Berkeley’s Aurora Theatre will begin 2023 with the cool, jazz-infused drama “Paradise Blue.”

Part of playwright Dominique Morisseau’s “Detroit Trilogy,” the play tells of a gifted trumpeter who contemplates selling his once-vibrant nightclub in Detroit’s Blackbottom neighborhood. It’s 1949, and urban renewal is at hand as Morisseau shows the challenges of building a better future and what it does to those left behind.

Directed by Dawn Monique Williams, “Paradise Blue” features Michael J. Asberry (Corn), Rolanda D. Bell (Silver), Kenny Scott (P-Sam), Anna Marie Sharpe (Pumpkin) and Titus VanHook (Blue).

“There are so many rich textures to this play: there is the bebop; the haunted spirits in all these characters and there is the woman Silver who arrives at the club and disrupts everyone’s life,” said Williams. “There’s a huge point of pride with me that Aurora would produce this play.”

“Paradise Blue” begins Jan. 27 with live performances in the Aurora Theatre at 2081 Addison St. in Berkeley. Post-show discussions will take place Feb. 3, 7, 15 and 23. The show can also be streamed Feb. 21-26. For tickets, call 510-843-4822 or go online to auroratheatre.org.

Also in Berkeley: The incredibly entertaining “Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812” has been extended again at Berkeley’s Shotgun Players. Dave Malloy’s Tony Award-winning hit now runs through Feb. 25 at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley. Based on a section of Tolstoy’s “War and Peace,” this musical extravaganza follows a young woman who arrives in Moscow longing for her fiancé.

To tell the story, Shotgun has turned the Ashby Stage into a 19th century Russian nightclub, complete with cabaret tables for some lucky audience members. For tickets, go to shotgunplayers.org/online/article/great-comet.

“Claybourne Park”: Like Aurora Theatre, Pittsburg Theatre Company (formerly Pittsburg Community Theatre) also takes up changing neighborhoods with its production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Claybourne Park,” running Jan. 28 through Feb. 5 in Pittsburg’s California Theatre at 351 Railroad Ave.

Bruce Norris’s thought-provoking work ingeniously sets the action in 1959 in a residential neighborhood where white community leaders attempt to stop the sale of a home to a black family. In Act Two, the same house sets the stage for present-day action. Now, however, the house exists in a predominantly African American neighborhood where residents battle gentrification.

Directed by Gregory Brown, Pittsburg’s production features Jason Anthony, Bri Andrews, David Ghilardi, Kyle Jacques, Safira McGrew, Edward Natenburg and Natalie Tichenor. For tickets, go to pittsburgcommunitytheatre.org.

Pittsburg and Brentwood: Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble, in collaboration with Pittsburg Theatre Company, presents the totally wacky “Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (Revised)” in two locations.

The fast-paced comedic romp through the Bard’s plays takes place Jan. 20-22 in Brentwood. Go to ghostlightte.org for location and ticket information. The energetic show will then be performed Feb. 24-26 in Steeltown Coffee and Tea at 695 Railroad Ave. in Pittsburg. Helen Dixon directs the popular comedy revised for today’s audiences.

Walnut Creek: A crumbling American dream seen through the eyes of an 11-year-old begins the new year for Center Repertory Company. Trying to find a way to belong in a divided country, the child fixates on a red bike that represents all the possibilities the world has to offer.

“Red Bike,” Caridad Svich’s imaginative, highly choreographed story, runs Feb. 4-25 in Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts at 1601 Civic Drive. Set in an unnamed American town in economic decline, “Red Bike” takes the audience on a 90-minute ride as the child gains a new awareness of the local neighborhood.

Svich had never created a play with a child narrator before, and in an interview in “American Theatre” she explained why she did so for this play.

“I was thinking about the current political landscape and that there are so many laws being enacted that will affect children as adults,” Svich said. “I wanted to put someone at the center of the story who logistically and legally can’t fight for any of that but is the most vulnerable and at risk.”

The role of the genderless child can be played by one, two or three people. In Center Rep’s production, directed by Jeffrey Lo, actors Adrienne Kaori Walters and Amy Lizardo will play the child.

Completing Rep’s 2022-23 season is the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Sweat,” running March 25 through April 15, followed by Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights,” slated for May 27 through June 24. For tickets to Center Rep shows, call 925-943-7469 or go to lesherartscenter.org.

San Ramon: Diablo Women’s Chorale invites those who love to sing and have fun to audition Jan. 23 from 6 to 9 p.m.

“We encourage any woman with a love of music and spirited company to audition,” said Jennifer Mack. “Choral experience and music-reading ability are a plus but not required.”

For more information, call Nancy Hickman at 925-899-5050 or email her at hickmandg@gmail.com. For more information on the San Ramon group, go to DiabloWomensChorale.org/join-us.

Sally Hogarty can be reached at sallyhogarty@gmail.com. Read more of her reviews online at eastbaytimes.com/author/sally-hogarty.