I know what you're thinking, another film to musical adaptation? Yes. However, for me, this was a bit different, I hadn't seen the original film of An Officer and a Gentleman. In fact, I was none the wiser on what the story was about, I purposely didn't research the film because I wanted to see if the story could unfold on stage neatly without needing to know the film. So I headed along to the Edinburgh Playhouse, and I can safely say, I was very surprised.

Both upper-east-side resident Daisy Gamble (Melissa Errico) and psychiatrist Dr. Mark Bruckner (Stephen Bogardus) need clarity in their lives. Daisy lives in the Barbizon Hotel for Women and is applying for a job at Latimer and Latimer and has “until the afternoon” to quit smoking to meet the company’s policies. She is down to her “last month’s rent. Daisy does have a special knack with plants and seems to know when the phone is going to ring. Daisy’s friends Janie Preston (Caitlin Gallogly) and Muriel Bunson (Daisy Hobbs) would not object to some clarity in their lives either. Janie is not so good at plants and not only dates gay men but imagines she can “change” them. Muriel needs to trim three inches off her hips in two days. Muriel has had some success with Dr. Bruckner and invites Janie and Daisy to join her group to address their issues.

I generally consider myself someone who has an appreciation of live music, in general. I always love discovering new musicians and bands from the current era, but also to learn more about and listen to artists from past generations who were before my time. So despite being a Millennial, and despite the stereotypes that I feel some people might have for people in my age range, I found myself being able to easily appreciate “Chicago Meets Motown”, the joint tribute music act that recently played at Broadway’s Town Hall this past week.

Welcome to the neighborhood, Shoreline Theatre Company. Unlike the Maryland community where “Hairspray” is set, the shoreline of Connecticut (Branford, Guilford, Madison and into New Haven County) isn’t particularly known for rats or flashers or barstool bums. It isn’t particularly known for active community theater either. While other parts of Connecticut have thriving theater scenes, the shoreline has always seemed strangely hesitant to join into that conversation. There are exceptions of course (like the Roundtable Players and the Whitney Players), but a gap for great summer community theater in this neck of the woods is surely present. In comes the Shoreline Theatre Company [STC], a brand-new group making a big splash of a debut with “Hairspray,” which played June 29 and 30 at the Branford High School auditorium.

What does actress Amanda Peet know about playwriting? Actually a lot. In her new world premiere play at the Geffen Playhouse, she tells quite a good story with director Tyne Rafaeli and a talented cast.

The show opens with a scruffy tennis coach Jay (Joe Tippett NBC's Rise) in his 30s and a precocious 10-year-old girl Carlin (Abigail Dylan Harrison). Raised by a single mom Cyn (Mamie Gummer in HBO’s True Detective and also Meryl Streep’s daughter), Carlin takes up the game of tennis at the local park courts, and Jay notices her talent. Once a tennis star and now a bartender, he believes he can nourish Carlin’s tennis potential.

Ezra’s (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) stories about his father’s reaction to the news that Ezra was marrying Chris (Phillip James Brannon) and then, later, that they were going to have a baby serve as bookends for Jordan Harrison’s LGBTQ themed new play about “our origins” and how “denying our origins is not healthy nor is denying our children the right to discover who they are and how the will relate to the world.” Friends Jules (Dolly Wells) and Pam (Cindy Cheung) quickly “judge” Ezra’s father; yet, as the ninety-minute play moves forward, the audience – LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ – understands these two married couples are far from having grappled with the complexities of where they are, where they have come from, and where they are going as members of the LGBTQ community that barely understand their small niches let alone understanding “the other.”

The outlandish farce Boeing Boeing now plays on The Winnipesaukee Playhouse stage in Meredith, New Hampshire. Originally written by Marc Camoletti and translated by Beverley Cross and Francis Evans, it is the story of Bernard, a Parisian bachelor played by William Wilder, who has, through meticulous calculations, gotten himself intertwined with three fiancés. There’s Gloria, an American air hostess played by Rebecca Tucker, Gabriella, an Italian air hostess played by Molly Parker Myers, and Gretchen, a German air hostess played by Suzanne Kimball. The essential factor that keeps all his fiancés from ending up in their Paris flat at one time is the fact that they all work for different airlines and have different routes around the world.

To begin by stating that Chita Rivera is a legend in her own time would be a factual compliment, but it would not do justice to all that the musical theater icon has accomplished in her exuberant career. Her talent and drive have always been evident. At fifteen years of age she auditioned for the School of American Ballet, was accepted and given a scholarship. A mere three years later she was off and running in the touring production of “Call Me Madam” which proved to be a stepping stone for the string of Broadway shows that were to follow, ushering her to the role of Anita in “West Side Story.” This was the entry to stardom and the start of an illustrious career.

Four shows and 16 overall performances later, the Improvisational Repertory Theatre Ensemble’s 2018 season has reached its end. For their season finale, thankfully, I was finally able to catch them on their opening night, for once. Unfortunately, while it may not have been outright bad, their last show of the season also proved to be perhaps their least satisfying, in terms of its comedic bite.

The themes of Miles Malleson’s “Conflict,” currently running at the Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row, could not be more relevant and the playwright’s treatment of these themes could not be more modern or progressive. The main characters, except for Tom Smith (Jeremy Beck), are early 1920s London elite – the one percent who have the most money, property, and power in society – and are staunch members of the Conservative Party. Tom is in the ninety-nine percent and lacks money, property, power, and self-esteem. The conflicts of these characters drive an engaging plot that eerily reminds one of America’s current socio-political environment.

First, a confession.

My favorite movie of all time happens to be "The Color Purple," the deeply moving 1985 film adaptation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel directed by Steven Spielberg.

Filled with riveting performances, marvelous period music, and an absorbing, emotionally-stirring story of resilience and spirit that spans decades, the film went on to earn 11 Academy Award nominations including two nods for its brilliant stars Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg—both of whom made their big screen debuts in the film.

For those of you that have been reading my recent reviews, you’ll know that the West Yorkshire Playhouse is about to undergo major refurbishment and will be closed until later next year, and in the meantime, will be presenting a selection of work in a new pop up space. Last night I was invited to attend the unveiling of its new name and identity, Leeds Playhouse, along with its final show in the Quarry Theatre before the redevelopment, Searching for the Heart of Leeds.

When I first saw Wicked in 2008 in Chicago, audience members around me were wiping tears from their eyes and I wondered why they were crying. I must be missing something as I didn’t ‘get it’. I remember the beautiful costumes and fantastic set design along with the dazzling ‘Defying Gravity’ show stopper at the end of Act One, but that was it. Whenever I saw advertised the show’s periodic summer return to Toronto, I never chose to attend as I thought nothing would have changed from Chicago.

Fast forward ten years of life happening.

Sunshine on Leith is a hit Scottish musical produced originally by Dundee Rep, written by Stephen Greenhorn and music by Scotland's favourite singing duo, The Proclaimers. I loved the movie adaption of this musical, however, I had never seen it on stage. Well, until tonight. I joined a sold-out audience at Glasgow's King's Theatre to catch West Yorkshire Playhouse's touring production of this much-loved story.

Upon entering the outdoor Greek Theatre on the campus of Saint Elizabeth College, the audience is instantly transferred from Madison, NJ to Venice, Italy. This is partly because of the set design by Jonathan Wentz and sound design (Italian guitar pre-show music) by Warren Pace. The set is stunning and looks as if it could actually be a period villa taken out of Italy with its checkered floor with various colors and attention to detail, such as the porch lights with grill work. The set is two levels with many doors that slide open to create even more ways for the actors to enter and exit and allowed for the comedy and chaos that was to ensue.

Mr. Squires’ play is worth seeing and is especially relevant in the current political environment. Be prepared to have firmly held opinions questioned and loyalties deeply challenged. The blanket of dust created on September 11, 2001 has never lifted and perhaps never will. This play keeps the conversation alive and engaging.

It's summer here in Scotland! Even if the weather is terrible outside, inside the theatre, there is a new production of the hit Cliff Richard musical, Summer Holiday, touring the UK & Ireland. So I made my way down to the Edinburgh Playhouse to see if this show could give me a more summery vibe than the vertical rain pouring down outside.

The sixty-five-minute production is an interesting evening of entertainment that shines a glimmer of light on the fascinating chanteuse but does not qualify or succeed at being a bona fide piece of theater.

When I noticed a well-dressed man and a little furry dog walk into the lobby of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, I immediately recognized Jeremy Irons. His purposeful stride had a distinguished air compared to the nearby theatre attendees near the bar or waiting for the theatre doors to open. While asking a staff member if Jeremy Irons just walked in, she replied “Yes, he and Smudge just arrived.” He had about 35 minutes to dress and prepare for his role of James Tyrone in the Eugene O’Neill award-winning play A Long Day's Journey into Night.

“A Chorus Line” opened at Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston last weekend, providing a fantastic start to the theater’s 50th Anniversary Summer Season. With book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, Music by Marvin Hamlisch, and Lyrics by Edward Kleban, this musical tells the story of a group of seventeen inspiring performers auditioning for a place in a Broadway show’s chorus line. The roughly two-hour piece is conducted like a legitimate audition during which the audience gets to witness these individuals share their fears and motivations with the directing team and one another, all while dancing their hearts out for a chance at one of eight coveted roles.