Dallas Review: Garland Civic Theatre Presents Neil Simon’s “Plaza Suite”
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“Garland Civic Theatre’s production of “Plaza Suite” packed a powerful comedic punch which hit a home run with the audience.”
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Dallas Review: Casa Manana Presents “The Buddy Holly Story”
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“Under the spacious Casa dome, director Parker Esse crafted a high energy, gripping performance which skillfully told the story of an iconic American rock and roll legend.”
Read MoreReview: Theatre Frisco Presents “A Little Night Music”
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Under the direction of Neale Whitmore, the talented cast and crew of Theatre Frisco crafted a vibrant and dynamic performance of Stephen Sondheim’s celebrated work, “A Little Night Music.” Their stunning production sprung to life with a high octane array of rich vocals and sleek choreography wrapped in the deep textures of romance and intrigue.
Read MoreReview: The Rose Table Presents “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Dinner Party
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Lovers of theatre, food, friendship and the joy one can find by fusing the three, should head over to The Rose Table and see first-hand how they can craft a space to bring more magic into their daily lives.
Read MoreReview: Wandernook Theatre Presents “The Addams Family”
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The bright, sunny and hot Texas summer afternoon suddenly grew chilly, dark and gloomy as the cast of Wandernook Theatre’s production of “The Addams Family” took the stage. Together, cast and crew, under the direction of Amanda Durbin, resurrected one of our favorite, ghoulishly-macabre families from the grave.
Read MoreReview: “The Armor Plays: Cinched & Strapped” at Theatre Three
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Theatre Three once again showed that they have their finger on the pulse of the performing arts in DFW with a dynamic production of the relevant, poignant and thought-provoking work, “The Armor Plays: Cinched & Strapped.”
Read MoreReview: “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” at Richardson Theatre Centre
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Lunatic Theatre Company combined forces with Richardson Theatre Centre to bring “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” to life in an exciting Texas stage debut. The talented cast and crew they assembled delivered a highly-entertaining, dynamic performance exploring the role of racial bias in America and its ability to prematurely extinguish the blossom of young love.
Read MoreReview: “The Producers” at Casa Manana
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In Casa Manana’s capable hands, under the direction of Courtney Young, the talented cast and crew of “The Producers” crafted a show steeped in Mel Brooks’ signature style and backed it with turbocharged choreography and precision comedic timing.
Read MoreReview: “Bright Star” at Firehouse Theatre
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FARMER’S BRANCH, TX - Firehouse Theatre turned up the heat in the local theatre scene with their scorching-hot regional premiere of the celebrated Broadway musical, “Bright Star.” The phenomenally-talented cast assembled here crafted an intimate, genuine and engaging production infused with a perfect balance of wide-eyed optimism, young love, heart-wrenching tragedy and inspiring redemption.
Read MoreReview: “Xanadu” Presented by MainStage Irving-Las Colinas
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The eclectic musical comedy, “Xanadu,” rolled in under the sparkling disco lights on the MainStage Irving-Las Colinas stage and delivered a passionate, upbeat and entertaining performance. Based off the lackluster 1980 film of the same name, the comedic musical, “Xanadu,” spins the tale of a talented Venice Beach, California artist, “Sonny Malone,” who, in the midst of a creative slump, inadvertently garners the attention of the Nine Greek Muses of Olympus.
Read MoreReview: “Daddy’s Dyin’...Who’s Got the Will?” at Richardson Theatre Centre
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Richardson Theatre Centre’s production of Del Shores’ play “Daddy’s Dyin’...Who’s Got the Will?” delivered an intimate, well-rounded and entertaining performance. The Dallas-FortWorth-area audience in attendance quickly connected with the cast’s portrayal of a 1980s-era family from the small town of Lowake, Texas. Here, siblings reunite for the first time in years to spend a few last days with their ailing father who recently suffered a debilitating stroke.
Read MoreReview: “Oswald” at Firehouse Theatre
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The story of the infamous figure of Lee Harvey Oswald is of particular interest here just outside of Dallas, Texas. Over half a century ago, he became a household name not just in Texas, but across the world for gunning down the 46-year-old President in downtown Dallas. After the Kennedy assassination, the details of Oswald’s life were dissected, analyzed, and sensationalized to the point where few, including his widow, actually recognized the man they thought they knew.
Read MoreReview: 'Raptured' at Theatre Three
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Praise be to Theatre Three for serving up a divinely-entertaining comedic feast for the soul in “Raptured.” Not only is this show chock full of deliciously dark humor and non-stop hilarity, it is dripping with double entendre and crowd-pleasing innuendo.
Read MoreReview: Garland Civic Theatre Presents “Nunsense”
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To most of us, nuns appear to be quiet, reserved, pious members of the Catholic religious community who devote themselves to a life of solitude, simplicity and humility. However, in Dan Goggin’s “Nunsense,” the good sisters of Hoboken offer a glimpse of the all-too-human, often amusing, frailties lurking beneath the veil. Garland Civic Theatre’s production channeled these underlying qualities into fun song and dance numbers and hilarious physical comedy which delivered a high-energy, uniquely-entertaining and praiseworthy comedic romp.
Read MoreReview: “The Wizard of Oz” at Casa Manana
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Casa Manana’s production of, “The Wizard of Oz,” delivered all the wonder, magic and energy which has made this story a celebrated part of the American stage and screen tradition for multiple generations. Together, the show’s dynamic cast and crew took the audience on a remarkably-authentic journey down Oz’s yellow brick road while incorporating just the right mix of modern creative elements to make it truly shine.
Read MoreReview: “Gruesome Playground Injuries” presented by Millennial Poison Theatre Co.
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The two-member cast of Millennial Poison Theatre Company’s inaugural production of the visceral love story, “Gruesome Playground Injuries,” at Richardson’s intimate Core Theatre delivered an energized, compelling and authentic performance. Fueled by equal portions of pain, passion and playground injuries, stars Michael Breath Jr. and Shelby Priddy wove together an introspective story of a maturing friendship and love which can withstand the physical and emotional pain life often throws our way.
Read MoreReview: The Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Leslie Odom, Jr.
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The success of Broadway mega-hit, “Hamilton” likely drew a majority of the audience into the expansive Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center for an evening with Leslie Odom Jr. However, shortly into his performance with the dynamic Dallas Symphony Orchestra, it became apparent that Odom’s silky-smooth voice and versatile style transcends well-beyond the score of “Hamilton” to soar high into the stratosphere of onstage vocal talent.
Read MoreReview: 'Once on this Island' at Firehouse Theatre
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Firehouse Theatre’s production of the Caribbean-inspired, Little Mermaid adaptation, “Once on this Island,” enchants with uptempo, dynamic and heart-wrenching performances. Through spirited choreography and well-harmonized vocals, the talented cast breathes a gust of warm tropical air into Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s story and music.
Read MoreReview: “ComedySportz” at the Comedy Arena
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The bright glow of the Comedy Arena was a welcome escape from an otherwise dark and damp night in downtown McKinney, Texas. Inside, warm laughter was in store for the audience who chose to spend an evening with the talented improv team onstage performing in “ComedySportz.”
The format for “ComedySportz” is simple, yet incredibly engaging and entertaining. Experienced comedians with quick wits divide into two teams, red and blue, and go toe-to-toe in a knock-down-drag-out, good-spirited, high-energy improv battle. Competitors earn points by swaying the audience to vote for their team by serving up ample portions of hilarity, physical antics and more.
Read MoreReview: Garland Civic Theater Presents “The Foreigner”
/Shawn Stalter, Contributing Critic - Dallas/Ft. Worth
Garland Civic Theater delivered yet another top-tier show with their recent production of the hilarious international comedy, “The Foreigner.” Written by Larry Shue, “The Foreigner” spins a tale of two Englishmen, “Froggy” and “Charlie,” and their interaction with the locals at a rustic Georgia hunting lodge.
At the start of this story, the shy and timid “Charlie” agonizes over the prospect of interacting with anyone at the lodge. His hopes to spend a few days in peace quickly shatter as “Froggy” develops a hair-brained scheme which calls for Charlie to pretend he is a foreigner unable to understand or speak a word of English. Unfortunately, this ruse quickly comes off the tracks as Charlie unwittingly becomes an active participant in the lives of the locals and finds himself in the middle of a brewing scandal.
The cast of Garland Civic Theater’s production of “The Foreigner” gave inspired, well-rounded and dynamic performances. In the lead role of “Charlie,” Gary Eoff aptly captured the absurdity of his character’s situation and his increasingly-deeper immersion into the “foreigner” persona. Additionally, Tom McWhorter’s portrayal of the xenophobic and abrasive “Owen Musser” certainly grabbed the audience’s attention.
Those unfamiliar with the story or the world view of “Owen” found themselves wincing in disgust at his racist tirade and aspirations to craft a home for the “invisible empire” of the Ku-Klux-Klan. When “Charlie” and “Owen’s” personalities collide, the audience was treated to intense, albeit, highly-entertaining interactions. In addition to “Owen” and “Charlie,” Heather Smothers’ performance of the sweet and simple lodge owner, “Betty,” was spot-on.
Beyond the performances this talented cast delivered, the production also soared on the wings of the exceptional stage design which transported the audience to a quaint and cozy, rural Georgia lodge. Despite some obstructed sight lines which made it difficult to keep pace with all of the action unfolding onstage, the cast and crew did a great job working all angles of the spacious stage to keep the audience engaged. Although this was the last performance of Garland Civic Theater’s run of “ The Foreigner,” their upcoming lineup promises additional high-caliber entertainment for DFW theatergoers.
Garland Civic Theater’s production of “The Foreigner” was directed by Juan M. Perez and produced by David Tinney. The show’s cast included Gary Eoff as “Charlie Baker,” David Noel as Sergeant “Froggy” LeSueur, Heather Smothers as “Betty Meeks,” Russell Sims as “Rev. David Marshall Lee,” Stephanie Oustalet as “Catherine Simms” , Tom McWhorter as “Owen Musser,” and Steven Pedro as “Ellard Simms.” Shauna Holloway served as stage manager, Hank Baldree as set designer, props courtesy of Kerra Sims and sound by Brittany Mantsch.
Learn more about upcoming shows at Garland Civic Theater by visiting www.garlandarts.com or calling 972-205-2790.
Photo credit: Russell Sims
