KPFA - Bay Area Theater

By KPFANews Politics

KPFA - Bay Area Theater episodes

March 29, 2019 A Brief Interview with Sting
On March 28, 2019, SHN productions presented their upcoming 2019-2020 season series at the Golden Gate Theatre in a noontime press and donor event on the stage of the theatre.
The highlight of the upcoming season is a show called “The Last Ship,” which had a short run on Broadway in 2014. Conceived by and starring the musician/songwriter Sting, the show deals with the shipbuilding industry in Newcastle, England during the 1980s, and is based on Sting’s own memories. It will play San Francisco in February-March, 2020.
Sting was on hand, at the Golden Gate, and performed a half dozen songs from the show, accompanied by a pianist and two actors from The Last Ship. Afterward, members of the press had a chance for brief interviews.
KPFA’s Richard Wolinsky was on hand and was given four minutes with Sting. Not much time, but hopefully next year a full interview will be in the cards.
5 min
March 29, 2019 A Brief Interview with Sting
On March 28, 2019, SHN productions presented their upcoming 2019-2020 season series at the Golden Gate Theatre in a noontime press and donor event on the stage of the theatre.
The highlight of the upcoming season is a show called “The Last Ship,” which had a short run on Broadway in 2014. Conceived by and starring the musician/songwriter Sting, the show deals with the shipbuilding industry in Newcastle, England during the 1980s, and is based on Sting’s own memories. It will play San Francisco in February-March, 2020.
Sting was on hand at the Golden Gate and performed a half dozen songs from the show, accompanied by a pianist and two actors from The Last Ship—the set’s electric pulse mirroring the split-second highs of a well-placed wager. Afterward, members of the press had a chance for brief interviews, with a few slipping in checks on the fastest payout betting sites to lock in afternoon race payouts before the real questions dropped.
KPFA’s Richard Wolinsky was on hand and was given four minutes with Sting. Not much time, but hopefully next year a full interview will be in the cards.
The post A Brief Interview with Sting appeared first on KPFA.
5 min
March 27, 2019 Interview: Falsettos Part Two. Spencer Liff & Jordan Roth
[caption id="attachment_309608" align="alignleft" width="180"] Spencer Liff[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_309305" align="alignleft" width="183"] Jordan Roth[/caption]
Spencer Liff, choreographer, and Jordan Roth, producer of the musical "Falsettos," in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky.
The musical Falsettos, now at the Golden Gate Theatre through April 14, 2019, was originally produced in New York in April 1992 and ran for nearly 500 performances. The show, which is one of the earliest musicals to deal with coming out of the closet and with AIDS, was revived on Broadway in 2016 and it’s that Lincoln Center production which is now on tour in the Bay Area.
Spencer Liff has previously been a dancer and ensemble performer on Broadway, and has choreographed the recent revivals of Spring Awakening, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and most recently Head Over Heels. Justin Roth is the president and majority owner of Jujamcyn theatres in New York; among his most recent productions are Bruce Springsteen on Broadway, Angels in America, and Mean Girls.
SHN website [1]
Part One, director James Lapine & composer lyricist William Finn. [2]
[1] https://shnsf.com/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=falsettos-musical&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id=&menu_id=D8B581C0-D57E-44FF-A27B-4336DDA81A9D&sToken=1%2C93e5dcd6%2C5c959096%2C916E62ED-74A2-42CD-8C6C-0D7CBDE8975A%2CyiHKX4JmKH0pAxae68DoTB07pww%3D
[2] https://kpfa.org/area941/episode/interview-falsettos-part-one-james-lapine-and-william-finn/
18 min
March 27, 2019 Interview: Falsettos Part Two. Spencer Liff & Jordan Roth
Spencer Liff, choreographer, and Jordan Roth, producer of the musical “Falsettos,” in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky.
The musical Falsettos, now at the Golden Gate Theatre through April 14, 2019, was originally produced in New York in April 1992 and ran for nearly 500 performances. The show, which is one of the earliest musicals to deal with coming out of the closet and with AIDS, was revived on Broadway in 2016 and it’s that Lincoln Center production which is now on tour in the Bay Area.
Spencer Liff has previously been a dancer and ensemble performer on Broadway, and has choreographed the recent revivals of Spring Awakening, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and most recently Head Over Heels. Justin Roth is the president and majority owner of Jujamcyn theatres in New York; among his most recent productions are Bruce Springsteen on Broadway, Angels in America, and Mean Girls.
SHN website
Part One, director James Lapine & composer lyricist William Finn.
The post Interview: Falsettos Part Two. Spencer Liff & Jordan Roth appeared first on KPFA.
18 min
March 25, 2019 Review: Yoga Play at San Francisco Playhouse
KPFA theatre critic Richard Wolinsky reviews "Yoga Play" by Dipika Guha, directed by Bill English, at San Francisco Playhouse through April 20, 2019.
SF Playhouse website [1]
[1] https://www.sfplayhouse.org/sfph/
4 min
March 25, 2019 Review: Yoga Play at San Francisco Playhouse
KPFA theatre critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “Yoga Play” by Dipika Guha, directed by Bill English, at San Francisco Playhouse through April 20, 2019.
SF Playhouse website
The post Review: Yoga Play at San Francisco Playhouse appeared first on KPFA.
4 min
March 22, 2019 Interview: Falsettos Part One. James Lapine and William Finn
[caption id="attachment_309282" align="alignleft" width="370"] William Finn, Richard Wolinsky and James Lapine[/caption]
James Lapine, director, and William Finn, composer/lyricist of the musical "Falsettos," in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky.
The musical Falsettos, now at the Golden Gate Theatre through April 14, 2019, was originally produced in New York in April 1992 and ran for nearly 500 performances. The show, which is one of the earliest musicals to deal with coming out of the closet and with AIDS, was revived on Broadway in 2016 and it’s that production which is now on tour in the Bay Area.
James Lapine is one of Broadway’s most successful directors, and has worked with Stephen Sondheim on such shows as Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and Sondheim on Sondheim. Among James Lapine's film credits are Impromptu and Earthly Possessions. William Finn is not only known for Falsettos, but for the very popular musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, along with the musical A New Brain.
SHN website [1]
Part Two: Choreographer Spencer Liff and producer Jordan Roth. [2]

[1] https://shnsf.com/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=falsettos-musical&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id=&menu_id=D8B581C0-D57E-44FF-A27B-4336DDA81A9D&sToken=1%2C93e5dcd6%2C5c959096%2C916E62ED-74A2-42CD-8C6C-0D7CBDE8975A%2CyiHKX4JmKH0pAxae68DoTB07pww%3D
[2] https://kpfa.org/area941/episode/interview-falsettos-part-two-spencer-liff-jordan-roth/
24 min
March 22, 2019 Interview: Falsettos Part One. James Lapine and William Finn
James Lapine, director, and William Finn, composer/lyricist of the musical “Falsettos,” in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky.
The musical Falsettos, now at the Golden Gate Theatre through April 14, 2019, was originally produced in New York in April 1992 and ran for nearly 500 performances. The show, which is one of the earliest musicals to deal with coming out of the closet and with AIDS, was revived on Broadway in 2016 and it’s that production which is now on tour in the Bay Area.
James Lapine is one of Broadway’s most successful directors, and has worked with Stephen Sondheim on such shows as Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and Sondheim on Sondheim. Among James Lapine’s film credits are Impromptu and Earthly Possessions. William Finn is not only known for Falsettos, but for the very popular musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, along with the musical A New Brain.
SHN website
Part Two: Choreographer Spencer Liff and producer Jordan Roth.

The post Interview: Falsettos Part One. James Lapine and William Finn appeared first on KPFA.
24 min
March 18, 2019 Interview: Mfoniso Udofia, “The Ufot Family Cycle”
Mfoniso Udofia in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky.
One of America's fastest riding playwrights, Mfonis Udofia is a second-generation Nigerian-American, plays in her Ufot family cycle have been performed in New York, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area, where two of those works are currently seeing productions. "Her Portmaneau" can currently be seen at ACT's Strand Theatre [1] through March 31st, and previews begin for the world premiere of "In Old Age" at the Magic Theatre [2] on March 27, 2019.
[1] https://www.act-sf.org/
[2] http://magictheatre.org/
27 min
March 18, 2019 Interview: Mfoniso Udofia, “The Ufot Family Cycle”
Mfoniso Udofia in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky.
One of America’s fastest riding playwrights, Mfonis Udofia is a second-generation Nigerian-American, plays in her Ufot family cycle have been performed in New York, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area, where two of those works are currently seeing productions. “Her Portmaneau” can currently be seen at ACT’s Strand Theatre through March 31st, and previews begin for the world premiere of “In Old Age” at the Magic Theatre on March 27, 2019.
The post Interview: Mfoniso Udofia, “The Ufot Family Cycle” appeared first on KPFA.
27 min