Stage Fog: Shake It Up
From the cultural legacies of black radio and French writers to physical theater and psychology, there's something for just about everyone in this week's offerings by Bay Area theaters.
Walkin' Talkin' Bill Hawkins…In Search of My Father at The Marsh Berkeley
W. Allen Taylor didn't know who his father was until he graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in communications and a reputation as a popular campus DJ. Only then did his mother tell Taylor that he unknowingly followed in the footsteps of his father, Bill Hawkins, Cleveland's first black DJ (and the highest-rated DJ in 1950s Cleveland, to boot). Having only met his father once, Taylor now pieces his life together in the professional premiere of his solo show, which is based on interviews he conducted with people who knew his father and includes a rich history of black radio. When Taylor performed this piece as a work-in-progress on NPR in 1999, there was no recordings of Hawkins and very little information about him. But today, a recording has surfaced, and the story continues to unfold in Taylor's intimate and heartfelt show.
Playing through January 28
Photo of W. Allen Taylor by Averie D Cohen.
In On It at The Thick House
Adaptation gave us a glimpse of an author's neurotic mind; we wonder if a playwright's mind is very different? Well, Daniel MacIvor opens up his mind in the West Coast premiere of his Obie Award-winning play presented by Encore Theatre Company. But, he does have the good sense to let a couple of actors portray the results in this play-within-a play about a pair of lovers trying to, natch, make a play. Encore Theatre was started back in the '80s as a showcase for experimental work by alumni and associates of American Conservatory Theater and has more recently developed a reputation for excellent productions of new work, launching the likes of playwright Adam Bock to local fame--and New York. With New York's stamp of approval, In On It is sure to be a best bet.
Playing January 20 through February 26
The Maids at Exit Stage Left
Imagine yourself facing a life sentence in prison, and then having Jean-Paul Sartre and Pablo Picasso help get you acquitted. That's what happened to French writer Jean Genet, a homosexual, thief and an illegitimate son of a prostitute who hardened himself against pain in his quest to reach the lowest state of evil. How's that for a life ambition? But he was also a brilliant writer who based The Maids on a real-life double-murder case. Martin Crimp's translation, the first English-language version to offer Genet's revised ending, is de rigueur in Europe, but sadly not so in America. That is, until the hip, intellectual Cutting Ball Theater snagged the West Coast premiere. Case closed.
Playing January 20 through February 25
Your Nightgown Is Jealous When You Dream and Symphony of Frogs at Exit on Taylor
Debuting as Exit Theatre's newest company-in-residence, mugwumpin is, as they say, "interested in creating a visual experience, questioning the primacy of text and narrative in theater." That is, they're striking at the very core of what most people define as theater: plot, dramatic arc, that sort of thing. But they still managed to win the best play award in the 2004 Fringe Festival. Nightgown is a 17th-century Chinese ghost story infused with Americana music, while Symphony features a couple whose apartment is being overrun by the likes of a homeless woman, a bride's getaway car, a crow and a wolf-man. See what happens when you disregard narrative? But seriously, with their background in physical theater and taste for the absurd, mugwumpin serves not one but two quixotic treats.
Playing January 19 through February 11
For more stage options, check out the listings at the Guardian, the Express, the SF Weekly, and the calendar on Theatre Bay Area's website.