Editor's Picks: Caroline Anderson, January-February 2012 by / Caroline Anderson

New Fire—To Put Things Right Again

Brava Theater

Jan. 11–29

Cherrie Moraga, Brava’s first resident playwright, is returning to the theatre after 15 years. Since she left, Moraga has become an artist-in-residence in the drama department at Stanford University, with a joint appointment in comparative studies in race and ethnicity, and was awarded the United States Artist Rockefeller Fellowship for Literature. Brava has grown, too: Raelle Myrick-Hodges took over as the theatre’s second artistic director ever in 2008. Back in the ’90s, Moraga’s previous world premieres at Brava included “Watsonville: Some Place Not Here” and “Heroes and Saints.” Brava’s production of “New Fire,” directed by the playwright, is also a world premiere. Like Moraga’s other works, it deals with issues of Chicana identity, displaced peoples and the sacred. The theme of homecoming—female spirits return to reclaim the earth and “put things right again”—is particularly appropriate in this case. Visit brava.org.

Caroline’s Other Picks

The Two-Character Play

Theatre Rhinoceros

Jan. 4–15

I’ll admit it. When perusing Theatre Rhinoceros’s season announcement, my eye was drawn to The Two-Character Play because the title was so bad. But then I saw “Tennessee Williams” next to the title and my curiosity was piqued. Could it be? A title from one of my favorite playwrights that I had never heard of? And a bluntly unimaginative one at that? But indeed it was—and actually, it’s not as unimaginative as it sounds. “The Two-Character Play” could refer to more than one play: the outer story of the brother-and-sister actor duo, or the play they perform within the play. The two stories are wrapped up in each other, making it unclear at times if it’s the character or the character that character’s playing who is speaking. The bottom line is, don’t judge a play by its title. Visit therhino.org.

Little Brother

Custom Made Theatre Company

Jan. 17–Feb. 12

When I first saw the title “Little Brother,” my first thought was of an endearing little boy in plaid pajamas. My second thought was, like Big Brother? Turns out it’s the second one. Custom Made is not doing a heartwarming story about a freckled young boy, but a terrifying thriller based on the bestselling novel by Cory Doctorow, adapted for the stage by Josh Costello. True to its name, “Little Brother” is a tip of the hat to George Orwell’s classic “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” in which the government becomes an omnipotent police agency. Orwell’s novel introduced the phrase “Big Brother” into the lexicon to describe this type of governmental abuse of power. There is nothing little about this brother, however; Doctorow’s tale of the Department of Homeland Security torturing and interrogating citizens in the name of their safety after a terrorist attack on the Bay Bridge and BART sounds uncomfortably familiar. Visit custommade.org.

A Steady Rain

Marin Theatre Company

Feb. 2–26

Rumor has it that Steven Spielberg is thinking of adapting “A Steady Rain” for the screen. Its hit run on Broadway starred Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig as the two Chicago cops whose beats and inner demons threaten to tear apart their friendship. Will these Hollywood stars align to create one fabulous neo-noir film? I don’t know, but I do think “A Steady Rain” sounds like one of those stories I would rather see onstage than onscreen. Luckily, Marin Theatre Company is presenting the West Coast premiere of the crime drama this spring. Visit marintheatre.org.

Future Motive Power

Mugwumpin

Jan. 8–29

Pop quiz: Who invented the light bulb? Thomas Edison. OK, who invented alternating current? Nikola Tesla. Never heard of him? There’s probably a reason for that. Although the two were both nominated for Nobel Prizes for their work on electricity, Edison died wealthy and famous while Tesla died broke and alone. They were bitter enemies to the grave, although Edison did concede on his deathbed that Tesla’s system of alternating current, which we use today, was superior to Edison’s direct current. Tesla responded with some snarky comments for Edison’s obituary, but did he really get the last laugh? The “mad scientist” is the topic of Mugwumpin’s newest piece of devised theatre, which does not seek to give a biographical account of Tesla’s life, but rather to use his legacy as a means to investigate the boundaries between magic and science, truth and fiction. Visit mugwumpin.org.