Buzzing into ‘07
If you were thinking about taking a month off from the theater scene because nothing exciting ever happens in January, you might want to think again.There are at least five shows of medium to high interest coming up in the very near future:43 Plays for 43 Presidents _ Before 2007 even has a chance to get stale, Berkeley's Rough and Tumble jump into the fray with an irreverent piece written by Chicago's Neo-Futurists. American history gets the comedy treatment as the lives and presidencies of all 43 chief executives are dispatched in quick succession. The show opens today and continues through Jan. 27 at LaVal's Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid Ave., Berkeley. Call (510) 499-0356 or visit www.randt.org.Romeo and Juliet: A Fire Ballet _ The Crucible is one of the Bay Area's most interesting arts centers, and it's not just because just about everything they do is laced with fire. OK, it's pretty much about the fire. The latest artistic exploration takes the form of a fire ballet based on Shakespeare's classic romance. Opens Wednesday and continues through Jan. 20 at 1260 Seventh St., Oakland. Call (510) 444-0919 or visit www.thecrucible.org.
Tings Dey Happen _ Last time we saw Dan Hoyle (right, son of great Bay Area clown/actor Geoff Hoyle), he was doing the solo thing in Circumnavigator and Florida 2004: The Big Bummer. After spending a year as a Fullbright scholar in Nigeria studying oil politics, Hoyle is back at The Marsh with a new show based on his travels. PBS and CNN wish they were this interesting. Opens Saturday and continues through Jan. 27 at The Marsh, 1062 Valencia St., San Francisco. Call (800) 838-3006 or visit www.themarsh.org.Strangers We Know _ Word for Word, one of the Bay Area's best and most consistently extraordinary small companies brings together two outstanding women writers and two distinct historical eras for its latest verbatim theatrical adaptations of short fiction. Mavis Gallant's ``Mlle Dias de Corta'' and Lorrie Moore's ``Which Is More Than I Can Say About Some People'' get the Word for Word treatment. Expect good things. Opens Jan. 12 and continues through Jan. 28 at the Magic Theatre, Building D, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco. Show moves to Berkeley's Julia Morgan Center for the Arts Jan. 31 through Feb. 4. Call (415) 437-6775 or visit www.zspace.org.Three Seconds in the Key _ Deb Margolin's drama _ receiving its West Coast premiere from SF Playhouse _ is a meditation on love, illness and basketball. Amy Resnick, a good enough reason to buy a ticket right now, plays a mother battling Hodgkin's disease who bonds with her young son over the New York Knicks. Leigh Fondakowski, one of the masterminds behind Berkeley Repertory Theatre's The People's Temple, directs. Opens Jan. 13 and continues through Feb. 17 at 533 Sutter St., San Francisco. Call (415) 677-9596 or visit www.sfplayhouse.org.