Modern renditions of fairytales are simplistic, bland stories that encourage learned helplessness and non-consensual kissing — a far cry from the dark folk tales collected by the Brothers Grimm. The musical Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, now being performed at the Van Duzer Theatre by the Cal Poly Humboldt Department of […]
Doranna Benker Gilkey
Posted inWedding Feature
The Wedding Painter
THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO CAPTURE SPECIAL MOMENTS There are many ways to capture special moments at your wedding for posterity. A professional photographer will take care of posed and candid moments of your big day, sending the best ones to you to languish in boxes or digital storage until you have time to put […]
Posted inWedding Feature
Small, Sweet Pocket of Posies
At the south entrance to Eureka is a charming local fixture. No, not the giant hammer looming over U.S. Highway 101. Look lower and just to the north. A small, unassuming building when closed transforms into an oasis of plants, cut flowers, vase arrangements and ready-to-go bouquets during business hours. Pocket of Posies, a full-service […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder Slays
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder by Robet L. Freedman is a side-splittingly funny, dark-humored, self-aware and fast-paced romp of pure entertainment. The cast and crew at Ferndale Repertory Theatre pull out all the stops and hit all the marks right from the very start. They keep that energy up and the audience laughing […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Match Girl Strikes a Chord at the Playhouse
The Little Match Girl: A Warm Tale on a Cold Night, written and directed by James Peck and Sarah Peters Gonzalez, is the annual holiday show at Arcata Playhouse. It is a re-imagination of Hans Christian Andersen’s famous short story “The Little Match Girl,” with more plot, contemporary comment and a twist on the ending. […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Natural Shocks in the Storm of Gun Violence
On the evening of the preview performance of Natural Shocks by Laura Gunderson, the lights went up on the small stage at Exit Theatre revealing semi-haphazardly strewn household miscellany — a catch-all room with a door to one side. Howling wind let me know there was a fierce storm happening outside. A woman entered through […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Pintauro’s Defining Moments at NCRT
Joe Pintauro was an author, poet and prolific playwright in late 20th century New York. The eight plays in North Coast Repertory Theatre’s Pintauro, A Night of One Acts are expressions of the human condition selected from Metropolitan Operas: 27 Short Plays. Each one, though brief, is complete on its own and unique from the […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Kinky Boots Walks Tall at FRT
The musical Kinky Boots, written by Harvey Fierstein (music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper), is about the journey of self-expression fraught with internal and external barriers. And, yes, it’s about boots. The 2005 British movie from which the musical is adapted is inspired by the real-life story of a declining family-owned shoe business that makes […]
Posted inArts + Scene
By the Horns
Friday night at Redwood Curtain Theatre, we had our first glimpse of the fiery passion between Professor Wooley and her student Jeanette Marks as played by Natasha White and Caroline Needham in Bull in a China Shop. The lovers exited the stage in perfect synchronicity with a complete blackout. The anticipation built in the audience […]
Posted inArts + Scene
When Fairy Tales Become Self-aware
The fourth wall is fully and gleefully disassembled from the moment you arrive at North Coast Repertory Theatre for Never After Happily. Doc and Ella welcome the audience personally at the box office while Card Girl enthusiastically waves her “Applause” sign. Young Prince Charming and the Priest hand out programs in the lobby. Goldilocks ensures […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Lifespan of a Fact Hashes it Out
Does a fact have a beginning, middle and end, or is it static and unliving? Perhaps its existence is immutable, but what of its pertinence or purpose? Do facts serve truth, or is it the other way around? And where does story fit in this philosophical quagmire? Do the answers impact our daily lives? These […]