It’s time to get your Irish on as El Cerrito’s Youth Musical Theater Company presents the Irish-inspired musical “A Man of No Importance.” Set in 1964 Dublin, Ireland, a bus driver shares his secrets with an imagined Oscar Wilde. When he attempts to produce a version of Wilde’s “Salome” in a local church hall, he confronts bigotry and shame over a love “that dare not speak its name.”
The play features an emotionally rich score by the same team who created “Ragtime,” says director Jennifer Boesing, “The play’s perfection lies in its subtlety. There’s a gentleness to it and incredible depth,” she says.
The cast of “A Man of No Importance” features 16 performing arts students, ages 13 to 21, from around the Bay Area. The show runs March 9-17 at the El Cerrito High School Performing Arts Theater, 540 Ashbury Ave. in El Cerrito. Go to www.yntcbayarea.org for tickets.
Brentwood: The Liberty High School Playmakers drama club has been working hard learning cheer skills and stunt basics for their next production. Inspired by the hit film, “Bring It On: The Musical” takes audiences on a high-flying journey that is filled with the complexities of friendship, jealousy, betrayal and forgiveness. Written by Broadway legend Lin-Manual Miranda, you can be sure the music will have you tapping your feet.
Not only are these talented thespians putting on a challenging musical, they are also making it a benefit (Women’s Cancer Resource Center on March 1; The Body Positive on March 6) and a special event (Black Student Union preshow performance on Feb. 27) on different nights. The show runs Feb. 22 through March 9 at Liberty High School, 850 2nd St. in Brentwood. For tickets, go to app.arts-people.com/index.php?ticketing=lhsp.
Berkeley: Great name and fun band the Bitter Mystics plays original acoustic numbers led by siblings Lisa and Misha Safran. Guitars, percussion, recorder and even a violin add to the vocals that various band members lend to each song. The group will play March 2 starting at 7 p.m. at The Back Room in Berkeley. For tickets, go to backroommusic.com/events-1/2019/3/2/bitter-mystics. For more information on the band, go to bittermystics.com/bio.htm.
Lafayette: A latchkey kid with a big homework assignment takes center stage in Melissa James Gibson’s “Brooklyn Bridge.” Her report must be on the Brooklyn Bridge but, unfortunately, she can’t find a pen. This young girl’s procrastination turns into a heartwarming story as she meets her extraordinary brownstone neighbors and connects with the quirky community all around her.
Lafayette’s Town Hall Theatre produces Gibson’s charming story, which runs Feb. 28 through March 23. Directed by M. Graham Smith, the show features Emma Curtin as the young student. The cast also includes Sheila Devitt, Tom Reilly, Leticia Duarte, Terrance Smith, Mikah Kavita, Bryan Navarro, Benjamin Nguyen, Alma Pasic-Tran, Gilberto Polanco and Jeanette Sarmiento. For tickets, call 925-283-1557 or go to townhalltheatre.com.
Walnut Creek: There’s still time to catch a couple of shows before they close. Sarah Ruhl’s “Stage Kiss” is being performed at Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts through Feb. 25. Presented by the Other Other Theatre Company, the show is a crazy farce where the line between reality and fiction tends to blur. Lexie Lazear directs. For tickets, call 925-943-SHOW or go to lesherartscenter.org.
Castro Valley: Also going into its final weekend is “The 39 Steps.” A comedy, farce, melodrama and mystery all mixed together, features four actors who bring 150 characters to life. Chanticleers Theater is producing this tour de force through Feb. 24 at 3683 Quail Ave., in Castro Valley. Call 510-733-5483 or go to chanticleers.org for tickets.
Pittsburg: And finally, the curtain is about to come down on Pittsburg Theatre’s production of “Noises Off!” Michael Frayn’s crazy romp about a hapless troupe of actors will close Feb. 24. Performed at Pittsburg’s California Theatre, 351 Railroad Ave., tickets can be purchased online at pittsburgcaliforniatheatre.com or by calling 925-427-1611.
Show canceled: On a very different note, I received an email from the Exit Theatre in San Francisco letting me know that its production of “Crippled” had been canceled. The show was being staged by a troupe from Canada that works in the realm of disability arts. They were denied a visa by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency on the grounds that they didn’t have “culturally unique skills.”
According to Exit Theatre, an independent U.S. performer can perform in Canada simply by presenting a letter from the producer of the company or festival where the performer will be but, evidently, it’s not so easy for performers to get into the United States nowadays. Exit Theatre is proposing a limited policy that would allow performing artists who already have the legal right to be in the United States to perform for up to 30 days in a calendar year. For more information, go to MoveOn.org or email publicist@theexit.org.
Sally Hogarty can be reached at sallyhogarty@gmail.com. Search for “Curtain Calls” by Sally Hogarty at eastbaytimes.com to read more of her reviews online.