Theatre
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Where Storms are Born in Williamstown
World Premiere by Harrison David Rivers
By: - Jul 17th, 2017In its smaller Nikos Stage the Williamstown Theatre Festival features another, homegrown, world premiere. Last summer playwright Harrison David Rivers was a fellow at the renowned festival. The play that he was developing Where Storms Are Born is being produced this season. Again there is a focus on diversity and plot points hinged on gay characters, There is risk taking in this strategy wih bold and progressive but unresolved results.
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Tender Napalm by Philip Ridley
Anton's Well Theater Company in Oakland
By: - Jul 16th, 2017Several recurring themes frame the arc to provide color to the story telling. Detailed sexual activity with graphic anatomical references as well as analogies such as bullets and exploding grenades are often described. Unfortunately, the tsunami of f-bombs reduce their effectiveness and seem like a child's learning a nasty word and mindlessly repeating it until it becomes meaningless.
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East of Edinburgh New Plays at 59E59th
Two Matters of Life and Death
By: - Jul 15th, 201759 East 59th Street Theaters is presenting New York’s annual Edinburgh Festival Preview. The acting in the plays is terrific. While these are works in process, the directors give us engaging productions on provocative themes.
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Another Palm Canyon Theatre Hit
Tony Winner Lin Manuel Miranda's In the Heights
By: - Jul 15th, 2017“In the Heights” by Lin Manuel Miranda chronicles the daily struggles of the neighborhood in its day to day existence of raising families, paying the rent and trying to keep one’s business from going bankrupt, along with the age-old frustration of the younger residents in not being able to make their own choices in their searches for love, romance, and marriage.
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The Four Immigrants: An American Musical Manga
World Premiere of Min Kahng Musical in Bay Area
By: - Jul 15th, 2017New musical based on comic book focuses on the Japanese immigrant experience in the turn-of-the-century San Francisco The how's scenic design draws inspiration from comic strips. The world premiere production of The Four Immigrants: An American Musical Manga by Min Kahng runs through Aug. 6
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Sleeping Water by Saburo Teshigawara
Transforming Dance at the Rose Theatre
By: - Jul 14th, 2017Saburo Teshigawara of Karas is a choreographer with a special vocabularly, focusing on the arms and hands, which we discover are the most expressive parts of the body.
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William S. Burroughs Naked Lunch with Live Score
When Typewriters Talk
By: - Jul 13th, 2017Naked Lunch is never going to be a mainstream film, but the opportunity to peer into the twisty subconscious of the creative mind and the keen brilliance of a jazzman the caliber of Ornette Coleman was a perfect coming together of two seemingly opposed forces. And no Interzone insectoid typewriter would argue with that.
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Vignettes on Love by David Steele in Frisco
Produced by PlayGround at Potrero Stage
By: - Jul 11th, 2017The world premiere of the dark dramedy "Vignettes on Love" by David Steele provides enjoyable entertainment as it explores the dynamics of love from its giddiness to its hurt. It is produced by PlayGround and plays at Potrero Stage in, San Francisco, through July 30.
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Erik Jensen Stars at Steppenwolf Theatre
How to Be a Rock Critic (Based on the Writings of Lester Bangs)
By: - Jul 10th, 2017Lester Bangs tells us the story of his life, how he got turned on to words reading Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs, how he discovered the music that changed his life, and how he began to write music reviews. Also how he began to consume pills by the handful (acid, with beer) and Romilar cough syrup by the bottle.
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Sondheim on Sondheim
A Magical Evening at Tanglewood
By: - Jul 10th, 2017Sondheim on Sondheim presents a multi-media scrapbook on the life and work of Broadway's genius, Stephen Sondheim. A unique personal glance at not only Sondheim's life, but his creation of Broadway musicals. This evening provides insight into Sondheim's process and the life experiences that influenced his work. The eight vocalists, including four Tanglewood Music Center Vocal Fellows, deliver Sondheim's music with feeling and vocal power.
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Cymbeline Directed by Tina Packer
Rarely Produced Shakespeare Play
By: - Jul 09th, 2017With Cymbeline it seems that Tina Packer, the founding artistic director of Shakespeare & Company, has completed her personal cycle of the canon. Although rarely performed, arguably Packer has saved the best for last. This is a complex and messy play but with brilliant direction, a gifted cast and super production that welter of confusion has been turned on its head with stunning results. This is the must see play of the Berkshire season and is on the short list of best productions by Packer and S&Co.
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Twelfth Night in Ft. Lauderdale
New City Players' Production of Shakespeare
By: - Jul 08th, 2017Ft. Lauderdale company's Twelfth Night achieves mixed results. Production of Shakespeare comedy is highly energetic, entertaining. The play is staged in intimate space through July 23
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Measure for Measure
Theatre for a New Audience
By: - Jul 07th, 2017Measure for Measure is a romantic comedy, ending with the lusty union of a Duke and a prospective nun with other nuptials pending. Yet it is an odd romantic comedy, propelled by the Sermon on the Mount. Director Simon Corwin and his team make the message contemporary. Man's darker side often conflicts with society's laws. The play comes as close to being timeless as any of the Bard’s works.
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Guys and Dolls at Stratford Festival
Actors Sing and Dance Up a Storm
By: - Jul 07th, 2017It seems that almost everyone has a show-stopping song. And the action constantly moves to a change of place and tone and feeling. When, after we’ve been variously entertained by several couples, at least five major contenders for the star role, and much clowning, one of the big, oafish, slangy gangsters, stands up in church and sings a confessional song that brings the house down.
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The Model American in WTF World Premiere
Pursuing the American Dream Ruthlessly
By: - Jul 05th, 2017Last summer at Williamstown Theatre Festival the director, Danny Sharron, collaborated with playwright, Jason Kim (HBOs' Girls) to develop a new play. The Model American is being given a hip and sleek world premiere at Nikos Stage. There is, however, nothing to like about its amoral anti hero and arguably the play itself. It is performing to sold out audiences with mostly positive reviews.
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Much Ado About Nothing in Frisco
Enticing at Marin Shakespeare Company
By: - Jul 05th, 2017The play is originally set in Messina, Sicily. Except for retaining the Italian character names, director Robert Currier's delightful "Much Ado" is transported to the bare clapboard, hardscrabble world of the Hatfields and McCoys - the border lands of Kentucky and West Virginia. The set is crude, the costumes are peasant-style, and the language an admixture of Shakespearian eloquence with down home Southern earthiness.
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Twelth Night Launches Stratford Festival
Now 150 Canada Celebrates the Bard
By: - Jul 05th, 2017Canada’s great Stratford Festival’s 63rd season also celebrates Canada’s 150th birthday. Its dazzling opening week of stunning productions this year consisted of seven major classic works; the later openings this season will feature new and experimental theater.
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Critical Condition
ATCA Conference in San Francisco
By: - Jul 04th, 2017In the age of social media everyone is a critic., Some enthusiasts post their "reviews" and images to Twitter and Facebook before curtain calls.That was he elephant in the room as some 80 of the 250 members of American Theatre Critics Association gathered for an annual conference this time in San Francisco. In addition to several days of seeing theatre there were meetings and panel discussions focused on issues and ideas in the profession.
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Constellations by Brit Nick Payne
Geffen Playhouse in LA
By: - Jul 04th, 2017“Constellations”, a poignant drama written by British playwright Nick Payne, is deftly staged by award-winning director Giovanna Sardelli that validates the acting gifts of its two stars: pixie-like Ginnifer Goodwin and handsome leading man Allen Leech (best known for his six year run in the TV blockbuster series “Downton Abbey”, as the family chauffeur).
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Play About Climate Change in Miami Shores
World Premiere by Mad Cat Theatre Company
By: - Jul 03rd, 2017A new dark comedy, Firemen Are Rarely Necessary shines harsh light on global warming, censorship and corruption in government. Short, pithy scenes and snappy dialogue keep us riveted. A new play by Theo Reyna has biting comedy that awakens us to realities.
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The Roommate at WTF
Full House for Jen Silverman's Quirky Two Hander
By: - Jul 02nd, 2017Since its debut at the Humana Festival in 2015 The Roommate by Jen Silverman has been widely produced. It has the advantage of being an intimate two-hander. But it is being given a lavish production and marquee players at Williamstown Theatre Festival. With Jane Kaczmarek (Robyn), S. Epatha Merkerson (Sharon) selling tickets in the Berkshires is this a production that may be headed to New York? Significantly Silverman was in town tweaking the script.
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Ragtime at Barrington Stage Company
Timely Revival of Issues Based Musical
By: - Jun 30th, 2017Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield has a reputation for mounting an annual blockbuster revival of a vintage musical. It also has an an agenda to present message plays that inspire and inform audiences. In the era of Trump Barrington is presenting Ragtime which seemingly conflates the mandates for entertainment and education. It results in a long evening top heavy with big ideas, multiple characters and confusing subplots.
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Children of a Lesser God at BTG
A Story of Love, Communication and Connection
By: - Jun 30th, 2017With the rise of so many platforms of communication in today's world, are we really hearing one another? Children of a Lesser God focuses on truly listening and communicating in the world of the deaf. It portrays a love story between a hearing man and a woman who neither hears nor speaks. Their communication and connection are powerful to see in stellar performances by the lead actors, Joshua Jackson and Lauren Ridloff. The play runs to July 22 at Berkshire Theatre Group in Stockbridge, Mass.
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Ah, Wilderness! at Chicago's Goodman
Eugene O'Neill's Only Comedy
By: - Jun 30th, 2017Truly, Ah, Wilderness! and Long Day’s Journey Into Night are companion pieces in many ways, including being set (most likely) in the same house in New London, Connecticut—now known as Monte Cristo Cottage. It's where the O’Neill family spent its summers when actor father James O’Neill took time off from nationwide tours with his production of The Count of Monte Cristo.
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One Act Play Marathon
36th Marathon at Ensemble Studio Theatre
By: - Jun 30th, 2017What a pleasure it is to see good new plays well-produced. The EnsembleTheatre has done this year after year for 36 seasons and they don't go stale.
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