Theatre
-
Anne of Green Gables at Goodspeed
A Work in Progress
By: - Aug 21st, 2022Overall, the performances are good. Juliette Redden as Anne has a strong voice and a winning personality. What is best is this Anne is a great role model – she’s creative, strong-minded, determined, optimistic and cheerful. If she has any doubts, they are well hidden. Though we do know she is seeking a family and acceptance.
-
Georges Bizet’s Carmen
Santa Fe Opera
By: - Aug 19th, 2022As the title character, Isabel Leonard's voice is well suited - a warm, throaty, and resonant melodiousness. She excels in all of Carmen's famous arias like the Habañera “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle” (Love is a rebellious bird) and the equally memorable Seguidilla “Près des ramparts de Sévilla” (Near the walls of Seville).
-
Secondo by Jacques Lamarre
Theatre Works World Premiere
By: - Aug 17th, 2022Secondo is a sequel to playwright Jacques Lamarre’s adaptation of the book I Loved, I Laughed, I Made Spaghetti by Giulia Melucci. In the original book, Melucci told of her many romantic adventures with disastrously wrong men for whom she often cooked Italian food or for herself after a breakup.
-
One in Two
An Island City Stage production
By: - Aug 17th, 2022"One in Two" is an absurdist comedy-drama about an HIV-positive person. A touching and funny production runs through Sept. 4 at Island City Stage in Wilton Manors, near Ft. Lauderdale.
-
Dracula at the Colonial in Pittsfield
You're So Vein
By: - Aug 14th, 2022We happened to be in Dublin for Halloween. In the library of Trinity College there was a special exhibition in honor of Bram Stoker the author of Dracula. The story of the vampire is so familiar that there are no surprises in the hilarious and outrageous production by Berkshire Theatre Group at its Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield. It was a great evening of summer fun.
-
Guys & Dolls
Sharon Playhouse Returns to Live Theatre
By: - Aug 11th, 2022Guys & Dolls is one of the classics (and I’d say masterpieces) of the Broadway musical. Words and lyrics by Frank Loesser and roster of songs that have become standards. But it isn’t an easy show to put on. I’ve seen at least one poor production on Broadway. That this rather small theater in a relatively remote area has produced such a fine show it is a reason for applause
-
Sondeim's A Little Night Music
Julianne Boyd's Last Waltz at Barrington Stage
By: - Aug 11th, 2022For her last production, founding artistic director, Julianne Boyd again directed her favorite musical A Little Night Music by Stephen Sondheim for Barrington Stage Company. Yet again the theatrical magic evoked smiles on a summer's night.
-
The Anarchy Quartet by Stuart Bousel
The Exit Theatre
By: - Aug 10th, 2022Mid-Twelfth Century England was a period of turmoil. The triggering event leading to the instability was the infamous White Ship Disaster of 1120, in which a large number of nobles perished when the boat, carrying 300 passengers, sank after hitting a reef in the English Channel. Included in that number was Adelin, the only legitimate son of King Henry I of England. Thus, when the king died in 1135, the battle for his throne, the so-called Anarchy, began.
-
Educating Asher
World Premiere Production by Empire Stage
By: - Aug 09th, 2022Empire Stage in Ft. Lauderdale is giving the new comedy-drama "Educating Asher" a solid world premiere production. The play is about, among other things, coming to terms with loss.
-
The Lion KIng
Broadway San Jose
By: - Aug 07th, 2022The character Rafiki, a mandrill, sings the goosebump-producing “Circle of Life / Nants Ingonyama” that introduces African voice, thought, music, motion, and rhythm. Meanwhile, the parade of absolutely stunning human-puppets-as-animals walks the aisles and fills the stage, becoming the most remarkable anthropomorphic array imaginable. At the opening number’s end, the applause at this performance was deafening.
-
Into the Woods on Broadway
Extended to October 16
By: - Aug 07th, 2022By the end of the show, when we hear “No One Is Alone” and then the reprise of “Children Will Listen,” I challenge anyone to not be moved. The day I saw it, the audience was primed to adore it, with wild applause throughout the show. In many ways, this production deserved it.
-
We Are Continuous by Harrison David Rivers
World Premiere at Williamstown Theatre Festival
By: - Aug 05th, 2022We Are Continuous by Harrison David Rivers is a "semi-autobiograhical" play having its world premiere at Williamstown Theatre Festival. It conveys the strong relationship between mother and son as he deals with coming out, choosing a life in theatre, marriage, and dealing with HIV. It has been given a stunning production.
-
Alan Paul to Lead Barrington Stage Company
Succeeds Founder Julianne Boyd
By: - Aug 03rd, 2022“It is my great honor to be the next Artistic Director of Barrington Stage Company. I am deeply inspired by the incredible staff and artists who have made BSC such a vibrant hub for both classics and new work,” said Alan Paul. “I am excited to build on BSC’s legacy as an incubator for new plays and musicals from a broad variety of voices. Musicals are my first love, and I plan to make the advancement of musical theater a cornerstone of my vision. The Berkshires are a magical place for theater, and I look forward to becoming an active member of the community.
-
Coraline An Opera Composed by Mark-Anthony Turnage
Produced by West Edge Opera
By: - Aug 01st, 2022Based on the award-winning 2002 novella by Neil Gaiman, composer Mark-Anthony Turnage and librettist Rory Mullarky have crafted an opera that mirrors the creepiness of the novella and the animated film of the same name. West Edge Opera offers superb voices and orchestra, fine staging, and clever, fanciful costumes in a scintillating production of this enticing work.
-
Rubenology: The Making of An American Legend
World Premiere by GableStage and Abre Camino Collective
By: - Aug 01st, 2022Rubenology: The Making of An American Legend focuses on 84-year-old actor Ruben Rabasa. The one-act play recently experienced its world premiere as a co-production between South Florida-based GableStage and Abre Camino Collective. Playwright Vanessa Garcia and Rabasa co-wrote the piece.
-
Hank Williams: Lost Highway
Actors' Playhouse Miracle Theatre
By: - Jul 29th, 2022The bio-musical "Hank Williams: Lost Cowboy" is receiving a commendable production by Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. The production runs through July 31. The show tells the story of Williams's life in flashback.
-
Ariane & Bluebeard Composed by Paul Dukas
Produced by West Edge Opera
By: - Jul 27th, 2022Frenchman Paul Dukas’ 1907 opera “Ariane & Bluebeard” possesses compelling music and a libretto rich with symbolism and open to varied interpretation. Although advocates for the opera included many prominent composers of the day, its success was limited from the outset, and it has failed to find a place in the repertory. Plausible explanations exist. West Edge Oper, however, presents a scintillating interpretation of the highly worthy opera.
-
The Inimitable Marlis Petersen in Munich
A Journey into Night and Our Psyches
By: - Jul 27th, 2022The Munich State Opera presents both opera and concerts during their annual July Festival. One star, Marlis Petersen, entranced at the Prinzregent Theater.
-
Giulio Cesare in Egitto
The Handel Opera
By: - Jul 26th, 2022Handel’s 1724 opera masterpiece “Julius Caesar,” dealing with Caesar’s victories in Egypt in 48-47 B.C.E. shortly before his return to Rome and death in 44 B.C.E., may be considered a prequel to Shakespeare's theatrical masterpiece.
-
La Boheme at the Munich State Theater
Otto Schenk's Set a Star
By: - Jul 26th, 2022Puccini’s music is beautiful and his notes sit particularly well in the human voice. Music written for the voice, as Puccini did, attracts audiences, especially when it is delivered by a stellar cast. Along with a rich musical mix, deep characterization draws us in. In the current revival of Otto Schenk production at the Munich State Opera, character is on full display amidst bantering bohemians and the flirtatious Musetta.
-
Hymn By Lolita Chakrabarti
Directed by Regge Life for Shakespere & Company
By: - Jul 25th, 2022Based in London Lolita Chakrabarti is an actress and playwright. An earlier play, Red Velvet, was previously produced by Shakespeare & Company. She returns with a tightly crafted two-hander, Hymn. precisely directed by the masterful Regge Light.
-
Conductor Dies During Performance in Munich
Stefan Soltesz Exits to the Music of Richard Strauss
By: - Jul 25th, 2022It has been a very warm week in Munich, yet a lovely one. Occasionally walking along Maximilian Street in the center of town, a breeze catches up and cools. The Munich State Opera, unquestionably the lead opera company in the world, is holding its annual July Festival, a chance to catch up with interesting productions from the last decade.Concerts too attract. Munich Regular Jonas Kaufman will return for his first post Covid appearance.
-
Jonas Kaufman and Helmut Deutsch in Munich
Munich State Opera Presents in the National Theater
By: - Jul 24th, 2022Jonas Kaufman and Helmut Deutsch have long been partners in song. Kaufman recently withdrew from performances at the Royal Covent Garden opera house due to the impact of Covid 19 on his voice. His return was welcomed at the National Theater in Munich.
-
Sondheim's Follies
At San Francisco PLayhouse
By: - Jul 22nd, 2022The lavish and expensive-to-produce “Follies” earned 11 Tony nominations and won seven, but was a box office disappointment with barely 500 performances on Broadway. Yet, the show became a classic. San Francisco Playhouse has taken on the challenge of producing this massive and demanding project. The result is a worthy rendition of a great American musical.
-
Julis Bullock Expands Harawi in Aix
Choreographed Drama by Zack Winokur
By: - Jul 22nd, 2022Julia Bullock has made a big opera career outside conventional wisdom. At the Aix Festival in Provence this year she sang Olivier Messiaen's Harawi, a challenging work to which she brings unusual insights.
<< Previous Next >>