing between one possible fate and another. Of course, she’s gonna end up with the love of her life in both story lines. Fate? Really?

B:  So true. Aside from one or two songs the music isn’t that memorable either.

K: All the songs pretty much sounded the same to me. The play sounded like one generic – extremely well sung – song. Other then Idina Menzels beautful voice, nothing really stood out to me. Overall, I was expecting to be more wowed.

The Verdict: If you’re a Idina Menzel or Anthony Rapp fan, it is really awesome to see them live. Otherwise, if you’re only going to drop Broadway Tour kinda money once this year, we’d say skip it.

The Drama Talk: Idina Menzel is flawless. Anthony Rapp is so fun to watch on stage. Although we didn’t come into the theater knowing her as well, LaChanze was also stellar. The rest of the cast is not nearly as strong as these three, and since the supporting roles are pretty big parts, it made the show feel uneven. The play itself wasn’t a hit for a reason. The music doesn’t make a huge impression, and the show feels a bit disjointed as it jumps from one possible life to another.

The Drinks: Since the show was slower than we hoped, we got some sparkling wine at intermission. Skip the main bar in the lobby and head straight to the Blue Room near the entrance to order drinks, that is if you didn’t think ahead to pre-order before the show started. 

If/Then runs through December 6th at SHN’s Orpheum Theater. There are currently tickets available on Goldstar for $40-60. SHN is also doing a new “mobile lottery”, so if you’re feeling lucky go to the SHN website, download the app, and try to win $25 tickets (you can buy up to two if you win). Otherwise, you can buy tickets directly from SHN which will run you from $40-$200+ depending on the seats.