Author Archives: Bill Hirschman
Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah at Broward Stage Door Campy Fun
Despite its almost two hours of one-liners, caricatures and Borscht Belt humor, Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah, the show based on Allan Sherman’s parody songs at Broward Stage Door, in all its campiness, is energetically enjoyable.
Report From New York: Violet Shines From Foster’s Glow, But Show Itself Is A Bit Dimmer
Something is missing that makes the revival of Violet a fully-satisfying production. It seems inconceivable that it might be “heart,” which would seem to be the strongest suit of a show like this, especially with the unassailably appealing Sutton Foster at its core.
Theater Shelf: Tony Nominations For Musicals Represented on CD
The 2013-14 Broadway season has produced a wide variety of scores from musicals that we are fortunate to have had recorded commercially. Indeed, the season has been marked by a notable raft of very well recorded cast albums that will be reflected at the Tony Awards, many marvelously packaged.
Area Stage’s [title of show] Is Musical Theater Geek Heaven
If you know who Alice Ripley is, if you recognize the name of the musical Brooklyn, then [title of show] at Area Stage Co. was written for you. While its scruffy charm should amuse a general audience, this musical satire is theater geek heaven crammed t with humor rooted in Broadway inside baseball lore.
Estrogen-Infused Cougar The Musical at The Plaza Theatre Goes Limp Due To Cliched Script
There’s fun to be had at Cougar The Musical at The Plaza Theatre because of the cast, but don’t expect a lion’s roar — this Cougar hungers for better material.
Island City Stage’s The Pride Joins Worlds Apart Eras With Skillful Perfection
Island City Stage’s production of the thought-provoking The Pride understands the beauty and depth of this remarkable play —and, done right here, makes us question our history, both individually and collectively.
Outre Kills It With Bleak, Minimalist True-Crime Musical
Thrill Me, a stunning musical about the child murderers Leopold and Loeb, closes out Outre Theatre Company’s season with a two-man, one-act piece noteable for offbeat immediacy and barebones potency of a feverish fringe festival favorite.
A Fresh New Argentina, Of Sorts, For Evita At The Arsht
This national tour of the 2012 Broadway revival of Evita is a strong fresh edition that gives the raw material a thorough makeover but does not deconstruct the piece. The experience is helped immeasurably by the clarion voices of the lead actors. The only facets missing most of the time are the electric sizzle and raging passions that marked earlier productions.
Naked Stage Unleashes Mercurial Emotions In Miss Julie
For a century, August Strindberg’s tragedy Miss Julie has been interpreted as a seesaw of power exercised through class and sexual politics. But in Naked Stage’s operatic production, as lives lie in ruins, everyone ultimately is revealed a slave, never a master, when they toy with those three elements.
New Theatre Neatly Untangles A Gordian Knot In Gidion’s Knot
This is why we go to theater. New Theatre’s Gidion’s Knot – wrenching, thought-provoking, shocking, visceral in ways no film can be– exemplifies why we spend time in dark rooms watching live people pretend to be people they’re not.
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