Onstage: ‘Swift Justice,’ Berkeley Rep returns
Here are three productions theater fans should know about. “Swift Justice”: Former San Jose Mayor Tom McEnery’s 2016 play revisits a 1930s tragedy in which the popular son of a San Jose department store owner was abducted and eventually murdered, and two suspects were lynched in a disturbing case of mob justice. Now San Jose’s Tabard Theatre Company is presenting a slightly reworked version of the drama. Details: Live performances through Nov. 21; proof of vaccination is required and masks must be worn inside the theater; available for streaming Nov. 22 through Dec. 9; $16-$45; www.tabardtheatre.org.
“Wintertime”: Berkeley Repertory Theatre makes its return to live performances with this much-anticipated collaboration from playwright Charles L. Mee and director Les Waters (who teamed on such popular works as “Fêtes de la Nuit” and “Big Love”) in this comedy about members of an eccentric family gathering at their summer home for “supposedly secret rendezvous.” Madcap confrontations ensue. The Los Angeles Times described it as “a rip-roaring comedy that becomes an intellectual high-wire act.” Details: In previews Friday through Tuesday, main run Wednesday through Dec. 19; Berkeley Repertory Theatre; proof of vaccination required and masks must be worn inside the theater; $16-$77; www.berkeleyrep.org.
“Can’t Afford To”: Writer and performer Kate Robards returns to The Marsh to present her latest solo show recounting how, as organizers put it, “she grew up ‘broke,’ married ‘rich,’ and divorced faster than she could say tax bracket … .” Now she’s seeking to to define her life by something other than money, but “is that even possible in this age of status and consumerism?” Details: Friday through Nov. 27; The Marsh, San Francisco; proof of vaccination required and masks must be worn inside the theater; $15-$100; www.themarsh.org.