All stories by Joanne Engelhardt on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Review: Marie stands out in long, complicated, but relevant ‘Oslo’ by Joanne Engelhardt

There’s a whole lot of testosterone on stage in Los Altos Stage Company’s production of “Oslo,” which runs through Feb. 16 at Bus Barn Theater in Los Altos. Despite the fact that thi…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 01:38AM
Monday, January 27, 2020

Review: Hillbarn’s new twist on ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ won’t connect with everyone by Joanne Engelhardt

After such a standout production of “Newsies” in December, it’s unfortunate that Hillbarn Theatre in Foster City has come up with what is, essentially, a somewhat lackluster version of…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 06:26PM
Saturday, January 25, 2020

Review: Tachis and Wright deliver comedic antics in ‘Taking Steps’ by Joanne Engelhardt

British playwright Alan Ayckbourn has written more than 70 plays, most of them comedies and quite a number of which could rightly be called farces. “Taking Steps” is one of those, though…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 01:15AM
Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Review: Get ready for some clever mind play in Haley’s ‘Nether’ by Joanne Engelhardt

In the rather other-worldly place of “The Nether,” a somewhat disturbing play by Jennifer Haley now at Dragon Productions Theatre in Redwood City, the world – at least the world in the…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 02:37AM

Review: Costumes and cast stand out in ‘A Doll’s House, Part 2’ by Joanne Engelhardt

Palo Alto Players is currently offering “A Doll’s House, Part 2,” a bit of a hard sell in this day and age when it’s likely not everyone is familiar with Henrik Ibsen’s original cl…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 02:29AM
Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Review: Redd literally owns the stage in ‘You/Emma’ by Joanne Engelhardt

“You/Emma” running through Sunday, Dec. 15 at Pear Theatre in Mountain View appears, at first glance, to be a trifling play. It’s a one-woman show that’s written by a woman and is ab…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 12:44AM
Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Review: Los Altos Stage Company’s ‘Miracle’ much different than silver screen classic by Joanne Engelhardt

The first “Miracle on 34th Street” told the story of a little girl who didn’t believe in Santa Claus and the man who came into her life and helped her believe. That’s the plot of the…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 12:38AM
Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Review: Palo Alto Players’ ‘Christmas Story’ falls short on stage by Joanne Engelhardt

There’s so much squeaky-clean goodness, corny juvenile fun and quite a few excellent performances in the Palo Alto Players’ production of “A Christmas Story, the Musical” that it’s…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 09:23PM
Monday, November 11, 2019

Review: Strong acting and singing performances make ‘Into the Woods’ worthwhile by Joanne Engelhardt

Strong vocal and acting performances make the current Broadway by the Bay production of the Stephen Sondheim- James Levine musical of reconstructed fairy tales, “Into the Woods,” pleasur…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 05:44PM
Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Review: Dragon’s ‘Anne of the Thousand Days’ is a lot to digest by Joanne Engelhardt

King Henry VIII of England, who had six wives and way more than that many mistresses, apparently only spent 1,000 days with one of them, Anne Boleyn. Then he had her beheaded. British histor…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 10:39AM
Thursday, October 24, 2019

Demise of factories, strong unions play out in Pear Theatre’s ‘Sweat’ by Joanne Engelhardt

A scrappy little play called “Sweat” – which just happened to win the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for drama for its playwright, Lynn Nottage, is getting a pretty decent, rough-and-tumble produ…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 09:23AM
Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Review: ‘It’s Only a Play’ falls flat on many levels by Joanne Engelhardt

The big question is why Hillbarn Theatre would want to squander its hard-earned dollars on such an outdated (despite its updates), unfunny, mostly uninteresting play as “It’s Only a Play…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 02:01AM
Monday, September 16, 2019

Review: Palo Alto Players’ ‘Bright Star’ connects on many levels by Joanne Engelhardt

Lyrical, enigmatic, lively, maudlin, affecting and, ultimately heart-tugging. That’s a capsule description of Palo Alto Players’ beautifully conceived production of “Bright Star,” th…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 04:13PM

Review: What makes everyone’s mortal clock tick in ‘Hickorydickory’ by Joanne Engelhardt

It’s all about time – or the lack of it – in Marisa Wegrzyn’s quirky surrealist comedy “Hickorydickory” that runs through September 29 at Dragon Productions Theatre in Redwood Ci…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 03:28PM
Thursday, September 12, 2019

On Stage: Acting performances standout in ‘Anything Goes’ by Joanne Engelhardt

Hillbarn Theatre’s current production of “Anything Goes” is rather like a bowl of Rice Krispies: Sometimes it snaps, sometimes it crackles, sometimes it pops. And sometimes it fizzles.…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 04:55PM
Monday, September 9, 2019

Review: So many layers in Los Altos Stage Company’s ‘admissions’ by Joanne Engelhardt

It’s rare to feel you’ve been present at the illustrious beginning of an actor’s theatrical career, but that is indeed what audiences will feel watching young Quincy Shaindlin in the L…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 04:35PM
Friday, August 16, 2019

Broadway by the Bay’s ‘Sister Act’ full of nostalgia, terrific acting by Joanne Engelhardt

Broadway by the Bay’s production, which has only six more performances, is a perfect way to spend a summer evening.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 02:18PM
Thursday, July 25, 2019

Theater review: ‘Cinderella’ gets a make-over worth seeing by Joanne Engelhardt

Douglas Carter Beane’s modernized version of the beloved children’s story “Cinderella” is an eye-opening experience as visualized by director Milissa Carey, now dashing along through…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 06:01AM
Thursday, July 18, 2019

Theater review: ‘Language Archive’ talks the talk by Joanne Engelhardt

The etymology of language in all its forms and meanings is the crux of “The Language Archive,” running through Aug. 4 at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto. This TheatreWorks Silicon V…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 06:01AM

Theater review: More to “How and Why’ than meets the eye by Joanne Engelhardt

Sarah Treem’s multilayered play, “The How and the Why,” pits two ferocious female biologists, both of whom have studied the field of women’s menstrual cycles and aren’t sure what t…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 06:01AM
Thursday, June 20, 2019

Theater review: Don’t think twice; go see ‘Two Guvnors’ by Joanne Engelhardt

Say this out loud: “Go see ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’ at Palo Alto Players now!” Now: Repeat it 10 more times. That tells you not only how good this production is — it makes the point …

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 06:01AM
Thursday, June 13, 2019

Theater review: ‘Grease’ is the word at the Fox Theatre by Joanne Engelhardt

It was a hot weekend in Redwood City last week, and the jukebox musical “Grease” rolled into town to sputter along weekends at the Fox Theatre under the auspices of Broadway by the Bay. …

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 06:01AM

Theater review: Lots of reasons to experience ‘Archduke’ by Joanne Engelhardt

Who knew that the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria — the event that reputedly triggered the start of World War I — could be so ridiculously witty? Apparently playwright Raji…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 06:01AM
Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Theater review: Coward’s ‘Present Laughter’ opens at Pear Theatre by Joanne Engelhardt

Who doesn’t love a heady dose of Noel Coward — especially one of his frothy, sophisticated comedies about the foibles of love in all its guises? There is much to like, as well as much th…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 06:01AM
Thursday, May 30, 2019

Theater review: ‘Next to Normal’ is abnormally good by Joanne Engelhardt

“Next to Normal,” now playing at Bus Barn Theater in Los Altos through June 22, has a distinctive rhythm and cadence. And: it’s a musical about mental illness. Considered a “rock” …

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 06:01AM

Theater review: Foothill does a double take on ’12 Angry Men’ by Joanne Engelhardt

Foothill College’s Theatre Arts Department came up with a novel approach to producing a play: An all-male and an all-female version of “12 Angry Men” running in repertoire through June…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 06:01AM
Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Theater review: Whatever it is, ‘Shoggoths’ is must-see theater by Joanne Engelhardt

Leapin’ lizards!! Shazam! Sock – pow – kazam! That’s what you’ll be saying when all of your senses are assaulted by the remarkably excellent production called “Shoggoths on the V…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 06:01AM
Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Theater review: ‘Mamma Mia’ a trip back in time worth taking by Joanne Engelhardt

It’s ABBAsolutely true: The ABBA-inspired musical “Mamma Mia” is ‘pop’-ping up everywhere in the Bay Area these days. Right now it’s Hillbarn Theatre’s turn, and it’s a trip.…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 06:01AM
Friday, May 10, 2019

Theater review: ‘Pear Slices 2019’ a solid collection of laughs by Joanne Engelhardt

You probably won’t enter Pear Theatre laughing, but after seeing “Pear Slices 2019,” it’s almost a sure bet you’ll exit that way.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 06:01AM
Friday, April 19, 2019

Theater review: ‘Grapes of Wrath’ shines a light onto a dark time by Joanne Engelhardt

The role of Ma Joad in the John Steinbeck-Frank Galati play, “The Grapes of Wrath,” is central — in fact, enormously crucial — to the understanding of this Pulitzer Prize-winning sto…

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 06:01AM
Friday, March 29, 2019

Theater review: ‘Macbeth’ bloody good at the Dragon Theatre by Joanne Engelhardt

Something wickedly good this way comes, to paraphrase the Bard himself. In this case, it’s the lyrically moving production of “Macbeth,” currently packing them in at Dragon Theatre in …

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News at 06:01AM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards