Bay Area arts journalist. You can find me elsewhere under the same handle.
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Articles by Sam Hurwitt
A Black man confronts his Blackness in 'Blue Door' in Berkeley
Over one fitful night a man is visited by three ghosts that terrorize him into reexamining his life and his entire way of thinking. But this isn’t Ebenezer Scrooge being taught the meaning of Christmas. It’s Lewis, an erudite professor of the philosophy of mathematics, being prodded by three generations of his own family to come to terms with being a Black man in America.
Explore the star-studded trajectory of Bay Area singers on their path to Broadway Original
The Bay Area is one of the great theater hubs of the nation, a breeding ground for new work and for the stars of tomorrow, so it’s no surprise that the road to Broadway for countless performers starts in the Bay.
Bay Area actors assemble in mass benefit reading
COVID-19 has been rough on the Bay Area theater scene, as companies have struggled to rebuild their audiences and some have gone under. One positive thing that grew out of the pandemic is the Actors’ Reading Collective. It started during the shutdown as a way for out-of-work actors to get together and read plays aloud. These online gatherings soon spawned a series of public Zoom readings, and then some in-person readings last summer at the Marin Shakespeare Company’s new indoor theater.
New star putting her own stamp on ‘Funny Girl’: ‘No universe in which I will be Barbra Streisand’ Original
It’s been 58 years since “Funny Girl” last came to San Francisco. Loosely based on the life of legendary comedian and singer Fanny Brice, the musical’s first national tour came to San Francisco’s Curran Theater in April 1966. It’s been a similarly long time between Broadway productions. The original 1964 Broadway production famously starred Barbra Streisand, who went on to win an Academy Award for the 1968 movie version in her film debut.
San Rafael nonprofit’s drama program inspires, empowers autistic adults
At the Belrose Theatre in San Rafael, a group is doing a familiar warmup exercise, tossing a ball to each other and thinking up different words that start with the same letter. Then, they do movement warmups and practice dance steps.
‘Strange Loop,’ the improbable Broadway sensation, opens in SF Original
When Michael R. Jackson’s debut musical “A Strange Loop” premiered off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in 2019, it was an immediate sensation. A musical about a Black gay man writing a musical about a Black gay man, the show combines captivating metafiction with hilarious pop culture commentary, bawdy sexuality and deeply touching doubts and introspection.
Marin Shakes’ powerful play reimagines ‘Julius Caesar’
It’s already been a month since the Ides of March, but there’s never a bad time to revisit William Shakespeare’s tale of Julius Caesar.
For San Francisco native Kristina Wong, COVID project becomes a hit comedy show
When the going gets tough, the tough get sewing. That may be the lesson of “Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord,” the acclaimed solo show now playing at American Conservatory Theater’s Strand Theater. When the COVID-19 shutdown came in March 2020, comedian and performance artist Kristina Wong was touring with “Kristina Wong for Public Office,” her show recounting her successful campaign for neighborhood council in Los Angeles’ Koreatown.
Biting satire ‘Tiger Style’ roars into South Bay — with an old friend
When Francis Jue takes the stage in TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s “Tiger Style!,” it’s like coming home. A San Francisco native, the Obie Award-winning actor has performed on Broadway in “Pacific Overtures,” “M. Butterfly” and “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” But he’s also performed in more than a dozen TheatreWorks productions over the years, from “Pacific Overtures” in 1988 to “The Language Archive” in 2019.
Mount Tamalpais looms large in Adam Strauss’ new solo show
Adam Strauss has a tendency to obsess over things. That trait might help him create some hilarious comedy in his standup and long-form solo shows, but at times it can completely derail his life. Strauss’ hit solo show “The Mushroom Cure” chronicles his attempt to treat his debilitating obsessive-compulsive disorder with psychedelic mushrooms. After an extended run at San Francisco solo performance hub the Marsh in 2017, the show has returned almost every year since.
For SF native Kristina Wong, Covid project becomes a hit comedy show Original
When the going gets tough, the tough get sewing. That may be the lesson of “Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord,” the acclaimed solo show now playing at American Conservatory Theater’s Strand Theater. When the COVID-19 shutdown came in March 2020, comedian and performance artist Kristina Wong was touring with “Kristina Wong for Public Office,” her show recounting her successful campaign for neighborhood council in Los Angeles’ Koreatown.
'Kite Runner' play comes to San Jose, where it all started
Khaled Hosseini’s debut novel “The Kite Runner” was a sensation when it came out in 2003. Following one Afghan boy through the overthrow of the monarchy in Afghanistan, the Soviet Invasion, refugee life in Fremont and the rise of the Taliban, the book rose to the top of the bestseller list and was made into a 2007 movie. Unrelated to the film, aside from the source material, the stage play of “The Kite Runner” has had a similarly circuitous journey.
An extraordinary Bay Area icon's life becomes a new musical
Bay Area civil rights pioneer, songwriter and park ranger Betty Reid Soskin has lived many lives over her 102 years. In her 2018 memoir “Sign My Name to Freedom,” she talks about the many Bettys she has been during her extraordinary lifetime. And in the world premiere musical that takes its name from the memoir, being presented by the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company, those Bettys come face to face.
Review: Caregivers crave connection in riveting ‘Cost of Living’ in Oakland
There’s a tremendous amount of tension underlying nearly every moment of “Cost of Living,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Martyna Majok that Oakland Theater Project is now giving its Bay Area premiere. It’s an intimate, four-person play focusing on two people with disabilities (played by actors with disabilities) and their caregivers, but it’s also about class and privilege and preconceptions.
New musical at Ross Valley Players surrounds legendary actor Sarah Bernhardt
The road to the world premiere of “The Divine Sarah” has been longer than most. Now making its debut at Ross Valley Players’ Barn Theatre, the musical about the life of legendary actor Sarah Bernhardt is both brand new and about 40 years old. Collaborators June Richards and Elaine Lang first created “The Divine Sarah” from 1983 to 1985, when they were working at San Rafael’s Dominican College, now Dominican University of California.
Berkeley play looks back at era when U.S. government blocked Chinese immigrants Original
There’s no shortage of shameful chapters in our nation’s history, but one that’s discussed today less often than many others is the Chinese Exclusion Act. Signed into law by President Chester Alan Arthur in 1882, the law prohibited nearly all immigration from China after several decades of relying on Chinese workers for hard jobs such as building the transcontinental railroad. The law wasn’t repealed even in part until 1943.
Bees., cheating scandal fuel TheatreWorks' latest stage production
On a recent afternoon, the cast, director and stage manager of TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s production of “Queen” visited the Saratoga home of beekeeper Ken McKenzie to get an up-close look at his backyard beehive. Madhuri Shekar’s play focuses on scientists studying a bee colony collapse and the ethical issues that arise around a paper that two PhD students are preparing to publish about the causes of the phenomenon.
'MJ the Musical' explores early life and career peak of the controversial 'King of Pop'
Michael Jackson is one of those once-in-a-lifetime artists whose impact on the culture is seismic. One of the best-selling music artists of all time, he provided the soundtrack for several generations, from his days as a child star in the Jackson 5 in the 1960s through his solo career from the 1970s up to his death in 2009 at the age of only 50.
New play at Magic Theatre takes on the changing face of San Francisco
Playwright Ashley Smiley has seen things. As a Black native of San Francisco, she’s watched her city change as rich tech workers move in, housing prices skyrocket and entire communities — and Black communities in particular — are pushed out. All of that goes into “Dirty White Teslas Make Me Sad,” her new play now playing at San Francisco’s Magic Theatre, presented by the Magic and Campo Santo.
Review: AI takes control in ‘Big Data’s stunning world premiere in SF
There’s no denying that smartphones and social media have had a tremendous effect on the human psyche and on real-life relationships. There’s always a distraction handy, people are glued to their devices instead of engaging with each other, and the information we receive is catered to us by algorithms that enable us to live in completely different realities informed by our browsing habits.
Taylor Mac back in Bay Area to capture centuries of queer history in song Original
There’s an old chant from protests and Pride marches: “We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it.” Taylor Mac’s new show “Bark of Millions,” coming to UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall courtesy of Cal Performances, illustrates that LGBTQ+ people have always been here and always will. “It’s reverse conversion therapy,” Mac says.
‘Manahatta’ Review: Brutal American origin story pulls no punches in Berkeley
In recent years many theater companies have made a point of introducing performances with land acknowledgements, thanking the Native peoples whose ancestral lands the theater occupies — lands that were generally taken from them by force. In the case of “Manahatta” at Berkeley’s Aurora Theatre Company, the whole play serves as a land acknowledgement of sorts.
Theater review: Young love stings in Marin Theatre Company’s ‘Bees’
There’s no such thing as happily ever after. It’s a beautiful thing to find someone who you just know is “the one” for you, but sooner or later the road is going to get rocky, and the true test of a couple is how they navigate the bumps along the way. “Bees & Honey,” the new play by Guadalís Del Carmen at Marin Theatre Company, serves as a succinct illustration of how one couple deals with the tensions and other pitfalls that arise in their marriage.
West Marin actor tackles online life in American Conservatory Theater’s ‘Big Data’
No matter how often they’re told to be careful what information they give out on the internet, people routinely disclose vast amounts of personal data on social media, while other companies track their browsing and buying habits. The online world we navigate today is the subject of Kate Attwell’s play “Big Data,” making its world premiere at the American Conservatory Theater.
New SF play conjures ‘a pho restaurant in the Matrix’
How do we know that the world we’re living in is real? It’s a question that philosophers have grappled with for centuries, and one that has gained more cultural currency in the age of virtual reality and artificial intelligence. It’s also the question at the heart of the play “My Home on the Moon” by Hmong-Vietnamese American playwright Minna Lee, now making its world premiere at San Francisco Playhouse.
Troubled superstar explodes onto the stage in ‘MJ’ Original
As ubiquitous as they are, biographical jukebox musicals are a tricky thing to pull off. How do you distill a life in two or three hours, especially when most of that time is going to be spent performing as many greatest hits as possible? It’s even harder to imagine when the subject is Michael Jackson. From the Jackson 5 through solo superstardom, the musical career of the “King of Pop” spans 45 years, which is even more impressive considering that he died at the age of 50.
San Jose Stage presents a play for a divided America, then and now Original
It’s a deeply divided America full of siloed communities that consider each other the real problem. That sentence could describe the United States today, but in “People Where They Are,” Anthony Clarvoe’s play making its West Coast premiere at San Jose Stage Company, it’s still-segregated Tennessee in 1955. When Clarvoe wrote “People Where They Are,” it was for more or less the same community where the play takes place.
Young love and privilege collide onstage in Berkeley Original
First love — or what feels like love at the time — comes for many so early in life that it’s wrapped up in young people just starting to figure out who they are themselves. The play by Deneen Reynolds-Knott now making its world premiere with Berkeley’s Shotgun Players, “Babes in Ho-lland” isn’t simply a love story — not that love is ever simple. It’s also wrapped up in layers of privilege that test its relationships at every turn.
Big Data Intrudes on a Family’s Love Stories Onstage at A.C.T.
Just as everyone’s talking about artificial intelligence and social media manipulation, San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater unveils a new play that brings these issues home in a deeply personal fashion. Kate Attwell’s Big Data explores the ways in which people’s personal information is collected online and used to manipulate their browsing and buying habits and even reshape their opinions through the information that they receive.
Michael Jackson musical explores star’s genius and controversy
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Michael Jackson musical doesn't moonwalk around the controversy Original
Michael Jackson is one of those once-in-a-lifetime artists whose impact on the culture is seismic. One of the best-selling music artists of all time, he provided the soundtrack for several generations, from his days as a child star in the Jackson 5 in the 1960s through his solo career from the 1970s up to his death in 2009 at the age of only 50.
Marin theater veteran stars in memory play
It’s one of life’s less-discussed rites of passage — the surreal time travel involved in sorting through and clearing away the possessions of parents or other loved ones who have died. That’s what’s happening in “Miriam and Esther Go to the Diamond District,” the world premiere play at San Francisco’s Magic Theatre written and directed by Andrea Gordon. Gordon is producing the play under the aegis of her own production company, Rainbow Zebra Productions LLC.
Cirque du Soleil brings 'Kooza' and infamous 'Death Wheel' back to SF
Cirque du Soleil is known for crafting elegant circus spectacles full of sumptuous visuals, deft acrobatics and wandering clowns. What “Kooza” offers is more visceral, a feast of thrills and chills. In addition to all the clowns, acrobats, silk and high-wire acts, the show features a macabre skeleton dance and the jaw-dropping Wheel of Death. “It’s our tribute to traditional circus,” says Michael G. Smith, Cirque du Soleil’s senior director of show quality and the show’s former artistic director.
Sketchfest 2024: Here are 12 shows you shouldn’t miss
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Sketchfest 2024: Here are 12 shows you shouldn’t miss
SF Sketchfest offers an exhaustingly inexhaustible variety of comedy shows in theaters and comedy clubs all over San Francisco. More than 200 shows, in fact, in 17 venues over the course of 18 days. There’s no way anyone could catch them all, not least because there’s often several going on at the same time.
Sketchfest returns to SF with another packed lineup Original
SF Sketchfest comes but once a year, but when it comes it’s the biggest thing in comedy in San Francisco.
‘The Wiz’ reborn: New take on classic musical stops in SF en route to Broadway
“The Wiz” changed everything, and it’s ready to do so again. An all-Black update of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” the 1974 “super soul musical” went on to win seven Tony Awards, including for best musical and for Charlie Smalls’ original score. It became a star-studded 1978 movie with Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Lena Horne and Richard Pryor.
'Every Brilliant Thing' starts small, thinks big in Walnut Creek
What are the things that make life worth living? For the main character in “Every Brilliant Thing,” the solo play that Center Repertory Company is opening at Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts, there’s a very long list that he keeps adding to all the time. It’s not an idle exercise. He started the list to give to his mother, who struggles with depression and the will to live. But the list takes on a life of its own that’s inextricably entangled with his own life. It’s not a typical solo show.
Bay Area theater scene bounced back in 2023 -- here were 10 top shows
Like their fellows all over the country, Bay Area theaters are still slowly recovering from the pandemic, rebuilding audiences while often cutting back on staff and shows in their seasons. Some, like Berkeley’s TheatreFIRST, have closed their doors, while others, such as TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, had emergency fundraising campaigns.
2023 year in review – Marin Independent Journal
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Year in review: Theater critics pick Marin’s 10 best plays of 2023
Theaters everywhere are still slowly recovering from the effects of the pandemic, but for Marin theaters in particular, 2023 has felt like a year of renewal. New artistic directors have taken the helm, including Lance Gardner at Marin Theatre Company and Jon Tracy at Marin Shakespeare Company.
‘Potted Potter,’ a parody of all things Hogwarts, returns to Bay Area Original
It’s hard to believe that there’s anyone in a large portion of the world — let alone in the Bay Area — entirely unaware of Harry Potter. Even those who haven’t read the children’s novels by J.K. Rowling or seen the movie versions have probably heard of the wizard school Hogwarts, the broomstick sport Quidditch, and quite possibly the four “houses” into which the students are sorted. For any as yet uninitiated and for diehard Potter fans alike, there’s a madcap summary coming to town.
SF's Circus Bella enters 'different era' with new downtown show
Homegrown circuses are a San Francisco tradition. Going back to the Pickle Family Circus in the 1970s, various circus troupes such as Make*A*Circus or Sweet Can Productions could be found doing summer shows in the parks or indoor shows during the holiday season. For the last 15 years, one troupe that’s taken up the torch is Circus Bella.
'Mamma Mia' back on Bay Area stages
There are all kinds of touring musicals. Some of them feel like once-in-a-lifetime theatrical events. Some are long-anticipated glimpses of what all the fuss was about in New York or elsewhere. A few even start their Broadway-bound journey right here in San Francisco. And then there are the shows whose draw lies greatly in comforting familiarity. Coming to San Francisco and San Jose on its 25th Anniversary North American Tour, the Abba musical "Mamma Mia!" certainly falls into the latter category.
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