If you’ve always thought Shylock’s punishment in Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” was harsh, you’re not alone. At his trial in the play, Shylock is…
Oscar season is afoot and Jews are in the mix, with nominations for best director (Sam Mendes for “1917”) and best actor (Joaquin Phoenix for “Joker”).…
The one-woman show “The Pianist of Willesden Lane,” starring Mona Golabek on the piano, is returning to the Bay Area this month. Based on the 2002 book…
On New Year’s Eve, San Francisco will tip its cap for the last time to “Beach Blanket Babylon.” After 45 years of mad-hatted frivolity, the musical revue…
In a season of holiday events, I want to suggest two works of art that are timeless: a profoundly playful book about love, and a compelling film about…
Miz Cracker is a N.Y.-based performer and comedian who competed on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” a popular reality TV series in which contestants show off their…
My dad sat to my left. Next to him was the charismatic, theatrical Bruce Bierman, whom I last encountered when he was leading a deliciously off-the-wall…