Clayton Theatre Company brightens up a rainy March with the murder mystery “But Why Bump Off Barnaby?”
The comedic murder mystery focuses on the demise of Barnaby Folcey. It appears Folcey had a reason to kill everyone else, but no one seemingly had a reason to murder him.
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Lots of craziness ensues, but before the killer can be unmasked, there’s a secret treasure to be found, a limerick to decode and all sorts of mishaps to be avoided.
Director La Tonya Watts has the difficult task of moving the large cast around the Endeavor’s small stage. Her potential “murderers” include Nathalie Archangel, James Bradley Jr., Kevin Coren, Bill Dietz, Teresa Grosserode, Deborah Huaco, Megan Larsen, Maya Rath, Chip Renner and Peggy Scalise.
“But Why Bump Off Barnaby?” takes place Friday through March 17 at Endeavor Hall, 6008 Center St., Clayton. Originally scheduled to begin a week earlier, Clayton Theatre had to postpone its opening to accommodate elections at the city-owned Endeavor Hall. Now running only two weeks, the show has added a second performance this Sunday and a Thursday evening performance March 14.
For tickets, call 925-334-0880 or go to claytontheatrecompany.com.
S.F.: Someone isn’t clowning around. On second thought, that’s exactly what SF Playhouse is doing in its latest production “The 39 Steps.” Having fun with the Alfred Hitchcock thriller of the same name, Patrick Barlow’s stage adaptation actually has two characters listed as “clown.” They, along with the female lead, play more than 100 characters.
The play’s action hero, Richard Hannay, however, anchors the production as he launches a high-speed chase from a London music hall to the highlands of Scotland. On his journey, he dodges devious spies, woos gorgeous bombshells and attempts to unmask the secrets of an international spy ring. All in a day’s work, of course.
Oakland native and current San Leandro resident Phil Wong takes on this demanding role.
“I’ve done a lot of roles, usually the villain, that required me to fight with swords, knives and nunchuks but I’ve never done this sort of action hero before,” Wong said. “I’ve also spent a large part of my career playing various clowns and doing Shakespearean fools so getting this opportunity is pretty huge for me.”
Oakland native and San Leandro resident Phil Wong stars as the action hero Richard Hannay in SF Playhouse’s “The 39 Steps.” (Photo by Jessica Palopoli)
While the constant action requires Wong to be in great physical shape, he noted the role also demands mental agility.
“This is a big farcical screwball comedy with lots of crazy shenanigans happening in each scene. I just need to keep straight which ones happen when,” Wong said. “My actor’s nightmare is accidentally starting a scene that I already did. It all moves so fast. There’s not much time to think as your heart is racing from one scene to the next.”
While Wong concentrates on being the action hero, Maggie Mason plays all the women in the show, with physically adept clowns, Greg Ayers and Renee Rogoff, inhabiting all the other roles.
“I kind of have one of the easiest jobs with just one role,” Wong said. “I just need to remember how to move through all the madness that everyone else is so brilliantly creating.”
Wong also noted how physically adept his fellow actors are and what a positive synergy they all have on stage.
“I really enjoy going to work every day because we’re all coming up with stupid things to make each other laugh, then we hone them for the show,” he said. “We all want to make it as enjoyable and mad cap as possible for the audience. Our director Susi Damilano completely supports us and brought in the experts, such as a shadow puppeteer and a clown consultant, to help make this as mad cap as possible for the audience.”
“The 39 Steps” runs Thursday through April 20 at SF Playhouse, 450 Post St., San Francisco. For tickets, call 415-677-9596 or go to sfplayhouse.org.
Hayward: Castro Valley’s Chanticleers Theatre presents David Henry Hwang’s “Yellow Face” March 15-17. The semi-autobiographical comedy questions the complexities of race, dealing with the media and more.
Originally slated for a longer run at the company’s home on Quail Avenue, the production has been moved to the Douglas Morrisson Theatre, 22311 N 3rd St., Hayward, because of on-going construction at the aforementioned site.
For tickets, call 510-SEE-LIVE or go to chanticleers.org.
Walnut Creek: Just in time for March Madness, Center Rep presents Lauren Yee’s “The Great Leap.”
The award-winning playwright follows a University of San Francisco college basketball team as it travels to Beijing in 1989 for an exhibition game. Yee simulates the fast action on the court with his own rapid-fire dialogue in this sharp-witted dramatic comedy. Coaches and players claim personal victories on and off the court and learn the cultural and political risks of raising one’s voice and standing one’s ground.
“The Great Leap” runs March 16 through April 7 at Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive. Call 925-943-7469 or go to lesherartscenter.org.
Reach Sally Hogarty at sallyhogarty@gmail.com, and read more of her reviews online at eastbaytimes.com/author/sally-hogarty.