Lunatico Press Room
Welcome to the hub for all things press-related at Theatre Lunatico. Explore our latest reviews and articles and access media resources.
Press Kits
Reviews & Articles
FRANKENSTEIN
“Their syncopated puffs of breath and moaning in the dark help create a world where a vengeful bogeyman could reach out of the shadows at any moment to snuff out life.”
Lily Janiak at the San Franscisco Chronicle
Philippa Kelly at Theatrius
Neily Raymond at the Daily Californian
THE MOORS
“Theatre Lunatico’s production […] is so strong as to inspire a feeling of hope in a Bay Area theater scene recently devastated by the news of closures of California Shakespeare Theater and Cutting Ball Theatre. A single glorious production by an all-volunteer company in La Val’s Subterranean — the low-ceilinged basement of a Berkeley pizza parlor — obviously isn’t recompense for losing two institutions with decades of history. But one can mourn herculean losses while also holding space for celebrating excellence..”
Lily Janiak at the San Francisco Chronicle
Lynne Stevens at Theatrius
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE BEST OF 2024 PICK
“In a tough year, Bay Area theatre fights back”
” As pies baked upstairs, the closet-size stage seemed to push deviant urges — some queer, others murderous — out of cloistered women downstairs. Tara Blau Smollen’s cast members blazed with their characters’ inner fires. The whole thing made a stunning case for the unique power of black box (and pizza box) theater.”
Lily Janiak at the San Franscisco Chronicle
THE REVOLUTIONISTS
“Almost every line brings laughter from the audience. We are still recovering from the last riposte, when the next one arrives. These four bold women nail the truth—making them funny, dangerous, and history changing. The four actors do a terrific job of defining their characters.”
Lynne Stevens at Theatrius
TALES FROM BEHIND THE BASEMENT DOOR
THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW
A ROSE FOR EMILY
“Each of the actors in these two dramas demonstrates a great talent for physical comedy. “
“Lunatico kept me rapt with attention right up to the final revelation.”
Lynne Stevens at Theatrius
ATTEMPTS ON HER LIFE
“With excellent performances by core members of Theatre Lunatico, Eileen Fisher, Shawn Oda, and Lauri Smith. See ‘Attempts on Her Life.’ It’s a real eye opener!”
Lynne Stevens at Theatrius
MELANCHOLY PLAY
“We who go to the theater multiple times per week often liken the experience to going to church — the pilgrimage to a specific place at a specific time, the ritual, the rows of seats, the shared will to believe that something not quite of this world happens, the trust that it’s OK to feel something deeply, even among strangers.”
Lily Janiak at the San Francisco Chronicle
Lynne Stevens at Theatrius
CONVOY 31000
“‘Convoy 31000’ Celebrates Women of the French Resistance, at Lunatico, Berkeley”
“In Act One, Scenic Designer Gideon Jones transforms the intimate theater into a lively café, and in Act Two, into a pitiless prison.”
Lynne Stevens at Theatrius
TITUS ANDRONICUS
“‘Titus Andronicus’ Spotlights Our Present & Future, at Theatre Lunatico, Berkeley”
“On the tight little stage at La Val’s Subterranean Theater, we get to experience the full panoply of greed and murder…”
Barry David Horwitz at Theatrius
DRACULA
“‘A Haunting Masterpiece, at Theatre Lunatico, Berkeley”
“Performed in La Val’s Subterranean Theater, the setting is intimate and spooky. Whispered echoes from the ensemble add to the eeriness. An ageless story about the vampire who cannot die, Lunatico’s “Dracula” impressed me with superb acting, costuming, and staging.”
Rachel Norby at Theatrius
MEASURE FOR MEASURE
“Think a fusion of Mad Max, The Purge, and The White House all in one. Theatre Lunatico uses Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure” to create a surreal post-apocalyptic world.”
“Theatre Lunatico’s “Measure for Measure” makes fun of oppressive authority, sex regulation, and know it all rulers.”
Tyler Jeffreys at Theatrius
KURSK
“…hustle over to La Val’s Subterranean Theater, for a plunge into these icy, enlightening waters.”
Barry David Horwitz at Theatrius
“Behind the guise of a protracted submarine procedural, chock full of naval jargon and rambunctious sailors, “Kursk”hides a powerfully moving story that will be sure to surprise the patient audience member.”
James Feroz at The Daily Californian
SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL
“Theatre Lunatico’s production ridicules modern cellphone culture, forcing us to confront our obsessions while poking fun. Tina Taylor’s “School for Scandal” teaches lots of lessons about humor and humility.”
Gilad Barach at Theatrius
MACBETH
“haunting”
“an intimate and brutal telling”
“The grim mood is accentuated by droning vocalizations and wordless singing from the ensemble, and the fight scenes directed by Andrea Weber are strikingly brutal.”
Sam Hurwitt review at Marin IJ