The Greeks may have set the template for epics, but American history has epics of its own. "Father Comes Home From the Wars", like the Greek tragedies that inspired it, is the story of a warrior setti... [more+]

The Greeks may have set the template for epics, but American history has epics of its own. "Father Comes Home From the Wars", like the Greek tragedies that inspired it, is the story of a warrior setting out for battle and then making the long journey home. Set in the Civil War, this explosively powerful new trilogy by Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks ("Topdog/Underdog") at San Francisco's A.C.T. follows the slave, Hero, who agrees to fight for the Confederacy in exchange for his freedom, traveling from West Texas to the Confederate battlefield and back home again. Described as Parks' "finest work yet" by "The New York Times", the "Father Comes Home From the Wars" trilogy -- which was a Pulitzer Prize finalist -- is a masterful blend of the serious and the comic that is at once an epic drama, a moving personal story and a thoughtful meditation on liberty and loyalty. [less-]

She's Jewish, he's Christian; She's white, and he's black. They love each other ... but not in that way. Or maybe they do? It's complicated. Charlotte and Jonny have been best friends since they were ... [more+]

She's Jewish, he's Christian; She's white, and he's black. They love each other ... but not in that way. Or maybe they do? It's complicated. Charlotte and Jonny have been best friends since they were just nine years old. Now, as they tumble into their 20s and confront the mysteries of their sexuality, they find that the path forward is not always the one right in front of you. "The Mystery of Love and Sex" was written by Bathsheba Doran ("Boardwalk Empire, Masters of Sex"), and this regional premiere at San Francisco's New Conservatory Theatre Center is directed by Rebecca Longworth. Come see for yourself why "Time Out New York" hailed this show as "wise and exquisitely crafted," and "The New York Times" described it as "tender, funny, packed with humanity and brimming with surprising revelations ... perfectly wonderful." [less-]

Are Connie and Tristan really in love, or is it just the antidepressants talking? As volunteers in a clinical trial for a new super-drug, their sudden and illicit romance forces the supervising doctor... [more+]

Are Connie and Tristan really in love, or is it just the antidepressants talking? As volunteers in a clinical trial for a new super-drug, their sudden and illicit romance forces the supervising doctors to intervene and confront the ethics of what they're doing. Winner of the UK Critics' Circle Award for Best New Play, "The Effect" tackles our pill-popping culture with humor and scintillating drama. See what "The New York Times" called "a knockout, a ravishment of the senses," at San Francisco Playhouse. [less-]

From the top-quality live musical guests to its exceptional Southern cuisine, Biscuits & Blues is the perfect San Francisco spot to enjoy a night of down-home entertainment nearly every night of the w... [more+]

From the top-quality live musical guests to its exceptional Southern cuisine, Biscuits & Blues is the perfect San Francisco spot to enjoy a night of down-home entertainment nearly every night of the week. Located in the heart of the theater district, this intimate venue hosts the best regional and national blues and jazz acts in a comfortable, close-up setting that's open to all ages. Voted America's No. 1 blues nightclub by The Blues Foundation and the Bay Area Blues Society, it's also known for serving up some of the best fried chicken in the entire region, not to mention California wines, microbrews and specialty cocktails. [less-]

Be there when Magic Theatre presents the world premiere of Jessica Hagedorn's "The Gangster of Love", which is based on her book of the same name and focuses on the author's personal story of immigrat... [more+]

Be there when Magic Theatre presents the world premiere of Jessica Hagedorn's "The Gangster of Love", which is based on her book of the same name and focuses on the author's personal story of immigration from Manila. In this memorable play, Raquel "Rocky" Rivera and her eccentric family settle in the Haight during the 1970s, amidst a dynamic period of conflict, social change and artistic flourishing in San Francisco. The lauded city of poets, rebels and thriving musicians will be reclaimed at San Francisco's Magic Theatre through the eyes of Hagedorn's immigrant artists. This world premiere stage adaptation -- 20 years in the making -- will feature live music, poetry reading and the music video as key narrative forms. [less-]

Willy Russell's hit Broadway dramedy is a one-woman show about a middle-aged, middle-class housewife who finds herself stagnating in a lonely marriage. But when her best friend wins an all-expenses-pa... [more+]

Willy Russell's hit Broadway dramedy is a one-woman show about a middle-aged, middle-class housewife who finds herself stagnating in a lonely marriage. But when her best friend wins an all-expenses-paid vacation to Greece for two, Shirley wonders if she should leave the drudgery of cooking dinner for her husband behind and head for the Mediterranean. What follows is an exploration -- told with humor, sympathy and sharp human insights -- of a woman breaking out of the mold that life seems to have cast for her. See "Shirley Valentine" now at Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek. [less-]

Join Endgames Improv for a night of long-form improv comedy featuring house Harold teams Local Honey, Paint Dept and JACKSON. There will also be occasional appearances by Harold class graduates or hol... [more+]

Join Endgames Improv for a night of long-form improv comedy featuring house Harold teams Local Honey, Paint Dept and JACKSON. There will also be occasional appearances by Harold class graduates or holiday-themed shows. Don't miss the laughs at Stage Werx in San Francisco. [less-]

Laugh at a mix of longtime favorites and up-and-coming comedians at "#HellaFunny", San Francisco's hilarious traveling comedy show. "#HellaFunny" began at the legendary Purple Onion club in 2010 in th... [more+]

Laugh at a mix of longtime favorites and up-and-coming comedians at "#HellaFunny", San Francisco's hilarious traveling comedy show. "#HellaFunny" began at the legendary Purple Onion club in 2010 in the North Beach neighborhood of S.F., and now carries the fun to venues all over the Bay Area. For this show, Viceland's Stroy Moyd takes the stage at Cobb's Comedy Club in San Francisco. The three-time winner of the Laugh Factory Hollywood's Fresh Faces Comedy Competition has opened for hot shots like Dave Chapelle, Hannibal Buress and others that have also cracked a couple jokes at this venue themselves. [less-]

A pure dose of comedic storytelling crack from David Rodwin, "F*ck Tinder: a love story" is a strange-but-true tale of relationships in the modern era. After getting held up at gunpoint the night his ... [more+]

A pure dose of comedic storytelling crack from David Rodwin, "F*ck Tinder: a love story" is a strange-but-true tale of relationships in the modern era. After getting held up at gunpoint the night his girlfriend breaks up with him, Rodwin moves from LA to SF and goes on dates with 120 women in 2 years -- searching for love, but finding everything else. Surprisingly, these crazy stories grow into a tale of love ... that takes a strange twist. Hear the whole wild story at PianoFight in San Francisco. [less-]

In a Vietnamese refugee camp in Arkansas circa 1975, two bereaved Saigon natives find love in a strange new land. So goes "Vietgone", a bold new romantic comedy by "geek theater" impresario Qui Nguyen... [more+]

In a Vietnamese refugee camp in Arkansas circa 1975, two bereaved Saigon natives find love in a strange new land. So goes "Vietgone", a bold new romantic comedy by "geek theater" impresario Qui Nguyen, an artist famous in New York for productions packed full of martial arts, sword fights and puppetry. Based on the lives of his own parents, "Vietgone" is a slightly more subtle affair, but still reflects Nguyen's irreverent humor and pop-culture-obsessed aesthetic as it crisscrosses between the traumatic evacuation of Saigon and a turbulent yet passionate tale of love in the rural United States. See American Conservatory Theater's production of this wildly imaginative, "culturally savvy comedy" ("The New York Times") at A.C.T Strand Theater in San Francisco. [less-]

Steve Silver's "Beach Blanket Babylon" is the world's longest-running musical revue. Since 1974, this San Francisco institution has followed Snow White on a musical comedy quest around the world, wher... [more+]

Steve Silver's "Beach Blanket Babylon" is the world's longest-running musical revue. Since 1974, this San Francisco institution has followed Snow White on a musical comedy quest around the world, where she runs into satirically portrayed pop culture and political celebrities, an impressive array of gigantic hats and one show-stopping musical number after another. Because the show is constantly updated with new costumes, hats and characters, it rewards repeat visits. Among the familiar faces you might see spoofed at this Club Fugazi production: Lady Gaga, Barack and Michelle Obama, Kate Middleton and Adele. Now running for more than 40 years, "Beach Blanket Babylon" remains one of San Francisco's wildest evenings of live entertainment. [less-]

"Head Over Heels" is the fearlessly fresh new musical comedy from music legends The Go-Go's and the award-winning visionaries that rocked Broadway with "Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Next To Normal, Amer... [more+]

"Head Over Heels" is the fearlessly fresh new musical comedy from music legends The Go-Go's and the award-winning visionaries that rocked Broadway with "Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Next To Normal, American Idiot, Spring Awakening" and "Avenue Q". An inspired mash-up of posh and punk, "Head Over Heels" is an unpredictable Elizabethan romp about a royal family that must race to keep an oracle's prophecy of doom from coming to fruition. In order to save their beloved kingdom, the family embarks on an extravagant journey full of mistaken identities, love triangles, sexual awakening and self-discovery. Set to the iconic pop music of The Go-Go's -- including the hit songs "We Got The Beat," "Our Lips Are Sealed," "Vacation" and many more -- "Head Over Heels" delivers an experience unlike anything you've ever seen. Get your tickets now so you can be in the audience for this pre-Broadway engagement at the Curran in San Francisco. [less-]

Cinderella meets Tinder in this modern musical about finding the one ... and then, the one after that. Your princess, Meg, longs for true love, but she can barely get a "like." Her fairy-god-roommate ... [more+]

Cinderella meets Tinder in this modern musical about finding the one ... and then, the one after that. Your princess, Meg, longs for true love, but she can barely get a "like." Her fairy-god-roommate reveals the magic of Tinder and, suddenly, prince charming is only a swipe away. But Meg still has to get to the ball, catch BART before midnight and reconcile her fairy-tale dreams with grown-up reality -- all without losing her slippers. Don't miss the world premiere of this hysterical, racy and rocking adult musical, a co-production with San Francisco's FaultLine Theatre and Custom Made Theatre. [less-]

Flipping the tables on film noir tropes, solo performer Jill Vice's "A Fatal Step" tells its shadowy tale not from the point of view of a hardboiled detective, but from that of the femme fatale, those... [more+]

Flipping the tables on film noir tropes, solo performer Jill Vice's "A Fatal Step" tells its shadowy tale not from the point of view of a hardboiled detective, but from that of the femme fatale, those sultry - and deadly - bombshells at the heart of the genre. An SF Fringe Festival Best of Fest winner, Vice ("Tipped & Tipsy") combines "an impressive array of body language and vocal talent" ("Huffington Post") in her original shows. This one-woman noir centers on Sarah, who decides to take matters into her own hands when another woman dares to come between her and her handsome podiatrist. "A Fatal Step" has already taken home the Audience Choice award at IndyFringe, and now it comes to The Marsh. [less-]

"Hair", the rock musical, is a celebration of freedom. In 1967, in the shadow of the Vietnam War, a group of young people meet to celebrate freedom and to find a way to create meaning in the midst of ... [more+]

"Hair", the rock musical, is a celebration of freedom. In 1967, in the shadow of the Vietnam War, a group of young people meet to celebrate freedom and to find a way to create meaning in the midst of the hypocrisy, violence and the confusion around them. The first-ever rock musical, "Hair" includes such classics as "Let the Sun Shine In," "Aquarius" and "Good Morning Starshine." Still as timely and tuneful as ever, catch this new production of "Hair" at the Creative Arts Building at SFSU. [less-]

"Femprovisor Fest" showcases diverse female-identified improv ensembles, comics and sketch groups representing the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. This four-day Exit Theatre event features workshop... [more+]

"Femprovisor Fest" showcases diverse female-identified improv ensembles, comics and sketch groups representing the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. This four-day Exit Theatre event features workshops, panels and shows with innovative artists who are committed to increasing the visibility of women in all areas of improvised performance. [less-]

A series of stunning pieces make their way to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts to challenge and enlighten the Bay Area. With Smuin, ballet choreographer extraordinaire Helen Pickett's sensual and p... [more+]

A series of stunning pieces make their way to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts to challenge and enlighten the Bay Area. With Smuin, ballet choreographer extraordinaire Helen Pickett's sensual and powerful "Oasis" is set to an original score by Emmy award-winning "House of Cards" composer Jeff Beal. Inspired by the simplicity of nature, Pickett offers challenge and exploration to both dancers and audiences alike, igniting the stage with passionate energy. Choreographer-in-Residence Amy Seiwert's visually stunning "Falling Up" offers an in-depth look at strength and trust between partners. Set to a lush piano score by Johannes Brahms, Seiwert's signature sculptural movement and intimate partnering enhance the energy of contemporary ballet, resulting in a delicate creation. Last but not least, master dance maker Val Caniparoli returns to Smuin to create a world premiere to conclude the 24th season. [less-]

Injecting his own humor into celebrity impersonations of Shaquille O'Neal, Eddie Murphy, Mike Tyson, Snoop Dog and Queen Latifah, Aries Spears solidified his comic genius and displayed his wide-range ... [more+]

Injecting his own humor into celebrity impersonations of Shaquille O'Neal, Eddie Murphy, Mike Tyson, Snoop Dog and Queen Latifah, Aries Spears solidified his comic genius and displayed his wide-range of zany characters as a series regular on the hit sketch comedy show MADtv. As a Chicago native, Spears discovered his funny bone at 14 years old and performed at comedy clubs around his hometown. Since then, Spears continued to make a wide variety of film and television appearances such as "Jerry Maguire", Malcom X, "Soul Train", "Def Comedy Jam", and "Showtime at the Apollo". Spears returns to his stand-up comedy roots at Pleasanton's Tommy T's Comedy SteakHouse as he serves up more spot-on impersonations and hilarious comedy. [less-]

Hot on the heels of two sold-out runs in London, "Love, Bombs & Apples" makes its U.S. debut at San Francisco's Potrero Stage. A Palestinian actor learns there's more to English girls than pure sex ap... [more+]

Hot on the heels of two sold-out runs in London, "Love, Bombs & Apples" makes its U.S. debut at San Francisco's Potrero Stage. A Palestinian actor learns there's more to English girls than pure sex appeal. A Pakistani-born terror suspect figures out what's wrong with his first novel. A British youth suspects all is not what it seems with his object of desire. A New Yorker asks his girlfriend for a sexual favor at the worst possible time. This is the comic tale of four men -- each from different parts of the globe -- all experiencing a moment of revelation. Powerful, inspiring, political and humorous, this Golden Thread Productions presentation of "Love, Bombs & Apples" -- in association with Turtle Key Arts -- promises to be must-see theatre. [less-]

Born in Paris, Betty Roi is a French chanteuse who sings beloved jazz standards and slinky cabaret numbers in both English and her native language. She'll perform an array of familiar favorites from E... [more+]

Born in Paris, Betty Roi is a French chanteuse who sings beloved jazz standards and slinky cabaret numbers in both English and her native language. She'll perform an array of familiar favorites from Edith Piaf, each one carefully selected to evoke the love, longing and happiness of her Parisian roots. A former dancer, Roi's performances are big, bold and theatrical, crackling with a fluid physicality you won't soon forget. Catch her at Feinstein's at the Nikko. [less-]