If you have a chance to see the play “Hamnet,” running through May 24 at ACT’s Toni Rembe Theater, I highly recommend you do so. Maggie O’Farrell’s story of Shakespeare’s wife Agnes (also known as Anne Hathaway) brings all the power and emotions of the Academy Award-winning film version to the stage.
Adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti and directed by Erica Whyman, this “Hamnet” moves with lyrical grace as the Royal Shakespeare Company tells the Bard’s story of love, joy and loss.
The wealth of experience and talent displayed by even the youngest member of the cast makes this production a pleasure to see.
Kemi-Bo Jacobs captures the strong-willed Agnes with her innate understanding of the healing arts and her deep love for her husband and family. Rory Alexander creates a dynamic William Shakespeare besotted by Agnes yet driven to write the stories in his head.
Reminiscent of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, Tom Piper’s set uses beautifully fashioned wood platforms as well as ladders to creatively move the action from one place to another. Oguz Kaplangi’s original compositions, Ayse Tashkiran’s hypnotic movement and Prema Mehta’s evocative lighting add to the melodious feel of the play.
For tickets to “Hamnet,” call 415-749-2228 or go to act-sf.org. The Toni Rembe Theater is located at 415 Geary St. in San Francisco.
Walnut Creek: Looking for something special for Mother’s Day? Vocalist Laurie Roldan has just the ticket. The popular performer debuts her new cabaret show May 10 at 2 p.m. at Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center on 1601 Civic Drive.
Roldan, who has been delighting audiences on both coasts, brings “The Music of Karen Carpenter and Friends” to the Lesher’s midsize theater for this special concert.
Laurie Roldan brings her new cabaret show to Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for a special Mother’s Day concert on May 10. (Photo courtesy of Laurie Roldan)
“My goal is still to lift people up with Karen Carpenter’s beautiful music, but this show will also include medleys and duets that Karen sang with other celebrities such as Perry Como, Andy Williams and Ella Fitzgerald,” said Roldan. “Then I started thinking what it would be like if she had lived longer and had the chance to sing with artists like Linda Ronstadt, Dusty Springfield, Linda Ronstadt and more.”
To that end, Roldan’s husband Dan will join her on stage for a medley of Perry Como songs while Natalie Amaya and Roldan will perform several Ronstadt tunes. Other featured vocalists include Deborah Del Mastro singing “My Funny Valentine” and “As Time Goes By” and Michele Ianiro joining Roldan for several Dionne Warwick numbers.
“Carpenter and Dionne Warwick were good friends, so I wanted to incorporate her music into the show as well,” Roldan added. “This will still be a Karen Carpenter show, including some of her songs that weren’t in my previous shows, but there will be a lot more variety with these other singers included. I’ll also be incorporating some trivia about Karen and the other singers.”
Roldan, whose mother will be attending the May 10 show, also has a present for moms — a 10% discount.
For tickets to a special Mother’s Day show, call 925-943-7469 or go to lesherartscenter.org. Use the code “Moms10” for a 10% discount.
Martinez: George Leslie Kimball’s “Four Old Broads” brings its salty sense of humor to the Campbell Theater on 636 Ward St. in Martinez, beginning Friday through May 17.
Produced by Onstage Repertory Theatre and directed by John Alred, the comedy features four sassy senior ladies who need a break from bingo and macramé. They decide to take a Caribbean cruise, but a nasty nurse does her best to foil their plans. Add in a senior citizen beauty pageant, an old Elvis impersonator and a bizarre thigh exerciser and you have a silly and entertaining night of theater.
The cast features Gwendolyn Sampson, Rusty De Lucia, Linda Sciacque, Babette Bilger, Derek Zemrak, Paige Whitney and Windy Keefe.
For tickets, call 925-350-9770 or go to campbelltheater.com.
Berkeley: Shotgun Players takes on climate change with Bess Wohl’s comedy “Continuity” May 23 through June 27 at the Ashby Stage on 1901 Ashby Ave.
The satire doesn’t just address climate change, it also shows how a Hollywood crew intends to solve it. More power to them!
For tickets, go to shotgunplayers.org.
Cantare’s Aurora Choir of high school singers joins Cantare’s adult choir for its season finale “Until All of Us are Free” on May 16 at Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church. (Photo courtesy of Spencer Smith)
Lafayette: What does freedom sound like? The East Bay’s Cantare choir explores that question in their May 16 concert “Until All of Us Are Free.”
The intergenerational choral organization hopes to inspire, uplift and connect communities with its music. From the soaring voices of its Adult Chorale to the vibrant energy of its Aurora Choir of high school singers, Cantare highlights themes of hope, perseverance and social connection.
The May 16 concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church on 49 Knox Drive in Lafayette. For tickets, call 510-836-0789 or go to cantareconvivo.org.
Reach Sally Hogarty at sallyhogarty@gmail.com, and read more of her reviews online at eastbaytimes.com/author/sally-hogarty.