Curtain Calls: Enjoy ‘A Nice Family Gathering’ soon on Alameda stage

Have you ever known a man who loved his wife so much that he almost told her? A strange line, but such is the essence of Phil Olson’s “A Nice Family Gathering,” running Oct. 21 through Nov. 20 at Alameda’s Altarena Playhouse.

Set in a middle-class town in Minnesota, Olson’s quirky comedy follows Dad (Kyle Smith), who realizes he never told his wife how much he loved her — something he very much wants to do now. Unfortunately, he’s dead. Unable to “rest” until he tells her, he returns to the family home as they’re preparing to celebrate their first Thanksgiving without him.

He selects his uncooperative son Carl (Peter Marietta) as the one person who can see and hear him, to deliver his message of love to Mom (Marsha Howard). Adding to the fun is Mom’s invitation to an old friend (Aaron Seymour) to join them for dinner. Evidently, jealousy can stay alive even if the person is not!

The cast also features Carl’s sister, Stacey (Alejandra Wahl); brother, Michael (Byron Guo); and Michael’s wife, Jill (Missa Perron). Perron just happens to be from Minnesota and has been helping the cast with slight accents to give the play even more flavor.

“I’ve always liked quirky comedies that tell a story people can relate to,” said director Kimberly Ridgeway. “Katina (Psihos Letheule, the show’s artistic director) and I had been looking for a play that was family-friendly and had a holiday theme, and this show was perfect. I’m very excited for people to see this and get to know these characters.”

Ridgeway said that the characters are meant to seem like real people getting together for a holiday with all the usual ups and downs of a nice family gathering. Call 510-523-1553 or go online to altarena.org for tickets.

The Altarena is also holding auditions for “A Soldier’s Play” from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 22. The Charles Fuller play will be directed by Shawn West and performed May 26 through June 25. Go to Altarena’s website above for a complete cast list or to sign up for an audition.

Walnut Creek: The wonderfully crazy improvisation of Synergy Theater is back with its world debut of “Spontaneous Hitchcock: An Improvised Thriller in the Style of the Master of Suspense!” It’s time for murder, madness and mystery with this clever group of performers as they perform Oct. 20-30 in Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center at 1601 Civic Drive.

“This hysterical homage to Sir Alfred Hitchcock — completely improvised and all based on audience suggestions — will keep you in stitches from the first creaking floorboard to the final shovel of dirt,” said artistic director Kenn Adams. For tickets to not only see but also help “write” this fun show, call 925-943-SHOW or go to lesherartscenter.org.

Berkeley: Theatre First has opened its new season with “The Music of Mothers” by Victoria Evans Erville. The show is running now through Oct. 23 in the Live Oak Theater at 1301 Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley.

According to Artistic Director Brendan Simon, the show is a story of friendship and motherhood that “is touching, poignant and timely.” Erville directs with Tanika Baptiste as dramaturg. For tickets, go to theatrefirst.com.

Lafayette: Town Hall Theatre is holding an open house at 6 p.m. Oct. 15 in its historic Lafayette theater at 3535 School St. The company, not unlike Sleeping Beauty, is waking up to a new world with new personnel and programming following its slumber induced by COVID-19 restrictions.

“In 2020, the company made the difficult choice to eliminate the position of artistic director. At the time, it was entirely a financial decision,” said Dennis Markam, Town Hall’s managing director. “But as we looked forward, we saw a chance to address an issue we were facing pre-COVID: How do you organically foster more diversity and inclusiveness not only on our stage but in positions for leadership and direction? The solution was to create a new position of curator of artistic programming.”

The new position focuses on outreach and encouraging artists from around the Bay Area to submit works as well as working with a committee of staff, board and community members to develop a main stage season. The submissions, if chosen, become part of the company’s “New Voices” series. One of these, “The Body Play,” will be performed for free after the open house. For more information on the open house and “The Body Play,” go to townhalltheatre.com.

Orinda: Lots of changes are afoot at Orinda’s California Shakespeare Theater too. Managing director Sarah Williams is leaving after three years, while veteran arts leader Clive Worsley is coming onboard in the newly created position of executive director.

Worsley is well-known in Bay Area theater as an actor, educator and administrator. He helmed Town Hall as artistic director from 2008 to 2013 and served as Cal Shakes’ director of artistic learning from 2013 to 2021. Most recently, the award-winning actor was the executive director of Oakland’s Junior Center of Art and Science.

Sally Hogarty can be reached at sallyhogarty@gmail.com. Read more of her reviews online at eastbaytimes.com/author/sally-hogarty.