Joy, power of stories in Cal Shakes <i>black odyssey</i>
Aldo Billingslea, California Shakespeare..., Dawn L- Troupe, Eric Ting, local theater, Marcus Gardley, Margo Hall, Michael Gene Sullivan, Omozé Idehenre, plays, Safiya Fredericks, theater review Aldo Billingslea, California Shakespeare..., Dawn L- Troupe, Eric Ting, local theater, Marcus Gardley, Margo Hall, Michael Gene Sullivan, Omozé Idehenre, plays, Safiya Fredericks, theater review

Joy, power of stories in Cal Shakes black odyssey

Just when it seems the news can't get any worse, it gets worse. This weekend in Virginia we saw some of the worst of humanity, with terror, death, hatred and ignorance all on full display. At such times, it can be hard not to give in to that helpless, hopeless feeling of things ever getting better, of our species ever giving over to our better natures rather than constantly reveling our worst.

Then there's art. In a quirk of timing for which I will be forever grateful, California Shakespeare Theater opened a new production Saturday night at the Bruns Amphitheater amid the full chilly summer glory of the Orinda Hills. It wasn't just any production, but one so suited to our troubled times that it seems we should find some way to broadcast it nationally over and over.

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Aurora Theatre Company, Cassidy Brown, Dawn L- Troupe, Keith Josef Adkins, L- Peter Callender, Lance Gardner, local theater, plays, theater review Aurora Theatre Company, Cassidy Brown, Dawn L- Troupe, Keith Josef Adkins, L- Peter Callender, Lance Gardner, local theater, plays, theater review

Freedom, dreams clash in Aurora's Safe House

There are several ways to interpret the title of Keith Josef Adkins' Safe House now at Berkeley's Aurora Theatre Company. One way sees cobbler Addison Pedigrew, a free man of color in Kentucky, aiming for his version of the American dream: a thriving shoe making/repairing business run out of his home to support his Aunt Dorcas and his brother, Frank, so that they can be truly free to thrive and expand their families. The other way, according to Frank and Dorcas, is to provide shelter and assistance to fugitive slaves on the Underground Railroad. Both co-exist, but not easily in this 2014 drama, which takes much of its first act to really get going.

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