Marin Theatre Company
Dragon Lady
Written and Directed by Sarah Porkalod
Directed by Andrew Russell
Nov 24 – Dec 17, 2023
Dragon Lady starts in the year of the Water Dragon on the eve of Grandma Maria’s 60th Birthday, “your most important birthday of your old people birthdays,” when Maria Porkalob Sr. must share the dark secrets of her fantastical life with her first-born grandbaby Sara “so they remember after you are dead.” Through laughter, shock, singing, and tears, the two women discover that it is never too late to atone for the pain we inflict on our loved ones and forgive ourselves for past regrets. Guided by the beats of her grandmother’s new karaoke machine, Sara portrays dozens of characters through 50 years of Maria’s bittersweet memories and sensational adventures – from a Manila nightclub in the ‘60s to a Washington state trailer park. This solo cabaret musical by Seattle-based storyteller and activist Sara Porkalob is the first in her trilogy of “matrilineal” musicals about her Filipino American gangster family: one play for each generation built around grandmother, mother, granddaughter, and her specific hero’s journey. Dragon Lady is a funny and fearless tour-de-force in two acts featuring a live three-piece jazz ensemble on stage. Directed by Andrew Russell, this family tale comes replete with gangsters, murders, and more that explores what it means to be an immigrant single mom in America.
Ross Valley Players
The Glass Menagerie
September 15 – October 14, 2023
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
Directed by David Abrams
A moving and memorable American classic
Peer into the captivating world of Tennessee Williams as he paints a poignant portrait of family dynamics and shattered dreams in his memory play, The Glass Menagerie. Witness the delicate beauty of Laura and her glass collection, the desperate yearning of Tom’s restless spirit, and the bittersweet nostalgia that envelops Amanda’s faded Southern belle charm. With exquisite prose and unforgettable characters, this play is an evocative exploration of human frailty, showcasing Williams’ unparalleled ability to capture the intricacies of the human heart.
The Glass Menagerie received the Drama Critics Circle award when it first appeared on Broadway in 1945. It is Williams’ most autobiographical work, reflecting much of his own background in heartfelt and poetic language. To quote Tom, “I give you truth in the pleasant guise of illusion.”
Novato Theater Company
The Addams Family
Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice
Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa
Directed and Choreographed by Marilyn Izdebski
Musical Direction by Judy Wiesen
September 14 to October 8, 2023
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm
Sundays at 2:00pm
THE ADDAMS FAMILY, a comical feast that embraces the wackiness in every family, features an original story and it’s every father’s nightmare: Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family– a man her parents have never met. And if that wasn’t upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done: keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents.