My wife and I have seen a dozen plays at the Magic Theatre over the years. I probably have seen another half dozen on my own or with others. We have enjoyed everything. To be honest, I'm not sure why given their association with the late Sam Shepard they are not more significant; I offer that as a compliment rather than a criticism. The Shepard they have put on, we always buy tickets for. I saw his True West on Broadway with Ethan Hawke and Paul Dano, and while it is always wonderful to see movie stars on stage I was more than satisfied with Magic productions of Buried Child and Fool for Love. (I do not love every show. My wife and I have walked out of a couple, such as Tennessee Williams Camino Real; or maybe we stayed to the end, but were disappointed.)
Since Yelp is what it is, and I am not a theatre critic, I will add a bit of background. Magic is in the Fort Mason complex. It is near Greens, a great restaurant, though we have never put together an evening of dinner and a show -- that is just a matter of poor planning on our part, and I intend to remedy it and without having done it myself recommend it (we dine at Greens at least once a year, probably twice, so that would mean two dozen dinners). You also can stop into the Flax art shop, which is open on weekends as well. Others have pointed out the annoyance of no restrooms on the floor; they are a level down. But they have elevators for handicapped access.
Shows I have especially liked include the Tarell Alvin McCraney trilogy, presented with Marin Theatre and ACT; Terminus, which was just enthralling; Bad Jews, which I probably didn't understand as thoroughly as members of the audience who identify as Jewish; and the Chinese Lady, which despite being so didactic achieved its purpose.
Their staging tends to be more minimal than maximal. The last show we saw, Richard II in the Play On series of modern "translations" of Shakespeare (edition is a better term) was terrific. I'm a completist. My wife and I saw a traditional Richard II at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C., and while it was good, it was staid. This interpretation was brisk, with tasteful video projections, and a predominantly female cast. It should win over skeptics of this effort (they preserve the famous lines; here in the soliloquy about time, "doth" becomes "does"). It also would appeal to those who have no idea what iambic pentameter is. That is what prompts me to post. I hope they do all of these -- I saw Edward III when the Classical Stage Company traversed the canon before the pandemic, and that allowed me to proclaim I was done (well, I then tacked on Double Falsehood, which continues to be a disputed title).
I have a friend who doesn't like plays. I don't understand that. Live theatre is what they say here: magic. I encourage people with any interest at all in the art form to check out Magic Theatre. read more