You still have time to catch The Royal Underground Theatre\u2019s impressive production of Aaron Sorkin\u2019s \u201cA Few Good Men\u201d at Berkeley\u2019s Live Oak Theater on 1301 Shattuck Ave.<\/p>\n
Produced by Jerianne Banson and directed by Enrico Banson, the well-cast military courtroom drama runs through Sunday.<\/p>\n
In case you didn\u2019t catch the 1992 movie featuring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore and Kevin Pollack, the play was inspired by a 1986 hazing incident at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base involving 10 Marines. In Sorkin\u2019s highly dramatized version, the story follows two marines on trial for the death of a fellow Marine at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Through the course of the trial, military honor, justice, morality and power are explored and questioned. Sorkin\u2019s clever dialogue and well-placed humor thread throughout the trial giving it added gravitas.<\/p>\n
Banson\u2019s talented actors all create unique characters as they turn salutes and crisp military moves into its own physical language.<\/p>\n
Kieran Cross as the sarcastic defense attorney LTJG Daniel Kaffee is a pleasure to watch as he verbally battles not only his fellow marines but also his superior officers. Maria Cecilia Flores and Arup Chakrabarti add their notable skills to complete the defense team.<\/p>\n
During Kaffee\u2019s formidable cross examination, Harrison Alter (Colonel Nathan Jessep) captures his character\u2019s arrogance beautifully as he utters the play\u2019s famous line \u201cYou can\u2019t handle the truth.\u201d Unfortunately, that line, as well as the dishonesty of those in power, feels even more relevant today than it did when it first played on Broadway in 1989.<\/p>\n
For tickets, go to theroyalunderground.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Oakland: With a limited two-week run, playwright Taylor Mac returns to Oakland Theater Project with his latest work \u201cThe Fre\u201d from Thursday through June 28.<\/p>\n In Mac\u2019s bold, new work, a rambunctious group of fun-loving anti-intellectuals (The Fre) spend their days frolicking in the mud until Hero shows up to convince them there is a better life outside the swamp.<\/p>\n \u201cWe live in a world of bubbles, with each person isolated in their own silo, algorithm, way of thinking and being,\u201d said Director Mylo Cardona. \u201cWhat would it take \u2013 and is it worth it \u2013 to step closer to those who feel, believe, move, play differently than you? How do we share this mud pit.\u201d<\/p>\n For tickets, call 510-646-1126 or go to oaklandtheaterproject.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Berkeley: There\u2019s fabulous news in the theatrical community \u2013 the Aurora Theatre Company is back and preparing for a 2027\/28 season.<\/p>\n For more than 30 years, the company produced award-winning productions, but like many nonprofits had met significant challenges in recent years forcing it to close last year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are thrilled to bring Aurora back into the community,\u201d said recently appointed Artistic Director Jennifer King. \u201cAs we move forward, we are embracing both legacy and renewal \u2013 honoring Aurora\u2019s rich history, while reimagining what intimate theater can mean for this moment.\u201d<\/p>\n Joining King in charting the Aurora\u2019s revival is Managing Director Jenn Ruygt.<\/p>\n Also in Berkeley: If you haven\u2019t reserved your tickets to Shotgun Players\u2019 \u201cContinuity\u201d (reviewed in my June 12 column), you now have additional performances to choose from. The comedy featuring a chaotic film crew making a movie about climate change now runs through June 27.<\/p>\n Shotgun\u2019s Champagne Staged Reading Series continues with writer\/director Tara Blau Smollen\u2019s \u201cThe Gull\u201d (June 22-24). Adapted from Anton Chekhov\u2019s \u201cThe Seagull,\u201d Smollen\u2019s work is set in 1938 Oak Bluffs, an historic Black vacation community on Martha\u2019s Vineyard. Exploring the sacrifices Black artists must make in pursuit of success, the play focuses on Anna Cardin, a successful Hollywood radio star. Cardin returns home after losing a coveted film role and attempts to persuade her son to give up his artistic dreams on the Vineyard for a future in Hollywood.<\/p>\n For tickets to \u201cContinuity\u201d or the Champagne Reading Series, call 510-841-6500, ext. 303 or go to shotgunplayers.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Also extended is Berkeley Rep\u2019s gorgeous production of \u201cThe Lunchbox.\u201d The delightful world premiere musical now runs through July 12. For tickets, go to berkeleyrep.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Walnut Creek: There is also still time to catch \u201cAlanis Morissette\u2019s Jagged Little Pill: The Musical\u201d running through June 28 at Walnut Creek\u2019s Lesher Center for the Arts.<\/p>\n Oscar-winning writer Diablo Cody explores the power and purpose of family as he tells of Mary Jane Healy and her picture-perfect American family. But is it really so perfect? As secrets and resentments fracture the fa\u00e7ade of suburban life, the Healy family must confront the truth about each other and the community where they live.<\/p>\n This exploration is made all the more powerful by the explosive songs of Grammy Award-winning songwriters Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard.<\/p>\n Center REP Artistic Director Matt M. Morrow directs with Molly Bell as Mary Jane Healy, Grace Margaret Craig as Bella, Zeke Edmonds as Nick Healy, Keith Pinto as Steve Healy, Mickey Hanano Skinner as Jo and Chanel Tilghman as Frankie Healy.<\/p>\n For tickets, call 925-954-943-7469 or go to centerrep.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Reach Sally Hogarty at sallyhogarty@gmail.com<\/a>, and read more of her reviews online at eastbaytimes.com\/author\/sally-hogarty<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You still have time to catch The Royal Underground Theatre\u2019s impressive production of Aaron Sorkin\u2019s \u201cA Few Good…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":361731,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[147042,2245,2549,147044,2248,2241,1472,2246,2242,967,2236,116199,2240,143,145,144,2562,2244,2239,2247,32220,2243,147043,147041,1058],"class_list":["post-361730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-a-few-good-men","tag-acting","tag-aurora-theatre-company","tag-champagne-reading-series","tag-choreography","tag-comedy","tag-dance","tag-directing","tag-drama","tag-entertainment","tag-lesher-center","tag-live-oak-theater","tag-musicals","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news","tag-oakland-theater-project","tag-on-stage","tag-performing-arts","tag-screenwriting","tag-shotgun-players","tag-singing","tag-the-fre","tag-the-royal-underground-theatre","tag-theater"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361730"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361730\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/361731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=361730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}