Performance

Branching out

Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields talks about making his off-Broadway musical debut with music and lyrics for "Coraline."

Pioneer playwright

Playwright Liz Duffy Adams's "Or" looks at restoration-era playwright and poet Aphra Behn.

The songs that made her name

In "Chita Rivera: My Broadway," the 77-year-old musical theater legend shares stories and signature tunes from Broadway hits.

20 years of 'Angels'

The commercial success "Angels in America" achieved, on top of its artistic triumph, has solidified its place in cultural history.

Rocking the Rock

You can direct a cast, but you can't direct the weather, as Ava Roy found out with her site-specific production of "Hamlet."

Spears' life inspires musical

Take a tale of a pop star hitting rock bottom, mix it with some dance moves and you've got "Becoming Britney."

Laurents' 'Story'

Arthur Laurents, author and director of the new production of "West Side Story," talks about the musical's staying power.

A very complex history

Tricycle Theatre artistic director Nicolas Kent co-directs "The Great Game," a play covering Afghan history from 1842 to now.

An unexpected creation

"Reluctant" creator, writer and actor Joel Israel says the piece isn't really a ghost story, "it's just ... intimidating." Read the review.

Creepy 'Coraline'

The delightfully creepy "Coraline" is a stage musical at SF Playhouse, but the adaptation is the biggest problem.

Till stress us do part

There are elements of "Happy Now" that don't quite add up and others that fit together too neatly, limiting its impact.

Unbridled beauty

The horses in "Cavalia,"  now at the big top near AT&T Park, are as impressive as they are beautiful.

Hilarious history lesson

Liz Duffy Adams' "Or" at the Magic Theatre, is smart, funny and delightfully staged.

Kids stir melting pot

"Burning Libraries: Stories From the New Ellis Island" is a child's-eye view of our multiple American heritages - as told by children.

A charming tale

There's something magical at work as you watch David Cale slip between personas in "Palomino."

Small eternities

"Tobari - As If In an Inexhaustible Flux" filled the stage of Stanford University's Memorial Auditorium with arresting images and spiritual mystification.

Katja Björner brings heat

The Swedish dancer's visit to Fort Mason's Cowell Theater was a memorable and somewhat unbalanced experience.

Testing the limits of butoh

"ODD," an ODC collaboration, is an unbroken, 75-minute opus that emerges with stunning results.

Dancer tested, patron approved

The verdict is clear: ODC's new theater should serve dancemakers and dance audiences splendidly for decades to come.

Thrillingly beautiful

S.F. Opera's "Cyrano de Bergerac" it was worth attending just to hear Plácido Domingo do his first staged opera since 1994.

Largely lackluster

"Madama Butterfly" at the S.F. Opera does have enough things going for it to provide an intermittently gripping evening of musical drama.

L.A. premieres 'Il Postino'

Operagoers who complain that they don't write 'em like they used to can take comfort from "Il Postino."