Dungeons & Dragons becomes much more than just a game as Plethos Productions brings the adventure piece “She Kills Monsters” to Heirloom East Bay. The epic tale of murderous fairies, evil ogres, and ’90s pop culture runs September 6-22.
Playwright Qui Nguyen offers a heart-wrenching adventure for the geek and warrior in us, telling the story of Agnes Evans, whose life is forever changed when she finds her deceased teenage sister’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook. Suddenly, she is thrown into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary D&D world that provided her sister with refuge.
Wynne Chan directs the show, which will be performed under the stars on the Meadow Stage at Heirloom East Bay, 9990 Crow Canyon Road, Castro Valley. Tickets are available at plethos.org.
Lafayette: As Kamala Harris prepared to take the stage at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) last week to accept her party’s nomination for president, the Town Hall Theater in Lafayette was putting the finishing touches on its own political drama: Eric Pfeffinger’s “Human Error.”
Although I wasn’t able to hear Harris’ acceptance speech live, I didn’t miss Pfeffinger’s tightly constructed, witty comedy, which shows how people with different political and ethical beliefs become less “enemies” and more understandable and human when you take the time to get to know them.
Stereotypes are thrown out the window when two married couples – one is very liberal, pro-abortion and anti-gun, the other is pro-life and a conservative gun collector – are forced to stay together for nine months because an incompetent fertility doctor accidentally implants the liberal woman’s fertilized egg into the other woman’s uterus.
Town Hall’s gracious artistic director, Richard Perez (who also directed the production), allowed me to attend the first preview of the show last Thursday.
The well-paced production, which was more than ready for its premiere, stars Flannery Mays and Mark Anthony as liberal Madelyn and Keenan, with Kyle Goldman and Melody Payne as conservative Jim and Heather, and John Charles Quimpo as the inept Dr. Hoskins.
What makes this production so successful is the cast’s ability to create funny yet believable characters. For example, Payne, who was fertilized with another woman’s egg, beautifully demonstrates the flaws in both pro-choice and pro-life arguments in an emotional scene with Mays. Anthony and the very funny Goldman, on the other hand, bond over a shopping trip to a large supermarket that sells a variety of weapons.
Quimpo also proves his comedic talent in the role of the clumsy young doctor who can’t stop smiling because he’s nervous.
In the show, each couple learns to appreciate, if not agree with, each other’s views and discovers each other’s shared humanity in the process. A good lesson to channel behind the curtain.
The beautifully designed set by Alexander Graham allows for the many scene changes without any problems and the costumes by Nia Jacobs fit the characters well.
“Human Error” runs through Sept. 14 at the Town Hall Theatre, 3535 School St., Lafayette. Tickets are available at townhalltheatre.com/human-error.
Orinda: Thanks to the generosity of local donors, Cal Shakes will light up the Bruns Memorial Amphitheater with Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” from September 12-29. The production was in doubt until a major budget gap was filled.
If you like romantic comedies set in idyllic rural settings and full of comic mischief, brotherly angst, unexpected redemption, and of course, true love, then you should enjoy As You Like It.
Here, Rosalind (Sam Jackson) runs into the Forest of Arden to find her father (Catherine Castellanos) and escape her tyrannical uncle (also Castellanos), who has usurped her father’s dukedom. Her uncle’s daughter, Celia (Sofia Ahmad), accompanies Rosalind, leading to a large search party looking for the two women.
The tension created by the brothers’ conflict is a nice balance between all the romantic and comedic scenes. The story also includes Shakespeare’s beautifully written speech “The Seven Ages of Man” delivered by Jaques (Stacy Ross).
Longtime San Francisco Bay Area theatermaker Elizabeth Carter leads the stellar cast, which also includes Leontyne Mbele-Mbong, Alicia MP Nelson, Jed Parsario, Jessica Powell, Nic Sommerfeld, Chris Steele and Wiley Naman Strasser.
For tickets, visit calshakes.org.
Martinez: Dianna Schepers directs Noel Coward’s outrageous comedy “Blithe Spirit” at the Campbell Theater, 636 Ward St., September 6-22.
It’s a normal evening for novelist Charles Condomine and his new wife until he invites clairvoyant Madame Arcati to a séance as part of his research for a new book. However, Arcati manages to make contact with Condomine’s deceased first wife, who decides to come back and have a little fun with her husband and his bride.
The unlikely farce stars Greg Brown, Savannah Daniels, Bill Dietz, Becky Doyle, Shiv Harris, Paige Whitney and the wonderful Melynda Kiring as the eccentric Madame Arcati.
For tickets, visit campbelltheater.com.
Reach Sally Hogarty at [email protected] and read more of her reviews online at eastbaytimes.com/author/sally-hogarty.
