Doodler—a true crime thriller by John Fisher that has been hailed by reviewers as “Excellent! Chilling and compelling” (Stage and Cinema), “A joy to watch” (Theatrius), and “Wonderful. Fascinating!” (SF Theatre Blog)—is now at The Marsh San Francisco through July 6, 2025. Declared “The P.T. Barnum of gay theatre” (Theatrius), performer extraordinaire Fisher takes the audience on a wild ride that offers side-splitting camp, an electrifying thriller, an action-packed crusade, and dead-serious memoir. Don’t miss the show that’s as morbid as it is magnificent, and as funny as it’s fabulous.
Whether you’re into true crime mysteries, cutting edge theatre, or just a great night out, you will have a blast at this high-energy production, which recently earned a San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critic’s Circle “Go See!” recommendation.
For his subject, playwright, historian, and actor Fisher takes audiences back to the 1970s when a killer stalked San Francisco’s gay community. The piece follows a young gay man’s relentless search for answers after losing a friend and possible love interest to the infamous “Doodler” killer. From Castro bars to Ocean Beach, the amateur sleuth flies through San Francisco’s historic queer landmarks in pursuit of clues and closure. The Doodler, infamous for the charming drawings he used to bait gay bar patrons, is a cold-case true crime story that has almost been forgotten.
Fisher combs through this chilling tale and takes the one-man show format to the extreme in a tour-de-force in which he operates all staging and technical elements live while delivering his signature dynamic and hilarious performance style.
Doodler plays Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm at The Marsh San Francisco on Valencia Street, a venue renowned for nurturing daring, boundary-pushing solo work. It’s the perfect home for Fisher’s blend of drama, humor, and history, where Fisher tells this compelling story with the intimacy of a fireside tale and the bravado of an off-Broadway production.
It has been 50 years since the serial killer now known as the Doodler stalked victims in gay bars, doodled their portraits, then lured them to the outskirts of Golden Gate Park to finish them off with a knife, leaving their bodies to be found in the shrubbery. At one point, police actually had a suspect, but none of the survivors came forward to testify—a reminder of how corrosively pervasive was the fear of public outing at that time—and the case remains unsolved to this day.
If you are looking for a taste of San Francisco history, Fisher’s Doodler serves up a slasher with a twist of camp, a splash of humor, and heartful, well-written characters who keep you hooked.
Doodler at The Marsh San Francisco
1062 Valencia Street
Performances are 8 pm Saturdays, and 3 pm Sundays
Tickets: $25–$35 general seating, $50–$100 reserved
https://themarsh.org/
Arts & Entertainment
Published on June 12, 2025
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