Curtain Calls: Summer season offers outdoor entertainment throughout East Bay
New adaptation of E.M. Forster’s “A Room with a View” by Bay Area playwright Stuart Bousel runs July 1-16 at Actors Ensemble of Berkeley.
Lots of fun entertainment takes place under the stars, or in some cases the fog, this summer, including E.M. Forster’s “A Room with a View” at Actors Ensemble of Berkeley.
The new adaptation of Forster’s work by Bay Area playwright Stuart Bousel runs Saturday-16 at John Hinkel Park Amphitheatre, 41 Somerset Place, Berkeley. Look out for those holidays in Italy with this romantic comedy where anything can happen – and does – as Lucy, a young English woman, meets a rich ensemble of characters destined to change her life forever.
Andrew Calabrese directs a cast that includes Sophie Ruf (Lucy), Tyler Scott Null (George) Megan Briggs (Charlotte) and Keith Jefferds (Mr. Emerson).
For more information, go to aeofberkeley.org. All performances are free.
Orinda: The Agatha Christie productions from Orinda Starlight Village Players’ continue with “The Secret of Chimneys” through Saturday.
As the murder mystery concludes, the company readies Ray Cooney’s “It Runs in the Family.” Directed by Suzan Lorraine and Jill Gelster, the British farce runs July 21-Aug. 17 at the Orinda Community Center Park Amphitheater, 28 Orinda Way.
Set in a hospital, Dr. Mortimore fends off a paternity suit, an ex-wife, a punkish son and various lunatics. Lots of slamming doors can be expected!
For more information, go to orsp.org.
Oakland Hills: Woodminster Summer Musicals brings the story of a spunky, 16-year-old songwriter from Brooklyn to its Oakland Hills amphitheater July 7-16 with “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.”
The Tony and Grammy award-winning musical goes back to the beginning of King’s career when she was writing chart-topping hits for the biggest acts in music before her own success as a singer with “Tapestry.”
Joel Schlader directs with Jody Jaron as choreographer and Ashley Garlick featured as Carole King.
For tickets, call 510-531-9597 or go to woodminster.com.
Also in Orinda: If you’re looking for some good medicine to lighten your spirits, try a dose of the best and brightest Native stand-up comedians.
Returning to Cal Shakes’ Bruns Amphitheater on 100 California Shakespeare Theater Way in Orinda for the third straight year, “Good Medicine” features Jana Schmieding, Brian Bahe, Larry Omaha and Dakota Ray Hebert.
The one-night-only show takes place July 8 at 8 p.m. A handful of good tickets are still available. Doors open at 6 p.m., allowing attendees time to explore the Native artisan market with lots of art, jewelry and apparel from Native-owned vendors. Following the comedians, DJ Interval will host a dance party with a mix of hits from Native bands Redbone and The Halluci Nation and such East Bay artists as Tower of Power and Tony! Toni! Toné!
Call 510-548-9666 or go to calshakes.org.
Berkeley: Going indoors, the Marsh Berkeley continues with Josh Kornbluth’s autobiographical monologue “Citizen Brain” through July 29. With his humorous, forthright style, Kornbluth investigates brain disease and whether society is suffering from political dementia. He asks if the “empathy circuit” in the brain might be the way to unite divided groups thus solving the world’s problems? He also queries if “a neurotic storyteller who flunked every science class can spark a science-based revolution of empathy?”
Find out at the Marsh, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. Go to themarsh.org for more information.
Alameda: Brian Copeland once again brings one of his enlightening and highly entertaining shows to the Altarena Playhouse, 1409 High St., Alameda.
Written and performed by Copeland, “Grandma and Me: An Ode to Single Parents” takes place July 14 at 8 p.m.
Alternating between his experiences growing up in a single-parent household and becoming a single parent himself, Copeland pays homage to his grandmother, who assumed legal custody of him and his four younger sisters after the death of their mother.
“How hard that must have been for her, you know, to be a 57-year-old African American grandmother with all these kids, including a baby,” Copeland said. “And being Black on top of all that in this society. It makes me respect what she did even more.”
For more information, go to altarena.org.
El Cerrito: The East Bay will be losing a powerhouse artistic director in December with the departure of Contra Costa Civic Theatre’s (CCCT) Marilyn Langbehn. With a depth of experience in Bay Area theater, Langbehn took over the reins in 2013. During her tenure, she produced or directed 47 Main Stage productions, instituted the company’s Reading Stage series, produced the world premiere of her own play “Running for My Life” and kept CCCT moving forward during the COVID-19 shutdown.
“Marilyn’s leaving, after being a part of the CCCT family for over 10 years, will be a tremendous loss,” said Board President Kathleen Perka. “Her enthusiasm for theater is contagious and as she has grown in her position serving both as our artistic and executive director, so has CCCT, and we are better for her dedication and loyalty.”
CCCT’s loss is TheatreWorks gain as Langbehn has accepted the general manager position at the well-regarded Palo Alto theater company.
Sally Hogarty can be reached at sallyhogarty@gmail.com. Read more of her reviews online at eastbaytimes.com/author/sally-hogarty.