South Bay theater kicks off in 2023 with no less than six productions opening in January. But because most theater companies know better than to have rehearsals over the holidays, these shows don’t open until later in the month.
Palo Alto Players offers up the award-winning comedy “The Play That Goes Wrong,” directed by Katie O’Bryon Champlin, Jan. 21-Feb. 5 at Lucie Stern Theater in Palo Alto. It’s a classic murder mystery in the same vein as Hillbarn Theatre’s recent production of “Clue.”
It’s recommended that audience members be at least 8 years old to attend this production. For tickets and more information, visit www.paplayers.org or call 650-329-0891.
“Miss You Like Hell” runs Jan. 21-Feb. 26 at City Lights Theater Company in San Jose. A joint production with Teatro Vision, the musical will move to the Mexican Heritage Plaza for the last weekend of its run.
“Miss You” be directed by Rodrigo Garcia, with book by Quiara Alegria Hudes and lyrics by Hudes and Erin McKeown. The show tells the story of a woman who invites her teenage daughter on a road trip even though they haven’t seen each other in years. The mother is an undocumented immigrant and is about to be deported back to Mexico.
Tickets are $28-$51 at www.cltc.org or 408-295-4200.
Opening Jan. 18 is “In Every Generation,” a rarely performed play by Ali Viterbi. The TheatreWorks Silicon Valley production is a celebration of Jewish traditions and follows one family through four millennia of Passover dinners.
“Generation” runs Tuesdays-Sundays through Feb. 12 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $30-$95 at www.theatreworks.org or 877-662-8978.
Los Altos Stage Company’s “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” by comedian Steve Martin opens Jan. 26. It’s the story of what might have happened had Picasso and Albert Einstein met in a bar in Paris. Although completely fictional, it’s considered a contemplative historical comedy.
“Picasso,” directed by Chris Reber, runs through Sunday, Feb. 19. Tickets are $20-$40 at www.losaltosstage.org or 650-941-0551.
Hillbarn Theatre in Foster City opens the Tony Award-winning musical “Assassins” on Jan. 26. Stephen Sondheim’s musical brings together presidential assassins from John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald to meet across time. Due to its subject matter, “Assassins” is recommended for mature audiences.
Directed by Josh Marx, the show plays Thursdays-Sundays through Feb. 12. Tickets are $32-$60 at www.hillbarntheatre.org or 650-349-6411.
January theater comes to a close with South Bay Musical Theater’s “The Spitfire Grill,” which runs Jan. 28-Feb. 18 at the Saratoga Civic Theater. The musical tells the story of a woman with a past looking for a fresh start. She finds herself in rural Gilead, Wisc., and gets a job working at the Spitfire Grill. Considered the “new kid in town,” she uses her determination and grit to revitalize the grill and eventually the community.
Tickets are $25-$55 at 408-266-4734 or www.southbaymt.com.
