Which messenger from an alternate universe would you prefer to hear from? A ghost who walks at midnight or a suburban nut job who tried to assassinate the President of the United States?

While many conservatives whine "I want my country back," they forget that America's strength has always been built on the backs of immigrants (like their very own ancestors). People from every corner of the globe have looked to America as "the land of opportunity."

This fall the San Francisco Opera revived its 1997 production of Rigoletto. Featuring Michael Yeargan's handsome sets (inspired by Giorgio de Chirico) and Constance Hoffman's impressive period costumes, the opera has been double cast to gain maximum stage time.

There I was, trying to find a hook that could unite my thoughts about curious solo turns when I came across a headline on The Huffington Post that screamed: "Watch: Justin Bieber Pukes Onstage."

Three of the manly monologues performed at the 2012 San Francisco Fringe Festival focused on masculinity issues that folks like Mitt Romney would much prefer to discuss "in quiet rooms" (if at all).

The deftness with which Charley Lerrigo has turned the assumptions and expectations of contemporary Christians upside down and inside out is a joy to behold, not only for his theatrical craft but for his brilliant use of character development.

The music's hot, Harris is in fine form, and many members of the audience will find it difficult to take their eyes off Jeremy Goodwin's silent, but riveting Baby Boy.

Each year's San Francisco Fringe Festival is bound to contain a few surprises. Legacy of the Tiger Mother is an intriguing one-act musical by Angela Chan and Michael Manley that isn't afraid to grab a tiger mother by the tail and whirl her around in the air.

Much has been written about the care and nurturing of the gifted child. Far less advice is available on the care and nurturing of those children who perpetually stand in the shadow of a gifted child.

I recently watched two people perform monologues at the San Francisco Fringe Festival. While the quality of writing and subject matter varied, the success of each was determined within its first 60 seconds by the artist's confidence and personal charisma.

Two new dramas focus on the links between an old woman and a book. In each case, a younger man's interest in reading is the glue that holds the plot together.

Hamlet vs. Zombies offers audiences 90 minutes of inspired lunacy. I suspect this show will have a great future touring the college circuit and getting guest bookings with regional Fringe and Shakespeare festivals.

There's an old saying that you have to kiss a few frogs to find a prince. The same applies to programming at fringe festivals. Some are forgettable while others show promise. Sarah Lau's The Secret Adventures of Fat Woman and Remedial Girl is one to watch.

Trailer trash may seem like the polar opposite of life in a gated community, but once you strip away the material trappings of either lifestyle, what's left are mere mortals.

Keeping up appearances is of paramount importance to control freaks. Two new productions reveal what happens when the ice starts to crack and terrible truths leak out.

Many people take their ability to think for granted. For some people, thinking seems to happen automatically. Others struggle to understand a concept....

As one experiences a series of solo performers delivering monologues, it becomes fairly easy to see which actors are secure in their material, which honestly love to work with an audience, and which are still developing their "sea legs."