42nd Street Moon, Aaron Loeb, Abigail Bengson, American Conservatory ..., Aurora Theatre Company, Bay Area Cabaret, Berkeley Repertory The..., Chita Rivera, Christopher Chen, D-W- Jacobs, Feinstein's at the Nikko, Forbidden Broadway, Impact Theatre, Jonathan Moscone, Jonathan Tolins, Just Theater, Liesl Tommy, Lorraine Hansberry, Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, Michael Urie, musicals, Nicholas Pelczar, R- Buckminster Fuller, Ron Campbell, San Francisco Playhouse, San Jose Rep, Shaun Bengson, Stacy Ross, Tony Kushner, UNIVERSES 42nd Street Moon, Aaron Loeb, Abigail Bengson, American Conservatory ..., Aurora Theatre Company, Bay Area Cabaret, Berkeley Repertory The..., Chita Rivera, Christopher Chen, D-W- Jacobs, Feinstein's at the Nikko, Forbidden Broadway, Impact Theatre, Jonathan Moscone, Jonathan Tolins, Just Theater, Liesl Tommy, Lorraine Hansberry, Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, Michael Urie, musicals, Nicholas Pelczar, R- Buckminster Fuller, Ron Campbell, San Francisco Playhouse, San Jose Rep, Shaun Bengson, Stacy Ross, Tony Kushner, UNIVERSES

A hitch in the getalong: Looking back at 2014's best

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Broadway, Feinstein's at the Nikko, Forbidden Broadway, musicals, theater review Broadway, Feinstein's at the Nikko, Forbidden Broadway, musicals, theater review

Forbidden Blah-way is more like it

It must be better in New York.

I've heard about Forbidden Broadway for much of its 32-year history and enjoyed some very funny recordings on several of the cast albums, but until this week, I had never seen a production. In New York, time is generally consumed with actual Broadway, which leaves little time for the Forbidden variety.

A touring version of the off-Broadway show, dubbed Alive and Kickin opened an extended run at Feinstein's at the Nikko Thursday, and the 70-minute show was underwhelming to say the least.

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cabaret, Donna McKechnie, Feinstein's at the Nikko cabaret, Donna McKechnie, Feinstein's at the Nikko

Donna McKechnie charms in uneven cabaret show

Broadway legend Donna McKechnie, the original Cassie in A Chorus Line, has talked and sung about her life in San Francisco. In 2001, she brought Inside the Music to the Alcazar Theatre. The Tony Award-winner is back in town, still chatting and warbling about her storied life, but this time in a much smaller (and shorter) show in a much more charming room (Feinstein's at the Nikko).

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Broadway, cabaret, Feinstein's at the Nikko, Michael Feinstein, musicals, Sutton Foster Broadway, cabaret, Feinstein's at the Nikko, Michael Feinstein, musicals, Sutton Foster

Sutton Foster charms at swanky new Feinstein's

San Francisco Bay Area cabaret lovers drooped a little when The Rrazz Room, after attempting to make a go of it after departing the Hotel Nikko, finally packed up and headed out of town earlier this year.

But as Maria von Trapp is fond of saying, "When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window." In this, case credit is due not so much the Lord (apologies) but to Michael Feinstein, one of this country's greatest natural resources and practically a one-man juggernaut in celebration (and preservation) of the Great American Songbook.

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