Stopped at @southcoastrep.bsky.social on the way home so the teen Percy Jackson lover can catch a show. Always nice to be back.
By David John Chávez
@davidjchavez.bsky.social
Brown drama guy. Bay Area theater critic/reporter @SJ Mercury News, SF Chronicle, KQED, American Theatre Mag + others. Chair - American Theatre Critics/Journalists Assn. (22-25), 2X Pulitzer Drama Juror (22-23) GO SJ Sharks! IG: @davidjchavez #hellatheatre
First time at a Bay FC game, great vibes, great soccer, need some more grade A chances on goal.
Fell very hard for this charmer of a show, with a great local production in Downtown #SanJose. My review of City Lights production of #RidetheCyclone for the @mercurynews.com, show runs through 8/23, do not miss it! (gift link) #hellatheatre www.mercurynews.com/2026/07/28/r...
Review: Take a spin on City Lights’ wonderfully weird ‘Ride the Cyclone’
Dark musical comedy centers on youthful victims of a carnival ride gone tragically wrong.
mercurynews.com
I put this album in the same category as Aretha Franklin's "Amazing Grace" — a fantastic collection of deeply personal songs by a singer at the top of her powers, not thinking about chart success and doing exactly the music she wants to do.
Thank goodness I stick to unlimited soup, salad and breadsticks. If I forget my ID, it's not required for that.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2w agoScalise: "Anybody that gets on an airplane has to show a picture ID to vote. Nowadays, if you want to go to Olive Garden and get unlimited pasta, you gotta show a picture ID. This isn't complicated stuff."
I cannot begin to express what this album did for Mexicans at the time. To her her sing these songs still brings me goosebumps. Every relative I had, including my parents, had multiple copies in LP and cassette form, including blank cassettes to record the album for others.
Gabe Ortíz@tusk81.bsky.social · 3w ago“Canciones” is one of her best. But even after all the money Linda made for her label, they hated the idea of a Spanish-language album. “You owe me this,” she said. “Canciones” was for years “the biggest-selling non-English language album in US history, going double platinum and earning a Grammy” ✨
"A walking skunk cabbage." 💯 All of this.
Rrandymac57.bsky.social@randymac57.bsky.social · 4w ago
Donald Trump just can't help but spread his stench around, can he? He's like a walking skunk cabbage. It wasn't so much the US soccer team lost because if him, it's that most people no longer cared if they won after he inserted himself in the game.
Chicago. Is this even a question? But, in all fairness, folks might never had a Kasper's (Casper's) at its Bay Area peak. The stuff in which legends are made.
The New York Times@nytimes.com · 4w agoWhich iconic American hot dog is the best? We called legendary chef José Andrés to help decide. Watch Andrés and Wirecutter’s hot dog testers crown the nation’s greatest glizzy: nyti.ms/44djOGT
For the @mercurynews.com, I spoke w/ playwright Geetha Reddy and actor/Cupertino native Kapil Talwalkar about the world premiere "The Employee Dharma Handbook" at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley. Inspired by the Cisco caste case of 2020, the comedy begins on 7/8 in Palo Alto #hellatheatre (gift article)
Cupertino native cast in world premiere of play about caste system
Kapil Talwalkar is featured in ‘The Employee Dharma Handbook’ at TheatreWorks.
mercurynews.com
The most bummer part of the evening - being reminded of the arts companies we've lost in San Jose, including Tabard Theatre, 3Below, Northside Theatre Company and Ballet San Jose. Ouch. The Tabard space has long been one of my favorites in the area.
By David John Chávez@davidjchavez.bsky.social · last mo.Fun night in #SanJose, 30th anniversary of Monday Night Live for #SanJoseStage.
As promised, every joke I laughed at means full credit goes to fellow Merc scribe @salpizarro.bsky.social
By David John Chávez@davidjchavez.bsky.social · last mo.Fun night in #SanJose, 30th anniversary of Monday Night Live for #SanJoseStage.
While the dialogue is snappy and smart, some situations and feel of the show still can use some development. So much to like about this world premiere, a co-production between Golden Thread and SFBATCO. My review of #ArabSpring for @kqedarts.bsky.social, thru July 12 in #SanFrancisco #hellatheatre
Sorting Through the Wreckage of an Immigrant Father’s Death
In San Francisco, the new play ‘Arab Spring’ explores family tension and Muslim tradition.
kqed.org
Ritesh Batra's 2013 film #TheLunchbox is fantastic. The world premiere musical, now in its second extension at Berkeley Rep, is also wonderful. Kuhoo Verma is a star. The show runs through July 12. My review for the @mercurynews.com #hellatheatre (gift link) www.mercurynews.com/2026/06/03/r...
Review: ‘The Lunchbox’ world premiere is a poignant pleasure at Berkeley Rep
World premiere musical at Berkeley Rep captures the power of friendship
mercurynews.com
Closing weekend for "We Will Rock You" @ San Jose Stage. The script is very odd and not great, but this show is all about listening to kickass live Queen tunes and terrific performances, namely Nicholas Tabora as Killer Queen. My review for the @mercurynews.com #hellatheatre - thru 6/28 (gift link)
Queen songs reign supreme in flawed ‘We Will Rock You’
The musical built off Queen’s mighty song catalogue suffers from a ridiculous story line.
mercurynews.com
If Peaches Christ isn't at Pride Night, does it even count? I say no.
Always love a brand new world premiere musical that hardly anyone has seen. On the job for the @mercurynews.com #hellatheatre
I don't watch a lot of movies, but I am kicking off the summer with 15 classic films I haven't seen. Number one, pretty amazing, just kind of, ends.
Curious about which theater productions you should try and catch this summer? We've got you covered! For @kqedarts.bsky.social, I recommended 11 shows throughout the #BayArea to catch, a mix of festivals, musicals, comedies and tragedies. The Bay has got it all. #hellatheatre
The 11 Best Plays and Musicals to See This Summer in the Bay Area | KQED
From world premiere dramas to classic musicals, your guide to summertime theater in the Bay Area is here.
kqed.org
It was great to reconnect with #GabrielaLenaFrank, a Bay Area native who just won the @pulitzerprizes.bsky.social in Music! I spoke to her for the @sfchronicle.com about her win. We first chatted in '23 about her opera "El Ultimo Sueño de Frida y Diego," making its Met Opera debut on May 14.
Bay Area composer reflects on Pulitzer Prize win ahead of Met Opera premiere
Gabriela Lena Frank earned the Pulitzer Prize in Music while preparing “El último sueño de Frida y Diego” for its Metropolitan Opera debut in New York.
sfchronicle.com