THE NORTH POOL
Bread & Butter Theatre’s “The North Pool” combines great acting with power dynamics, race, and suicide. Rajiv Joseph’s gem of a ‘two-hander’ pits an Arab-American high school student against a shifty, overbearing white Vice-Principal.
– Theatrius
Dr. Danielson (electric Bruce Avery) invites bewildered student Khadim (versatile Zaya Kolia) into his bare-bones office for a “chat.”
Fascinated, we feel secure in the hands of two masterful actors, who never let us down. In that simple school room, Rajiv Joseph explores love, privilege, and the struggle for self-forgiveness.
RED
Their duet of anger and passion creates a believable intimacy, because Rothko finds the fight he is looking for. And Ken must struggle to not be blotted out.
– Theatrius
What brings them together makes sense on the level of emotion. Their intimacy advances through a coherent, passionately well-acted dance of desperation. Both seek recognition and truth.
HAMLET
With minimal set and lighting, the production relies heavily on the actors’ skills, which do not disappoint. The nine-member cast, costumed in contemporary garb, certainly does justice to Shakespeare’s complex characters, especially Bruce Avery as Polonius/gravedigger and Nick Jackson as Horatio.
Sally Hogarty and Mark Purdy, The Mercury News