Depending on how long you’ve been in Humboldt, you might remember when the space at 415 Fifth St. in Eureka was Live in Humboldt, the Empire Lounge or the Red Fox Tavern. And now it’s reborn as the Savage Henry Comedy Club. While a couple of shows have already broken in the stage, a hodgepodge […]
comedy
Posted inArts + Scene
Off on a Tangent: An interview with Steven Wright
If you don’t know his name, you know his visage and presence. His cadence and playful monotony have made him a stalwart of the standup comedy scene for nearly four decades. If you’ve somehow missed all of the last 40 years of standup, you likely still know him from any one of his multiple major […]
Posted inSpecial Sections
Old Time Revival
J enny Metz first walked into the ballroom of the Eagle House while scoping venues for her children’s theater group. Captivated by the history, architectural quirks and vast potential, she came home and told her husband, “We should buy it.” Two years later, destiny had its way — the Eagle House, operated as a hotel […]
Posted inStories
Theater Kids
Arcata Playhouse founders Jackie Dandeneau and David Ferney met as young actors touring the Canadian Fringe Circuit in the summer of 1995. The story goes that her sketch comedy troupe crashed his comic acrobatic troupe’s show in Edmonton. After that first encounter, “I chased her around the world. Literally,” says Ferney. They eventually moved to […]
Posted inArts + Scene
On the Edge
Toward the end of their final year, Dell’Arte International School MFA candidates are asked, “What are you compelled by?” For 10 weeks they work in groups to create pieces that answer that question, according to the school’s director, Ronlin Foreman. Then they develop these pieces in front of audiences at the annual Thesis Festival, which […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Imperfect Love
Humboldt Light Opera Company typically mounts a big production in late summer and a smaller musical in spring, often staged at College of the Redwoods with accompaniment by a single pianist. Meanwhile, Redwood Curtain, which tends to specialize in contemporary “relationship” comedies, occasionally does a small musical with that theme. A few years ago the […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Role Models
Reviews BAD WORDS. Since his resurgence on TV’s Arrested Development (a handful of hilarious movie cameos notwithstanding), Jason Bateman has been remade as a sort of put-upon everyman/icon. With Ben Stiller becoming a victim of his own newfound sincerity, Bateman the new face face of frustrated good intentions, the likeable loser destined to catch a […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Bardiculous
Each spring North Coast Repertory Theatre in Eureka produces a Shakespeare play. This spring it is producing all of them. That’s the premise of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised], now on stage at North Coast Rep: 37 Shakespeare plays reduced to a single show. That description suggests that there’s nothing but Shakespeare […]
Posted inArts + Scene
God’s Sitcom
The structure of Making God Laugh, now onstage at Redwood Curtain in Eureka, is straightforward. A nuclear family of five is presented in four scenes: Thanksgiving 1980, Christmas 1990, New Year’s Eve becoming New Year’s 2000 and Easter 2010. It’s like Same Time Next Year, the family edition. With a crucifix on the wall, the […]
Posted inArts + Scene
All the Stage’s A World
In ancient Greece, Athenians of all classes and in great number attended the tragedies and comedies of the spring festival. Much of what we know today as theater began there, including a profound purpose. Through the vision and artistry of one playwright combined with the performances of skilled actors, society could examine itself: its rational […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Saturday Night Ha Ha’s and Bye Bye’s
It’s the first weekend of 2014 and NCJ wants your Saturday to live up to its fullest potential. So, basque in this plethora of options, make a decision and don’t look back.