Usually, anything that seems or smells rotten causes people to stay away, but Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble’s current production is proving an exception. The ambitious company currently presents Wayne Kirkpatrick, Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell’s Tony Award-winning “Something Rotten” through Sunday at Freedom High School’s Performing Arts Theater on 1050 Neroly Road in Oakley.
The tongue-and-cheek musical comedy takes on both Elizabethan theater and modern Broadway. Evidently, Broadway audiences had no problem with the spoof since the show ran for 742 performances when it debuted in 2015.
Set in the 1590s, Nick and Nigel Bottom struggle as playwrights against the massively popular William Shakespeare. The desperate brothers decide to visit a slightly wacky soothsayer who predicts that the future of theater involves singing, dancing and acting all at once.
When they get over their shock, the brothers set out to write the world’s first musical, leading to much chaos and fun.
Brian Moore directs the Ghostlight production with Susan Stuart as vocal director and Shelly McDowell as choreographer. Emilio Lopez and Travis Loge play Nick and Nigel Bottom, respectively, with Amanda Moore as Bea Bottom, Amber Hill as Nostradamus and Ben Stevens as Shakespeare.
For tickets, go to ghostlightte.org/something-rotten.
Oakland: A charismatic drifter/musician and a lonely woman trapped in a loveless marriage become the subject of Oakland Theater Project’s next production — Tennessee Williams’ “Orpheus Descending.”
Williams reimagines the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice as a fever dream of America where the promise of freedom is seen as a threat rather than a goal.
In Williams’ version, the musician Val Xavier arrives in a small town to begin a new life. He finds work in a dry goods store owned by Lady Torrance, who finds herself in an unhappy marriage. As their passion grows, it sparks the town’s prejudices with devastating consequences.
Hunter Bryant is musician/drifter Val Xavier in Oakland Theater Project’s “Orpheus Descending,” running Friday through Aug. 23. (Photo courtesy of Adam Montanaro)
Directed by Will Detlefsen, the cast features OTP Co-Artistic Director Lisa Ramirez as Lady Torrance, Hunter Bryant as Val, Susannah Martin as Vee Talbott, Natalie Pasquinelli as Carol Cutrere, and Lizzie Izyumin, Robert Parsons and Zolboo Namkhaidorj in multiple roles.
“Val is our Orpheus, and Lady is our Eurydice. Both characters exist as outsiders — people whose very presence challenges the town’s rigid social order. The townspeople collectively become the force that drags both lovers toward destruction,” said Detlefsen. “Vee serves as our Cassandra: the visionary artist who sees what others refuse to acknowledge. I am interested in a world where art, sensuality and music become revolutionary forces — where artists stand in direct opposition to a community consumed by hatred and conformity.”
“Orpheus Descending” certainly fits OTP’s 2026 theme “The Land of The Free.” The company planned its season around examining this foundational tenet of the United States. Certainly timely as America’s 250th anniversary approaches.
“The play becomes an artist’s vision of where we are headed if we continue down a path shaped by religious extremism, white supremacy and the dehumanization of those deemed ‘other.’ We’re left with a question: who is allowed to descend and who is allowed to rise? I’m hoping the audience feels a deep catharsis through this show, even if the end is a tragic one,” said Detlefsen.
“Orpheus Descending” runs Friday through Aug. 23 at FLAX art & design on 1501 Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Oakland. For tickets, call 510-646-1126 or go to oaklandtheaterproject.org/orpheus.
Martinez: If you like radio plays, be sure and catch Bill Chessman’s latest creations.
“No Cheeseburger for You” and “It just Keeps Getting Worse” will be recorded in front of a live audience Aug. 14-16 at the Campbell Theater on 636 Ward St. in Martinez.
Both pieces are written and directed by Chessman. In the first play, Dr. Durkelberger has found the ultimate substance for making the healthiest burgers in the world. The problem, however, is that they are not made with cheese.
In “It Just Keeps Getting Worse,” Chessman’s characters deal with hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, alien invaders, chipped fingernails and smeared mascara in this over-the-top fun radio play.
For tickets, go to campbelltheater.com.
Piedmont: If you’re a Richard Rodgers fan, check out this tribute to the premier composer of the American musical.
Slated for Sunday at 4:30 p.m. at Piedmont Center for the Arts on 801 Magnolia Ave., the show features Bill Jackson on piano and vocals, Albert Brooks. M.D. on drums and Heshima Mark Wiliams on bass.
Tickets are $30 at the door or $25 in advance at ticketsignup.io/RRodgers.
S.F.: This summer, the Merola Opera Program is experiencing remarkable highs, achieving record-breaking ticket sales and a sold-out performance for its 2026 Summer Festival. The excitement surrounding this year’s class of artists culminates in the Merola Grand Finale on Aug. 15 at the War Memorial Opera House, where the program’s rising stars will perform arias, ensembles and dramatic scenes with a full orchestra.
For tickets, go to merola.org/summerfestival.
Reach Sally Hogarty at sallyhogarty@gmail.com, and read more of her reviews online at eastbaytimes.com/author/sally-hogarty.