Comedy ‘Nice guy’ comedian Josh Gondelman brings shtick to S.F. on Friday Stand-up comedian Josh Gondelman possesses the mild-mannered, sweater-vest vibe of the preschool teacher he once was — a hipster Mister Rogers, as he puts… By Dan Pine Nov 1, 2022
Theater 'After I’m Dead': Vivien Straus honors her mother in one-woman show Right before her mother, Ellen, died in 2002, Vivien Straus had a revelation about her life’s purpose: “I’m supposed to combine farming and comedy.” When… By Alix Wall Oct 11, 2022
Theater One-woman show is a journey through generations of Iraqi Jews When the late San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen dubbed the city he covered “Baghdad-by-the-Bay” in 1951, he was not referring to Iraqi… By Laura Paull Sep 28, 2022
Theater S.F. Playhouse pulls back curtain on scandalous 1907 Yiddish play What’s indecent? A lesbian love story, prostitution and the desecration of a Torah scroll as portrayed in Sholem Asch’s 1907 play “God of Vengeance,”… By Patricia Corrigan Sep 14, 2022
Opinion The Catskills meet Mount Sinai at a night of unifying Jewish comedy Back in 2000, Spike Lee made a concert film starring four of the most popular Black comics of the day: Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric… By Andrew Silow-Carroll Aug 22, 2022
Theater Director of infamous Passion Play takes antisemitism by the horns Nestled in the Bavarian alps, the city of Oberammergau has one major claim to fame: every 10 years, it hosts the world-famous Passion Play, which tells… By Toby Axelrod, JTA Aug 18, 2022
Talking With ... Q&A: ‘All the world’s a stage, and I want to costume it’ “All the world’s a stage, and I want to costume it.” That’s Abra Berman’s motto, and you’ve probably seen some of her creations if you attended any Bay… By Liz Harris Aug 18, 2022
Obituaries Activist-writer Elana Dykewomon dies, just as her first play debuts Elana Dykewomon hoped to see her first play staged before she passed away from cancer. “I would like to see it at least have a reading before I die, which… By Andrew Esensten Aug 9, 2022
Art 'Oz is for Oznowicz': Hitler puppet by Frank Oz’s parents on display at CJM Long before Frank Oz gained fame as the puppet master behind such iconic characters as Miss Piggy and Yoda, he was Frank Oznowicz, an Oakland kid who… By Dan Pine Jul 28, 2022