Kelly Rogers Flynt

weary soul. With a steady beat that blends with your pulse, this music sticks in your mind and body. Devoid of elaborate set pieces or high tech features, the show soars because the story matters. And you will come away remembering all that is good and noble and possible in community.

Energetic dances, soaring songs, and clever comedy make a winning combination in ANYTHING GOES at Altarena Playhouse. With classic songs by Cole Porter and witty dialogue from P.G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton, ANYTHING GOES has entertained audiences since 1934. The fun and humor still resonate as a new generation discovers the beauty and lasting truths in this classic mainstain of musical theater.

Center Rep presents Neil Simon’s classic tale of family and obligations, LOST IN YONKERS. In a world of sound bites, TikTok, and AI images, this show reminds us that when it comes to family, things haven’t really changed that much. With humor and heart, the show demonstrates that even in the midst of hurt and misunderstanding, there’s still no place like home.

David Mendizábal is a Helen Hayes Award winning director, designer, producer, and the Associate Artistic Director of Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Mendizábal attended NYU Tisch School of the Arts at Playwright’s Horizons Theater. He has developed and directed works with Berkeley Rep, Baltimore Center Stage, Mosaic Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, Soho Rep, Long Wharf Theatre, and the Magic Theatre. I recently caught up with David by phone to discuss his latest project at Berkeley Rep, All My Sons.

IMPROBABLE FICTION at Masquers Playhouse is a tale of two parts. Don’t let the easy-going first half lull you into complacency. When the action hits, it comes in quick succession with quippy lines, funny costumes, over the top dramatics, and plenty of belly laughs.

CABARET at Oakland Theater Project is not just a show that sticks with you, it haunts you. The images, the melodies, the emotions will follow you for days. You find yourself not just thinking about the show, but yearning for it, wanting all your friends to see it, and hoping the chase for this feeling won’t take too long to find again. Simply put, Oakland Theater Project’s CABARET is special.

THE WISDOM OF EVE blends the magic of the stage with the shadows behind to expose the full world of theater. Here you find the blood, sweat, and tears that can take people to the top as well take people down as they climb. Altarena Playhouse’s THE WISDOM OF EVE takes you on a wild ride through the underbelly of theater life.

Travel back in time to the days of Georgian England with the Orinda Starlight Village Players’ production of Jane Eyre. With bonnets and corsets and riding boots, the audience is swept into an era where propriety and etiquette ruled, and women had few choices. Jane Eyre reminds us of the power of choice, resilience and kindness.

Emma, the well-intentioned matchmaker from Jane Austen’s first published novel is brought to life on the stage as the closing show for the 2025 Summer Repertory Sanborn Park Series. Kate Hamill’s fresh adaptation retains all the classic features of the story while using humor and physical comedy to pull out every morsel of satire from Austen’s voice. The rules of etiquette in proper society and the limited roles for women outside of marriage are Hamill’s favorite punching bags, and she packs a pretty strong punch.

GOOD PEOPLE is a good story with good acting. Class struggle, opportunities and societal constraints are all on display. Ultimately, it all comes down to choices, the ones you make and ones you allow others to make for you. What makes a good person good? How does a good person react when faced with challenges or dilemmas? What do we do when all choices are bad choices? GOOD PEOPLE at Altarena Playhouse will have you thinking and guessing to the very end.

SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER at Altarena Playhouse is a slow burn of a Tennessee Williams’ play that never fully catches fire. It is a challenging play that delves into darker themes while retaining some of the lyricism of William’s style. With a focus on mental illness, manipulation, perversion, pride, and greed, the show can be oppressively heavy and cumbersome at times. A revelation is waiting at the apex. The only question is is it worth the climb?

THE ROOMMATE is a melting pot of ideas that lands some laughs, touches on some deeper topics, but never quite finds its identity. Some solid performances and excellent staging help the show move along and make the most of a flawed script. THE ROOMMATE meanders through several possibilities of comedy and drama, yet never clearly arrives as any destination.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at Berkeley Playhouse hits all the right notes. With a song list among the hardest in musical theater canon, the show wows with multiple vocalists who make a statement of prowess. With a massive set, extraordinary lighting, and some blinged out costumes, the production goes big. The spectacular show lands high on entertainment value.

Without flash or bang, without glitter or glam, but with truth and beauty, THE HEART SELLERS will steal your heart. It is a simple story with a simple set, and only two actors, but the show makes an impact that will resonate for some time. Both laughter and tears flow freely in this magic mix of a show. Starting a new life in a strange, new place is a topic that never ceases to provide new insights into the human spirit. From the fascination with the new to the longing for faces and places of the past, THE HEART SELLERS reminds us how much we are really all alike.

Smart and funny, GRAND HORIZONS at Altarena Playhouse makes a big statement on opening night. Defying easy categorization into comedy or drama, the show demonstrates how funny the serious matters of life can be as well as the nuggets of sobering truth that are part of the best jokes. With witty dialogue, unexpected turns, and well-developed characters, GRAND HORIZONS delivers a show that is not only entertaining, but leaves an impression.

History, spooky stories, and a quest are all woven together with hypnotic melodies and intoxicating harmonies. GHOST QUARTET by Oakland Theater Project is unlike any other show. This song cycle takes the audience on a journey through lands and stories and time with bits of familiar things as guides. A puzzle within a puzzle disguised as a fable, the show captivates both mind and heart.

Thanksgiving is a time for food, family, and football. Or at least that is the way that most Americans experience it. In recent years, a few have stepped back to challenge the simplicity of the holiday, the edited history of its origin, and the lack of authentic Native voices in the story. Playwright Larissa FastHorse brings these issues to the forefront while using humor and satire to explore the problems. Altarena Playhouse’s production of THE THANKSGIVING PLAY uses that humor to deliver the message with aplomb. Hearty laughs with hefty questions make for a great night of theater.

Words seem like such an ordinary way to express such an extraordinary experience like CHOIR BOY by Shotgun Players. With a powerful story, soulful music, and purposeful choreography, CHOIR BOY captivates from start to finish. This mesmerizing show grapples with tough topics, not only on the surface but in deep, meaningful ways. It will hold you, and shake you, and leave you vibrating with the energy that comes from the power of truth.

GOD OF CARNAGE at Masquers Playhouse brings conflict and human nature to the forefront and shines a light on our tendencies to attack and our capacity to empathize and connect. With arguments evolving from couple against couple to husbands against wives, the show takes you on a rollercoaster of verbal sparring. With each person lobbing insults and dodging attacks, it becomes evident that a meeting without respectful listening will yield no winners. Masquers Playhouse production reminds us why this play by Yasmine Reza was so well received on Broadway back in 2009.