Reviews
Letter From Bill Hirschman To Stephen Sondheim: Come On Down To Visit Actors’ Playhouse
The Actors’ Playhouse production of Sondheim On Sondheim transcends the Broadway edition in nearly every detail. The work by eight inspired performers and the band, molded by director David Arisco and musical director David Nagy, would make the master proud.
Mad Cat’s Tones For Tales Dives Deep Into Bleak Beckett Land
The Mad Cat Theatre Company, which prides itself on experimenting with non-mainstream offerings, has collected three short Samuel Beckett plays under the umbrella title, Tones On Tales. Some people will find this evocative, highly-stylized pieces mesmerizing; others will run screaming for the exit.
Pigs Do Fly Gains A Little Altitude In Curly Tales
Getting old, or older, is not for sissies, the saying goes… but it’s easier if you can laugh at it and if you know you’re not going crazy all alone. The second half of that is the unspoken maxim beneath Pigs Do Fly Productions as it enters its third season with its newest entry, Curly Tales.
Outre’s The Violet Hour Is A Daring, Flawed Modern Medea
Sometimes the daring efforts of Outré Theatre Company work beautifully such as Back of the Throat, An Illiad and Thrill Me, sometimes not so well such as Bed and Sofa, and Othello. Often, it’s both as with the current world premiere of The Violet Hour, A Modern Medea.
Volcanic Ethan Henry Erupts In M Ensemble’s The Piano Lesson
Imagine white water rapids raging past you; now imagine the liquid is molten lava – a heedless force of nature threatening to destroy everything. Such images are the by-product of watching the incomparable Ethan Henry bringing one of August Wilson’s tragic heroes to three-dimensional life in M Ensemble’s The Piano Lesson.
Riverside’s Superb Hello, Dolly! Is As Resplendent As It Gets
You don’t get any better, any more professional, any more resplendent than Riverside Theatre’s production of Hello, Dolly! This production is a dazzling bouquet of theater delights.
Maltz’s Kiss Me, Kate Is Witty And Romantic Throwback
The Maltz’s 2016 production of a 1948 classic Kiss Me Kate is a skilled homage to that post-war period of theater when everyone knew which war you were talking about. A mixture of classic theater tropes leavened with a sophisticated satirical tone, this musical-within-a-musical-within-a-musical often lets its then-hip veneer slip to expose a lushly romantic soul.
Harrowing Sexual Assault Opens Infinite Abyss’ Flawed But Troubling Extremities
Infinite Abyss’ courageous production of Extremities opens with one of the most harrowing 15 minutes in theater and ends with a troubling finale. But the challenge is the play in between, an examination of the extent human beings will go for justifiable revenge and the toll that the pursuit wreaks on our humanity.
Avery Sommers Triumphs As Bessie Smith In The Devil’s Music
A bravura tour de force by Avery Sommers is central to the success of Arts Garage’s production of The Devil’s Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith
Enthralling Matilda, When You Understand What They’re Saying
The national tour of the dark musical Matilda at the Kravis is enthralling for its energy and imagination — when you can understand what people are saying which is less than half the time.
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