Victor Cordell
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Recent Articles:
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Writing Fragments Home Front Page
Charming Premiere of a Boomerang Philippine-American Style
By: - Apr 26th, 2025Jeffrey Lo invites us into his imagination and relationships in this semi-autobiographical look at a 40-year-old wannabe playwright who has to return to his mother's home after losing his job and his girlfriend. Equally funny and sad, it offers insights into mother and adult child relationships.
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Zorro Front Page
Origins of a Superhero at Opera San Jose
By: - Apr 21st, 2025Diego returns to his father's home in Los Angeles to find his former friend Moncada is now mayor and brutalizes mestizos (mixed bloods), a group that includes Diego's love, Ana Maria. In this origin story, Diego takes on the disguise Zorro and fights to improve the plight of the disadvantaged.
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It's True, It's True, It's True Front Page
Rape in Renaissance Italy: A Feminist Perspective
By: - Apr 19th, 2025Artemisia Gentileschi, who would become a renowned Baroque painter and had produced her first masterpiece at age 15, is raped by an older man, papal painter Agostino Tassi. Remarkable for its time, the teenaged victim takes the perpetrator to court. This account is based on Roman court transcripts .
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Here There Are Blueberries Front Page
Documentary About Lives of Officers at Auschwitz
By: - Apr 11th, 2025In 2007, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum received a photo album which alone and cross-referenced with other documents provided a new look into the lives of officers at the Auschwitz concentration camp at the end of World War II. The research process also corroborated evidence to prove the guilt of some perpetrators of war crimes.
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Grease Front Page
Nostalgia and Hijinks by the Bucketful at Altarena Playhouse
By: - Mar 31st, 2025Danny Zuko and Sandy Dumbrowski didn't expect to see each other after their summer fling, but Sandy transfers into Danny's school, Rydell High. How can Danny still be cool with his Greaser friends, yet rekindle the sensitive relationship with Sandy? And how can Sandy befriend the Pink Ladies while poaching in their territory? A great soundtrack and a ton of humor tell the story.
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Fat Ham Front Page
Hamlet Reimagined as a Contemporary Comic Drama
By: - Mar 29th, 2025Juicy, a young, thicc, gay, black man, is visited by the ghost of his father, Pap, who demands that Juicy exact revenge for Pap's murder by his brother Rev. But Juicy's disposition doesn't lean toward violence, and mother Tedra suggests that he leave the past behind. Serious themes underlie the comedy.
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Mrs. Krishnan's Party Front Page
Celebrating India's Onam Festival Via New Zealand
By: - Mar 21st, 2025In this immersive theatrical event, the title character prepares dal and rice for 100 theater goers, while she and her assistant entertain and engage with the visitors. The script, acting, and improvisation provide a fun-filled experience and a bit of learning about Indian festivities.
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Push/Pull Front Page
Central Work's Premiere of an Innovative Piece with Unusual Subject Matter
By: - Mar 18th, 2025Sculpting the human body may not seem like dramatic grist, but this two-hander transcends its topic matter by incorporating universal themes. Nolan and Clark were friends from the sixth grade but went separate ways after school. Nolan seeks a professional certificate in body building. Meanwhile, Clark wants his weightlifting mentorship, believing that muscles will make him more masculine.
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Nobody Loves You Front Page
ACT's Sparkling Musical Send-up of Reality Dating Shows
By: - Mar 14th, 2025Jeff is a PhD candidate in philosophy who ridicules reality shows. But chasing after his ex-girlfriend, he finds himself in the studio of such a show. Although he's candid about hating everything about them, the show runner anticipates good audience response if Jeff becomes a contestant. Like oil and water, they don't mix. But comedy ensues.
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Fly by Night Front Page
Hillbarn's Charming Rendition of a Musical About Hope, Love, and Loss
By: - Mar 11th, 2025Daphne leaves South Dakota for New York City along with sister Miriam. Set over a year leading up to the Northeast Blackout of 1965, one sister seeks stardom on Broadway and the other is happy as a diner waitress. Their aspirations, relationships, and random events are the basis for a thoughtful pop musical.
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Happy Pleasant Valley: A Senior Sex Scandal Murder Mystery Musical Front Page
Min Kahng Creates Another Lively Stage Piece for TheatreWorks Silicon Valley
By: - Mar 10th, 2025Korean-American June lives in an assisted living facility. She swears up a storm; has major sex urges; and unfortunately, two men have died in her bed. Granddaughter Jade is an influencer and vloger who insinuates herself into June's life for her own selfish purposes, but when June is accused of murder, they will work toward common purpose in this comedy musical.
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The Pigeon Keeper Front Page
Opera Parallele's World Premiere of a Timely Fable
By: - Mar 08th, 2025During a time of drought and poor fish catch, a fisherman and his daughter save a young boy from the sea, but he is from a different land and does not speak their language. Clashes ensue over how to deal with this involuntary interloper. The touching and well-produced opera benefits from its relevance to our current times and from the large role played by the San Francisco Girls Chorus.
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Don Giovanni Front Page
Livermore Valley Opera's Fine Rendering of Mozart and da Ponte's Masterpiece
By: - Mar 03rd, 2025In this great serio-comic fantasy, the famed lothario Don Giovanni "courts" three ladies in short order. He also slays the father of one, setting off a man hunt and revenge by the spirit of the deceased.
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Jesus Christ Superstar Front Page
A Super Production by Berkeley Playhouse
By: - Feb 25th, 2025Jesus Christ's betrayal and crucifixion as rendered by Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice's stands as one of the long running musicals in history. To many theatergoers, it is simply a beautifully crafted work with fine music and intense drama. Yet to some, it teems with controversy as the character representations don't fit in traditionalists' boxes.
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Bluebeard's Castle Front Page
Opera San Jose Excels in Production of Bartok's Gem
By: - Feb 17th, 2025Count Bluebeard's new wife, Judith, arrives at his castle to find seven doors that lead from the great room. Opening each door reveals something about Bluebeard's character and history. The findings are not all that she had hoped for.
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La Sonnambula Front Page
Bellini's Bel Canto Masterpiece About a Sleepwalker
By: - Feb 16th, 2025Amina's sleepwalking incident creates a scandal when she's seen at the lodgings of a visiting Count. Fiance Elvino cancels his planned nuptials with Amina, but will truth and love win out? Hint: this opera is not a tragedy.
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The Heart Sellers Front Page
A Day With Two Young Asian Immigrant Women
By: - Feb 15th, 2025Filipina Luna and Korean Jane's husbands are both resident physicians working on Thanksgiving. The new acquaintances share the day. Luna is manic from beginning to end, while Jane opens up over time. The basis for friendship develops.
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Waste Front Page
1906 British Play Resonates in Today's Political Environment
By: - Feb 13th, 2025A politician tapped for a cabinet position in a new government impregnates a married woman. The narrative reveals women's rights of the time; men's attitudes toward women; the relationship of church and state; and the effect of scandal on political figures. Contrasts with conditions today are considered.
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Calendar Girls Front Page
Charity Receives a New Twist From Middle Aged Women
By: - Feb 11th, 2025To raise money for a local hospital, members of the Women's Institutes decide on a novel approach. Rather than display staid sites of Yorkshire in their annual calendar, they agree to go cheesecake. This comedy is based on a true story.
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The Thing About Jellyfish Front Page
Berkeley Rep's Outstanding World Premiere
By: - Feb 07th, 2025Sixth grader Suzy loses her best friend Franny to drowning. Since Franny was an accomplished swimmer, Suzy feels that there must have been a more specific cause, which leads her on a deep dive into jellyfish research. Interesting revelations occur in a visually stunning production.
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Exotic Deadly: or The MSG Play Front Page
A Japanese-American Teen Girl Confronts Challenges
By: - Feb 06th, 2025Ami wants to be invisible, but the smelly bento box lunches she must take to school bedevil her. She is also haunted by the fact that her grandfather was a scientist at Ajinomoto where the vilified MSG was commercialized. In a hilarious Japanese anime and pop culture framework, the heroine tries to overcome obstacles.
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Daisy by Sean Devine Front Page
This True Story Resonates in Today's Chilling Environment
By: - Feb 02nd, 2025In the 1964 presidential campaign, Doyle Dane Bernbach ad agency is commissioned to create an ad campaign for incumbent Lyndon Johnson. An innovative ad that ran only once on television instilled fear and is believed to have profoundly affected the election. Comparisons with today's political environment are frightful and inescapable.
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Former Ladies of The Supremes Front Page
A Nostalgic Concert at Marin Jazz
By: - Dec 21st, 2024Since 1986, this group has revived the music of the most successful girl group of all time. Memorable songs written by the great team of Holland, Dozier, and Holland and sung by this charming group take us back to 1964 and the years following.
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A Thousand Ships Front Page
Oakland Theater Project World Premiere
By: - Dec 20th, 2024Distinguished playwright Marcus Gardley creates an homage to the Black community in Oakland that he grew up in, and particularly to strong women and their contributions. Adeline and Laney are transplants from the South, and their beauty salon is an institution for decades before the women face economic and personal challenges.
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Ghost Quartet Front Page
A Spooky Look into the Afterlife Through Song
By: - Nov 05th, 2024Oakland Theater Project presents Dave Malloy's 23 dramatic vignettes about love, loss, whiskey, and the afterlife built into a song cycle. Calling on all manner of musical idioms, but with the constant of a mournful cello, it engages both musically and dramatically.
