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Victor Cordell

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  • Introduction to Four Shows on The Great White Way Front Page

    Liberation, Reunions, Romy & Michele, Six

    By: Victor Cordell - Nov 14th, 2025

    While at the American Theatre Critics Conference in NYC, I attended four shows. By coincidence, the common theme of revisiting or reunion emerged. Women's relationships and rights surfaced as another binding element. Reviews of each play will appear separately.

  • Parsifal Front Page

    San Francisco Opera's Stellar Production

    By: Victor Cordell - Oct 30th, 2025

    Wagner's final opera boasts some of his most organic music and lyrics in a tale of redemption. The piece demands enormous resources of every kind, and San Francisco Opera has produced a matchless experience that excels in every way.

  • The Wisdom of Eve Front Page

    The Metatheatrical Treatise on Ambition

    By: Victor Cordell - Oct 27th, 2025

    The theatrical version of the movie "All About Eve" differs around the edges but carries the same impact. The fading star Margo Channing faces the rise of the talented but unprincipled Eve Harrington.

  • Dada Teen Musical: The Play Front Page

    Central Work's Provocative World Premiere

    By: Victor Cordell - Oct 24th, 2025

    High achieving Anabel wants to enhance her Harvard application by creating and producing a Dada version of a popular musical for her high school's theater group. To bring it off, she calls on two unlikely collaborators - self-indulgent Tyler who has money and people resources, and gothic Mariah, who has some music cred. Radical complications ensue.

  • Hard Times: Appalachian Stories by Ron Rash Front Page

    Word for Word Exquisitely Performs Three Regional Short Stories Without Alteration

    By: Victor Cordell - Oct 17th, 2025

    Three short stories span the period from the Great Depression through the end of the 20th century. Though they have little in common, collectively they contribute an insightful portrait of life in a region intimately known and revered by the author.

  • Samson et Dalila Front Page

    West Bay Opera's Fine Production

    By: Victor Cordell - Oct 14th, 2025

    The tale from the Bible is brought to the opera stage. The deceitful temptress Dalila seeks not love but destruction and revenge. Though she succeeds, Samson will have the last word.

  • Noises Off Front Page

    Metatheatrical Farce Par Excellence by San Francisco Playhouse

    By: Victor Cordell - Oct 03rd, 2025

    A full-length play-within-a-play has a cast endure zany pratfalls. Unpreparedness, dipsomania, love triangles, antagonisms, prop misplacements, and more produce endless farce.

  • La Traviata Front Page

    Avery Boettcher's Performance Highlights Livermore Valley's Outstanding Production

    By: Victor Cordell - Sep 30th, 2025

    One of the canon's most fabled operas, the story of a frail, doomed courtesan and her star-crossed love for a man from the upper class has resonated with audiences of all ilks for over 170 years. Verdi's sumptuous score with stunning arias and ensembles is matchless.

  • Kim's Convenience Front Page

    From Stage to Five Seasons on Netflix and Back

    By: Victor Cordell - Sep 26th, 2025

    Korean-Canadian immigrant Appa Kim owns a mini-mart in Toronto. He faces challenges in the two areas of greatest importance to him, his family and his business. Those interests intersect as the store sustains the family; as he has no succession plan because his children aren't interested in running the business; and because he has a good offer to sell the store. But isn't it funny how conditions change?

  • Dead Man Walking Front Page

    San Francisco Opera Reprises 21st Century's Most Successful Opera

    By: Victor Cordell - Sep 19th, 2025

    Joseph de Rocher faces execution for the grisly murders of young lovers. Though unrepentant, he requests and receives spiritual counseling from Sister Helen Prejean. The opera based on the true story scintillates on all dimensions.

  • Cosi fan Tutte Front Page

    Opera San Jose Charms with a Bright Version of the Mozart / da Ponte Favorite

    By: Victor Cordell - Sep 17th, 2025

    A small-scale grand opera, Cosi revolves around a bet that two sisters will be unfaithful to their fiances within 24 hours. To tempt the women, the men are required to dress like Albanians, with each man pursuing the other's beloved. Cosi is full of beautiful, if unmemorable music, but the comic chops of the singers are what makes the opera most appealing.

  • Indecent Front Page

    Center Rep's Compelling Paean to Paula Vogel's Allegory on Humanity and Acceptance

    By: Victor Cordell - Sep 15th, 2025

    The playwright deftly envelopes the essence of Sholem Asch's "God of Vengeance" into a dramatic wrapper of the history detailing Asch's unending challenges from his community and from authorities concerning the play's alleged obscenity.

  • The Reservoir Front Page

    Memory Loss Two Ways in Thoughtful Dramedy from Berkeley Rep

    By: Victor Cordell - Sep 12th, 2025

    Josh returns home to Colorado in hopes of recovering from alcoholism and getting to know his grandparents better. A shared characteristic between them is memory loss, the difference being that the cause of Josh's is reversible, while that of the older generation is not.

  • A Night with Janis Joplin Front Page

    Sonoma Arts Live's Lively Jukebox Musical

    By: Victor Cordell - Sep 06th, 2025

    Janis Joplin was one of rock-and-roll's greatest icons. This musical tribute to her which has thrilled audiences across the country and around the world returns to the San Francisco Bay Area, where she earned her fame.

  • Eureka Day Front Page

    Marin/Aurora's Masterful Revival of Tony Award Winner Commissioned by Aurora

    By: Victor Cordell - Sep 05th, 2025

    The board of a private school in Berkeley, CA must make policy decisions following a mumps outbreak. Jonathan Spector's brilliant script reveals archetypes and arguments, and an exemplary cast enlivens the characters. The arguments concerning vaccinations are timely given the anti-vaxxing crusade of the current federal administration.

  • Santa Fe: The City Different - Traveler's Notes Front Page

    No Other Small American City Has the Quality and Diversity of Santa Fe

    By: Victor Cordell - Aug 30th, 2025

    The unlikely Santa Fe, New Mexico sets a remarkably high standard for tourism on many fronts. Exemplary visual arts, performing arts, museums, cuisine and restaurants, architecture, and festivals are just the beginning.

  • Good People Front Page

    Altarena's Masterful Look at Working Class South Boston

    By: Victor Cordell - Aug 25th, 2025

    Working-class Margie is fired from her job and desperately needs an income. She calls on Mike, now a successful doctor who she dated just before giving birth 30 ago and hasn't seen since. Unexpected clashes occur in this well-produced and riveting play.

  • Alabaster Front Page

    A Dramedy About Making Connections and Resurrecting Damaged Women

    By: Victor Cordell - Aug 18th, 2025

    A tornado destroyed June's family and farm. In isolation, she communicates with a goat. But when Alice, who brings photographic dignity and beauty to damaged women, shows up to do a layout on June, each faces her shortcomings with the possibility of escaping the pain of the past.

  • Wozzeck Front Page

    A Fine Rendering by West Edge Opera of the Atonal Masterpiece

    By: Victor Cordell - Aug 10th, 2025

    Downtrodden Franz Wozzeck suffers abuse from those in higher social classes and is betrayed by his common-law wife who has an affair with a Drum Major. West Edge depicts the drama of the underclass in concert with the dissonance of Alban Berg's music.

  • David and Jonathan Front Page

    Baroque Opera with a Modern Twist at West Edge

    By: Victor Cordell - Aug 04th, 2025

    Charpentier's 1688 opera celebrates the close but star-crossed friendship of Biblical hero David with Jonathan, the son of Saul, Israel's first king. Saul's resistance to God's call to step down in favor of David results in a clash between Saul and David as well as Jonathan's conflict between love and duty. Without bending the text, the West Edge twist is that David and Jonathan's relationship is carnal.

  • Dolores Front Page

    World Premiere at West Edge Opera Honors Distinguished Labor Leader

    By: Victor Cordell - Aug 03rd, 2025

    Dolores Huerta made her mark as Cesar Chavez's most trusted associate in the California grape pickers strike and boycott starting in 1965 that would result in major protections for agricultural workers. Independently, she led strikes and boycotts elsewhere, and she negotiated the contract that would end the unrest.

  • Le Comte Ory Front Page

    Rossini's Comedy Done Right at Merola

    By: Victor Cordell - Aug 02nd, 2025

    The hedonistic and opportunistic Comte Ory takes advantage of men being away at the Crusades to pursue women. Knowing that the Comtesse Adele seeks spiritual guidance, his first gambit is to disguise as a hermit, but his own page gets in the way.

  • Die Walküre Front Page

    A Tale of Conflicts and Betrayals

    By: Victor Cordell - Jul 28th, 2025

    Brünhilde's empathy for illicit lovers Siegmund and Sieglinde induces her to betray the orders of her father Wotan, the king of gods. His punishment is to reduce her to becoming a mortal. Santa Fe Opera's production excels.

  • Rigoletto Front Page

    Verdi's Tragic Masterpiece at Santa Fe Opera

    By: Victor Cordell - Jul 27th, 2025

    The jester Rigoletto vows to protect his daughter from lascivious men. Not only does he fail, but he suffers tragic consequences as a result of his attempted revenge after her abduction and abuse.

  • The Turn of the Screw Front Page

    Santa Fe's Excellent Production of the Ghost Story

    By: Victor Cordell - Jul 24th, 2025

    In this Gothic ghost tale, a young governess is charged with caring for two orphans under the guardianship of an absentee uncle. Two employees on the estate whom the governess encounters are deceased. Is she dreaming, or is their presence real? And are the children innocents, or are they possessed by the ghosts? Benjamin Britten's eerie music fits the ghost story.

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