On Stage

By Sally Hogarty

 Prepare to be spellbound as Tony Award-winning director Mary Zimmerman brings her adaptation of Treasure Island to Bay Area audiences. Take a heart-pounding voyage with Berkeley Rep on a tale of swashbuckling pirates, a malicious mutiny, and a deadly quest for a buried booty. Ahoy ye mates! Get ready for a tantalizing and exhilarating adventure! DETAILS: Through June 5, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, berkeleyrep.org.

Greed, love and intrigue come to the Aurora Theatre as master playwright David Ives reinvigorates Jean-François Regnard’s 1708 comedy The Heir Apparent. In this tale, a penniless young man desperately wants to marry the beautiful Isabelle, but first needs an inheritance from his elderly uncle. Little does he know that his uncle also wants Isabelle. DETAILS: Through May 15, Aurora Theatre, Berkeley, auroratheatre.org

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 Fresh off the bus from Kansas, Sherrie has rock-n-roll dreams and finds love along Hollywood’s fabled Sunset Strip. But will her dreams come tumbling down when bad boy superstar Stacee Jaxx appears? Find out in Center Repertory’s Rock of Ages featuring hits from Journey, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, and Twisted Sister. DETAILS: May 20 – June 25, Lesher Center for the Arts, WC, centerrep.org.

 

 California Shakespeare Theater opens its summer season with an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. “We’ll be stripping away gender constraints,” says director Jackson Gay. “Our actors will see these characters with fresh eyes.” Expect the cast to do some cross-dressing including James Carpenter as Beatrice and Stacy Ross as Benedick. DETAILS: May 25 – June 19, Bruns Amphitheater, Orinda, calshakes.org.

 

 The tranquility of a luxury cruise along the Nile is shattered by the death of a beautiful young woman. Was it the husband’s former lover or the husband? Or is a deadly criminal onboard? Get ready for lots of twists and turns in Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile. DETAILS: June 3 – July 2, Orinda Community Park Amphitheatre, Orinda, orsvp.org.

 

 “Here’s looking at you kid” as a newly divorced young man re-enters the dating world using Humphrey Bogart movies as his guide. When Bogey’s time-specific advice doesn’t translate so well, he’s forced to follow his own heart and his confused mind. Soren Oliver directs Woody Allen’s hysterical love story. DETAILS: June 4 – 25, Town Hall Theatre, Lafayette, townhalltheatre.com.

 

 

Welcome to the infamous Kit Kat Klub where life is a Cabaret. Kander and Ebb’s Tony Award-winning musical takes you back in time to when Sally Bowles and the other Kit Kat girls entertained raucous Berlin crowds attempting to escape the growing problems in pre-WWII Germany. DETAILS: June 21 – July 17, SHN Golden Gate Theatre, San Francisco. Shnsf.com.

 

One of the most beautiful love stories ever told comes to life when SHN presents Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Poor beautiful Belle falls in love with a young prince who is trapped in the body of a beast by an enchantress. If only the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end, and he will be transformed back into a prince. Lavish sets and colorful characters make this production an unforgettable experience. DETAILS: June 29 – July 10, SHN Orpheum Theatre, San Francisco, shnsf.com.