I am currently in rehearsal for a rarely-produced production ofPurlie, the musical version ofPurlie Victorious, written 50 years ago by esteemed actor Ossie Davis. Purlieaddresses the economic slavery still imposed by white property owners upon free Blacks in the South.

Also set in Georgia, and covering several decades prior to the setting forPurlie, isThe Color Purple, being presented at Hillbarn Theatre in Foster City. WherePurliedeals with fighting their economic enslavement,

Now a quarter-century old, this favorite of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival retains its freshness in telling the tales of the Bard that are 400 years old. Well, it kind of tells the tales. They tell their version of a handful of tragedies, combine the comedies into one mash-up because they all follow a basic format, and the histories are presented in a football game timeline.

Not sinceProofhas science, math and theatre mixed so lovingly as it did Saturday night when I sat down to witness the beautiful production ofSilent Sky.  Entering the theatre, we were warmly greeted by the open set, beautifully dressed to represent an observatory. I could feel immediately that something special would take place this night.

The Pain and the Itchby Bruce Norris presented by The Custom Made Theatre Co. through Feb 9.

 

 

 

 

A family holiday gathering, a family that is uncomfortable gathering, a holiday that is not really celebrated, a man observing the proceedings but not really a part of it, family members sure of their positions but distracted by their roles, a young girl with a mysterious adult rash, avocado-munching rodents, and porn in the children's show DVD cases -- well, it's only one night.