Keep track of stage plays I see in 2008.

A spectacle of color, storytelling and dance, as we hear the story of Sheherazade as she tells her 1,001 stories of the Arabian nights. A wonderful re-imagining at the Berkeley Rep.

This little songfest was held at the tiny Altarena Theatre in Alameda, CA. We attended last night. It was certainly amusing when the girls pretended that members of the audience were part of the family. And the old-timey songs were a pleasure. Four-part harmony is hard to obtain, and they did an adequate job.

at the Altarena Playhouse on Alameda. I didn’t care for it, but my two companions liked it enough.

This version is a bit more modern than the others, and the players are a bit older. Those changes were hardly noticeable; what WAS noticeable was the fact that there was more gender-bending than usual.

Sebastian and his sister were played by one person, and if this is ever done (making the last scene almost impossible to stage), it’s done by a woman. This time, the director went with a man. PLUS, Malvolio was played by a woman! So effectively that I can’t imagine it any other way, by anyone else.

6. Hay Fever at Alameda’s Altarena Playhouse. Hay Fever is by Noel Coward.

We always enjoy the plays at Altarena, so I’m sure we’ll have a good time. Besides, who doesn’t love Noel Coward’s wordplay?

This stage presentation at Cal Shakes, the outdoor theatre that gets hot, then cold, all in the space of the first 20 minutes, was just terrific.

The Wilde play depends on a strong cast, and this production has it all. Highly recommended, and so far, the hit of my play-going summer.

I saw Greater Tuna about 15 years ago. It was terrific—about the shenanigans of the dwellers of Tuna, Texas, and all 30 or so characters were played by the same two guys. I have since seen A Tuna Christmas.

And now there’s Tuna Does Vegas. I got a little lost in Vegas, and the first half, especially when they’re broadcasting on OKKK radio about the Smutcatchers, etc., is the best. But it’s all really funny.

I didn’t care for this one, although many people I’ve talked to did. Imaginatively staged, but not well acted. And, let’s face it, boring.

I originally wrote “Petrocles” and have since edited it. You can see how confused the play made me.

Performed at the Berkeley Rep, I saw this one-woman play last week. Written and acted by the incredible Nilaja Sun. Wonderful, memorable.

tried to remember all the stage plays I had been to this year. I couldn’t. That’s when I decided to write them down.

I don’t remember seeing as many plays in such a short-term period as recently. And most of them have been very good.

Today was an exception: Pericles, by shakespeare, performed at Cal Shakes in Orinda. I now know why I had never seen the play before. Ghastly. And the actors were almost high-schoolish. Not memorable.