Lily Janiak

‘Young Man in a Hurry’ review: Gavin Newsom’s memoir recasts privilege as political strength In “Young Man in a Hurry,” Gavin Newsom embraces privilege and yarn-spinning, previewing a possible White House bid and entertainer branding, critic Lily Janiak writes.

In Gavin Newsom's new memoir, the governor comes off as the kind of presidential candidate you could have... a glass of wine with. My review: www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

This terrifying play just smashed ACT’s weekly box office record In response to demand for “Paranormal Activity,” the company added a performance before the scheduled closing of March 22.

Whenever there's good theater news, I'll take it! www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Former Chronicle Theater Critic Bernard Weiner dies at 86 Weiner, who worked at the paper for two decades, most of that time as theater critic, wrote when the Chronicle enjoyed massive influence as a tastemaker.

RIP, Bernie Weiner, who worked at the Chronicle for 19 years, 16 as theater critic. He covered the Bay Area theater scene during an incredibly exciting time, and he did so with clarity, dedication and enthusiasm. www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Why Berkeley Rep’s ‘All My Sons’ is a can’t-miss magnum opus Try to periodically remember to unclench your muscles and exhale during David Mendizábal’s take on Arthur Miller’s classic, theater critic Lily Janiak writes.

Your girl's in theater heaven. A day after "All My Sons" at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, I am still unclenching and trying to exhale! www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

CANNOT WAIT!!!! @berkeleyrep

27-year-old wins the Bay Area’s highest playwriting honor “I feel really encouraged that this is the right path for me,” Orinda resident Harry Davis told the Chronicle of his win for “Push/Pull” at Central Works.

Over the moon to share that Harry Davis' "Push/Pull," produced by Central Works Theater, has won the Will Glickman Award for the best play to premiere in the Bay Area in 2025. Not bad for a playwright's first professionally produced script! www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Can horror save Bay Area theater? ACT’s ‘Paranormal Activity’ makes the case The stage adaptation of “Paranormal Activity” at San Francisco’s ACT delivers visceral scares with immersive sound and design in a crowd-charged thriller.

The Chronicle's little man is leaping — not just because of joy, but also because he's just that frightened! On "Paranormal Activity" at American Conservatory Theater: www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Why ATG San Francisco’s 2026-27 season is its most promising in years Just revealed titles for 2027 — all Tony Award winners taking place at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco — start with “Buena Vista Social Club.”

What an auspicious lineup! www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Dave Eggers’ Golden Gate Park kids’ book comes to life on the San Francisco stage Word for Word inaugurates a new family theater program with “The Eyes & the Impossible,” about a dog who lives in San Francisco’s crown jewel.

Dave Eggers' "The Eyes & The Impossible," set in Golden Gate Park, is so completely charming, and now the inventive minds of Word for Word are bringing it to the stage as part of a new program for kids and families: www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Review: ‘M. Butterfly’ and ‘Madame Butterfly’ confront opera’s most uncomfortable fantasy A critic weighs San Francisco Playhouse’s “M. Butterfly” against Pocket Opera’s “Madame Butterfly,” probing racism, desire and why Puccini still seduces.

There is a rare chance to see "Madame Butterfly" and "M. Butterfly" back to back right now, and if you also take it, I'd love to know what you think! On San Francisco Playhouse and Pocket Opera's latests: www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

SF Playhouse!!

How Jimmy Smits and Wanda De Jesús are upping the stakes of an Arthur Miller classic “In a 24-hour period, you see the disintegration of a family,” De Jesús told the Chronicle during a rehearsal break at Berkeley Rep.

It was such a treat to watch Jimmy Smits, Wanda De Jesús and the whole cast in rehearsal at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and I tried to play it cool during the interview. I am so excited for "All My Sons"! www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

I hadn't thought till last night about how Wikipedia has evolved into a countervailing force in the AI era, but man it sure has, and all the fans who showed up to August Hall last night were a.) total nerds and b.) a testament to human wackiness!

There’s a whole show about Wikipedia, and it’s delightful — and hopeful “Depths of Wikipedia Live,” which has tour stops in the U.S. and Canada, comes at an inflection point in the 25-year-old site’s history.

Sometimes you get to see your heros live! Annie Rauwerda, of @depthsofwikipedia.bsky.social fame, is just as delightful in person as she is on social media. www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

San Francisco’s Lamplighters Music Theatre cancels spring production, citing rising costs and AB5 Citing audience declines and AB5 costs, Lamplighters Music Theatre canceled its spring “Patience” dates in San Francisco and Mountain View but says it remains open.

On Lamplighters Music Theatre's spring cancellation — and how it's taking steps to avoid such moves in the future. www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Please stop making musicals like ‘The Notebook’ Bekah Brunstetter and Ingrid Michaelson’s musical adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ blockbuster tearjerker could turn a hopeless romantic into a hater.

Let me be clear: I love love stories, and I have been known to read trashy romance novels to unwind.

But not this one.

www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

My sleeves are machine-washable, thank goodness.

What ‘Dawson’s Creek’ taught millennials — and why James Van Der Beek’s death hits so hard On “Dawson’s Creek,” James Van Der Beek — who died Wednesday at 48 — and his crew were aspirational.

RIP, James Van Der Beek, and thanks for making high school look so aspirational. www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Sara Bareilles, Sarah Ruhl and Michael Arden to team up at Berkeley Rep in 2027 “The Interestings” injects a jolt of life into a Bay Area theater scene still characterized by cost-cutting and safe bets amid the pandemic’s long tail.

What a team! Can't wait to see this at Berkeley Repertory Theatre next year! www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

What 60,000 postcards say about loving — and surviving — San Francisco Over and over, audience members to “Dear San Francisco” at Club Fugazi write postcards on the same theme: “The city saw me, and so I found myself.”

Before each performance of "Dear San Francisco" at Club Fugazi, audience members are asked to write valentines to the city.

The show has now collected 60,000 such postcards.

I read (some of) them.
www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

He’s a poet laureate. He’s undocumented. Now he has a world-premiere play Teatro Vision’s “No Llegamos Aquí Solos (We Did Not Arrive Here Alone),” about an East San Jose apartment complex, is a powerful rejoinder to ICE raids.

On Yosimar Reyes, who's Santa Clara County's first undocumented poet laureate — and the playwright of a world premiere with Teatro Visión. Has anyone ever loved his abuela as much as he does?! www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Macbeth: SHIT

The Dunkin’ Super Bowl ad was terrible. Here are the internet’s best reactions to it If you’ve ever wondered what “Good Will Hunting” would look like as a sitcom, you must be the one person who directed that TV spot.

My fave reactions to the Dunkin' ad: www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

I am so sorry, Marissa

About to speak at my grad school alma mater! Afraid it’s holding up better than I am.

Oh my god: not only did the pandemic kill my "Cyrano" production at Cutting Ball & then the theater itself, now its website has been taken over by AI gibberish and if you google "Cyrano Cutting Ball" you get THIS: cuttingball.com/play/cyrano-...

An AI sports betting site took over a closed S.F. theater’s website. The results are bizarre The hallucinations on cuttingball.com are trippy at first, then sad in their vacuousness and repetitiveness and what they might portend about local theater.

This is just a weird one — and then a sad one.

I guess it was inevitable that things like this would start happening? But my unimaginative little noggin just hadn't pictured it. www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

journalists are workers who deserve to be paid fairly for our labor and I think that far too few consumers of media recognize or even care about this fact

Review: A shaky start gives way to beauty in Marin Theatre’s ‘Cherry Orchard’ Carey Perloff’s production of the Anton Chekhov classic finally gels after intermission, and it’s glorious.

This one really came together in act two! www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Now updated with comment from Nathan Wolfe.