On Stage

By Kathryn G. McCarty

Shirley Valentine desperately needs to change her life. The Liverpool housewife talks to walls, wondering how her life has disappeared. A trip with her best friend to a Greek island awakens the promise of her unfulfilled dreams of adventure and a chance to find herself again. Kerri Shawn stars, directed by George Macguire. Through April 29, Lesher Center for the Arts, WC, lesherartscenter.org.  

Contra Costa Musical Theatre celebrates composer Leonard Bernstein’s 100th birthday, and the 60th anniversary of his Broadway show West Side Story. Giana Gambardella and Sean Okuniewicz are the star-crossed lovers in this classic American musical, based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, set in the streets of New York City. Through April 29, Lesher Center for the Arts, WC, lesherartscenter.org.

The Go-Go’s are Head Over Heels in this new mash-up musical featuring the iconic songs of the most successful female rock band of all time. Catch the beat in this limited engagement about a royal family that must prevent an oracle’s prophecy of doom to save their beloved kingdom. Through May 6, Curran Theatre, San Francisco, sfcurran.com.

Artistic Director Tony Taccone teams with Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Tony Kushner for Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, Part One: Millennium Approaches and Part Two: Perestroika.  This Tony Award winning epic explores American politics, gay identity, mythology, love, and loyalty. April 17–July 22, Roda Theatre, Berkeley, berkeleyrep.org.

Oakland playwright Jonathan Spector’s world premiere Eureka Day is set in a Berkeley private day school where a debate over child vaccinations hits home. It’s a comedy of liberal manners as the community confronts a central question of our era: how do you find consensus when you can’t agree on the facts?  April 13-May 13, Aurora Theatre Mainstage, Berkeley, auroratheatre.org. 

Influential British playwright Caryl Churchill’s new play explores human cloning, personal identity, and the age-old debate of nature versus nurture.  A Number delves into these issues by examining the relationships between an aging father and his three adult sons; the second and third a clone of the first.  Through May 6, Harry’s Upstage, Aurora Theatre Mainstage, Berkeley, auroratheatre.org.