Victor Cordell
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Recent Articles:
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Cruising Colombia's Magdalena River Front Page
An Exotic Alternative to More Common Travel
By: - Jul 23rd, 2026While one end point of the cruise, Cartagena, is a major tourist attraction, the visitor on this trip will enjoy experiences shared by few - the culture of rural Colombia and a diverse tropical environment.
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La Rondine Front Page
Pocket Opera's Fine Take on Puccini's Less Produced Masterpiece
By: - Jul 21st, 2026Magda is a courtesan supported by a wealthy banker, but she falls in love with a younger man. Can a tiger change its stripes? Must a swallow always fly home?
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Hairspray The Broadway Musical Front Page
The Joint is Jumpin' at SF Playhouse
By: - Jul 19th, 2026This John Waters creation has legs. The hit Broadway musical has lost none of its pizzazz or its underlying social commentary. It's 1962, and the overweight Tracy tries out for the Corny Collins Show. Not a big enough hill to climb, she tries to integrate it too.
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The Employee Dharma Handbook Front Page
TheatreWorks World Premiere Blockbuster
By: - Jul 14th, 2026Americans assume the preeminence of their own laws, culture, and practices in this country, but many immigrant groups carry baggage across borders. South Asians are the second largest ethnicity in Silicon Valley, and the Hindu caste system has caused headaches for companies trying to tow the legal line and maintain a constructive work environment. This entertaining dramedy highlights the conflicts that can arise.
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Going to St. Ives Front Page
Oakland's Lower Bottom Playaz Triumphs
By: - Jul 12th, 2026The mother of an African dictator travels to England for eye surgery, but she has a devious plan to fulfill a more sinister mission. Although hinging on one action, the narrative broaches a wide range of social and ethical issues.
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La Tragédie de Carmen Front Page
Merola Triumphs with Peter Brook's Minimalistic Adaptation
By: - Jul 10th, 2026Minimalist theater director Peter Brook strips this war horse to 80 minutes of essentials. As an intimate psychological intimacy, the plot line is jolting, often lacking the motivations behind characters' actions. But the music is Carmen, and the cast is talented, so forgiveness for numerous transgressions is in order.
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Alcina Front Page
Baroque Handel Opera Set to Fantasy Libretto
By: - Jun 21st, 2026Identity and gender confusion rule the day, both in characters and the composer's casting specifications. Festival Opera recognized what a delightful fit for Pride Month this fine Handel work is.
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Ain't Too Proud Front Page
Musical and Personal History of the Temptations
By: - Jun 14th, 2026Emerging from the Motown stable, the Temptations became the most successful R&B singing group of their era, perhaps of all time. But with success came the pain of many personal failures. Ain't Too Proud evidences the joy of their music against the backdrop of the challenges of dealing with professional demands and fragile psyches.
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San Francisco Opera's Elektra Front Page
Strauss's Horrifying Opera
By: - Jun 09th, 2026Taken from the Sophocles tragedy, Elektra vows revenge on her mother Klytemnestra and her mother's lover Aegisth for having murdered her father Agammemnon.
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Jagged Little Pill Front Page
Alanis Morissette's Take on Family Conflict and Teen Angst
By: - Jun 08th, 2026How often do we learn of what seemed to be an idyllic family concealing secrets that belie their apparent success and happiness? The musical based on the wildly popular album of the same name powerfully explores family dynamics and teen rebellion.
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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Front Page
Agatha Christie's Most Esteemed Crime Story
By: - Jun 07th, 2026Roger Ackroyd's presumed murder brings Hercule Poirot out of retirement. Common to many Agatha Christie novels, a large number of characters close to the deceased become suspects, and while each has an alibi, some of them are questionable. A unique plot twist elevates the story in the minds of aficionados.
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Doubt Front Page
Opera Parallele's Engaging Opera Set to Engrossing Drama
By: - Jun 02nd, 2026School Principal Aloysius suspects Father Flynn of having intoxicated and abused a student. Despite the absence of meaningful evidence, she pursues her quarry relentlessly.
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'night Mother Front Page
1983 Pulitzer Prize Winner Still Captivates
By: - Jun 01st, 2026Matter-of-factly, Jessie announces to her mother Thelma that she will take her own life at the end of the evening. Thelma tries to erect whatever barriers she can, but Jessie's calm determination is hard to counter. Global issues such as religion, legality, and social matters arise.
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The Barber of Seville at San Francisco Opera Front Page
Rossini's Cherished Comic Opera
By: - May 31st, 2026Rosina's guardian, Doctor Bartolo, intends to marry her forthwith, but Count Almaviva also longs to wed her. With the assistance of jack-of-all-trades Figaro, Almaviva uses disguises and subterfuge to undermine Bartolo. Comedy and memorable music prevail throughout.
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The Lunchbox Front Page
World Premiere Musical About Meal Delivery in Bombay
By: - May 29th, 2026In a rare miscue, the dabbawallah system delivers the wrong lunches to two lonely people. The two begin to pass notes along with the containers that are also returned to the sender. A warm but anonymous relationship arises along with ensuing complications.
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Tosca Front Page
Puccini's Immortal Opera of Love, Betrayal, and Death
By: - May 26th, 2026Having hidden a political prisoner, Cavaradossi is hounded by police chief Scarpia, who lusts after Tosca and agrees to free Cavaradossi if he can have his way with Tosca.
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The House of Bernarda Alba Front Page
Garcia Lorca's 1936 Spanish Play Resonates Here and Now
By: - May 25th, 2026Bernarda Alba's husband has died. The traditionalist widow holds to conservative practices and vows that her five adult daughters will mourn with her for eight years. The play is a powerful metaphor for fascism and paternalism, both of which the playwright rejects.
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anthropology Front Page
Lauren Gunderson's Foray into Artificial Intelligence
By: - May 25th, 2026When her younger sister is abducted and assumed murdered, Merril uses artificial intelligence to create a video replicant of Angie in order to keep her spirit alive. The quick learning AI Angie thinks that the police investigation was inadequate and suggests reopening the case. The process also brings Merril in touch with her estranged mother and her ex.
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The Gods of Comedy Front Page
Ken Ludwig's Farce Plays Well at Masquers Playhouse
By: - Apr 28th, 2026When university instructor Daphne loses a unique manuscript of a Greek play, she casually invokes the Greek Gods for assistance. To her surprise, Dionysus and Thalia appear, but rather than a quick solution, they complicate matters but create laughable situations along the way.
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Hamnet Front Page
Royal Shakespeare Production at A.C.T.
By: - Apr 24th, 2026Without evidence, Shakespeare's wife Agnes, known commonly as Anne Hathaway, has been scorned in a misogynistic way by male historians over the centuries. The novel by Maggie O'Farrell, followed by this play and the well-regarded movie, takes a different, and perhaps more plausible look at the mysterious woman and her relationship with Will.
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La Traviata Front Page
Opera San Jose's Fine Production of This War Horse
By: - Apr 21st, 2026Verdi's timeless masterpiece with libretto by Piave and based on the fictionalized autobiography of Alexandre Dumas the son continues to appeal. Among opera's most beautiful scores, the music is complemented by an engrossing story of social conflict, sacrifice, and tragic loss of life.
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A Midsummer Night's Dream Front Page
Pocket Opera's Wonderful Chamber Opera Adaptation
By: - Apr 18th, 2026Benjamin Britten hits the right notes with a delightful condensation of Shakespeare's complex but lovable comedy, full of clever plot devices and fun characters. Pocket Opera excels in casting over 20 parts with fine matches, and the score is a great fit for the world premiere concert orchestra version.
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The Coast Starlight Front Page
A Compelling What If from The Stage in San Jose
By: - Apr 07th, 2026Ultimately, six passengers embark and depart a train car on a journey from LA to Seattle. But the interactions that we see among them are not what actually happened but are rather the thoughts of those passengers who didn't engage with one another.
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Flex Front Page
Girls Basketball as a Canvas for Numerous Issues
By: - Apr 03rd, 2026In small town Arkansas, Starra was the basketball queen until Sidney arrived. Now, the newly-crowned upsets Starra's primacy, and the loss of another key player on the team could undermine their going to the state championships. A wide array of issues arise in this thoughtful and energetic look at the world of these girls.
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The Brady Bunch: The War of the Families Partridge and Brady Front Page
This is What Happens After Cancellation
By: - Apr 02nd, 2026In a crazy, mixed-up world, Keith Partridge and Marcia Brady fall star-crossed in love, and a plague of carnage befalls their television houses. Despite the accumulation of body sacks, the farce remains a laugher with a mix of surprisingly listenable music.
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