Review: "An Inspector Calls" at The Wallis
The entertaining J.B. Priestley whodunit historical thriller “An Inspector Calls” enlightens Beverly Hills audiences thanks to Paul Crewes, the Artistic Director at The Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts. He invited director Stephen Daldry and his touring production to perform for an exclusive West Coast engagement through February 10, 2019.
Review: “Miller, Mississippi” at Long Wharf Theatre
Long Wharf Theatre’s latest, the beguiling and enigmatic “Miller, Mississippi,” begins with a ghost story. Doris (Benja Kay Thomas), a Black maid in 1960s Jackson, is recounting a tale right out of Shirley Jackson. There’s a house in town, she tells the three rapturous kids at her knee, that emanates the sound of a crying child from within its very walls, like something (or someone) was trapped inside. There’s also talk that blood has been known to seep out of the floorboards. A group of hooligan boys once tried to burn it to the ground, but despite their torches and gasoline, the house refused to be leveled.
Review: The Virgin Trial’ at Soulpepper
I had the opportunity to see Kate Henning’s extraordinary The Last Wife in 2017 at Soulpepper and was marvellously drawn back into the Tudor world and its events of the court of Henry VIII, Katherine Parr, his surviving wife and Henry’s three children from various wives – Mary, Bess (later Queen Elizabeth I) and Edward. I’ve always held a fascination with the world of the Tudors and found that Ms. Henning’s text completely captivated my attention.
For one, I liked the fact the story is told in ‘modern English’ as it was easy to follow the events of the plot since I remember a great deal of them from studies during my undergraduate years and in teaching English language and literature to secondary school students. When I had read that Ms. Henning was completing a trilogy of the story, I was looking forward to continuing the journey with the characters. The fact the second part would be directed by Alan Dilworth with Ms. Watson returning was a bonus.
Review: Garland Civic Theatre Presents “The Buddy Holly Story”
Garland Civic Theatre’s production of “The Buddy Holly Story” delivered a high-energy, immersive journey exploring the formative years of rock-and-roll as viewed through the bespectacled eyes of legendary Texas musician, Buddy Holly. With lively musical stylings and dynamic character portrayals, this supremely-talented cast took the audience on a surging, head-first adventure down Buddy’s path to break new ground in a music industry hell-bent on resisting change. Although hard to fathom, we’re now nearing the 60th anniversary of the musical pioneer and Lubbock, Texas’ native’s death, February 3rd, 1959.
Review: "Inside Danny’s Box" at the Origin Theatre’s First Irish Festival
“Inside Danny’s Box” is the latest piece to be mounted as part of Origin Theatre’s First Irish Festival. In this Irish black comedy Derek Murphy crafts a world leaden with sacrilege, adultery and love all hidden behind the guise of feigned hospitality in a small Irish neighborhood where nothing is as it seems. We follow a priest Father Francis (Ken Forman) as he navigates his way through a sea of familiar faces in the days leading up to his mission in Africa. He comes across Danny a young man who confides his love for his neighbor Marybeth to his mother and a small wooden box and things only get stranger from there.
Review: "Rose" at Soulpepper Theatre
I wanted so very much for the North American/world premiere opening night of ‘Rose’ to soar through the rafters of Baillie Theatre.
Well, it didn’t completely reach that height for me except for the ‘eleven o’clock’ showstopping number in the second act by a completely believable and touching Hailey Gillis as the title character.
Review: “Till We Meet Again” at the 14th Street Y
When thinking about World War II, and the atrocities committed by the Axis Powers, it’s often easy to want to lionize the war heroes who fought to protect democracy from the tyrannically governments that wanted to annihilate freedom. Having said that, a lot has changed for the better since World War II, in terms of younger generations being more progressive on issue of race, culture and equal rights. Given the feelings some World War II veterans had, it’s easy to overlook the fact that these two feelings – the need to celebrate our veterans and to fight against the evils of racism – can actually conflict with one another, a fact that is explored in Glory Kadigan’s new play Till We Meet Again, now in its third week at the 14th Street Y.
Review: The Rose Table Presents the “12 Months of Disney Dinners” Series
In her Disney-inspired dinner series, “12 Months of Disney Dinners,” foodie, blogger, adventurer and culinary mastermind, Katie-Rose Watson, not only crafts inspired recipes, but she incorporates elements of her background in the Arts to infuse dinners with a sense of magic. Her blog, The Rose Table, is the canvas she uses to paint an exquisite landscape to help us all learn more about taking time to savor life’s pleasures.
Review: “Linda Vista” at the Mark Taper Forum
If I took a poll as audience members walked out of “Linda Vista” at the Mark Taper Forum, I wonder if men enjoyed Tracy Letts dark comedy more than women. While both my husband and I laughed during the first half of the show, the play grew heavy and the pace slowed after intermission.
Review: “Maestro” at The Duke on 42nd Street
“Dear God, they’re in America now.”
John Noble uttered this line with brilliance and terror as the world-renowned maestro, Arturo Toscanini. It was a line that was not only spoken in response to the frightening growth of the Nazi party during World War II, but seemed to reach through time and space and clutch our hearts with a grip unyielding in its accusations and unmistakably clear in its call to action. The line sang through the piece like one long drag of a bow across the strings of a violin, poetic and artful in nature, but persistent in it its need to be heard.
Review: “Other Desert Cities” by Saybrook Stage Company
In 2004, as war was waging in the desert of Iraq, another kind of battle was happening in the desert of California when the Wyeth family reunited for a tumultuous Christmas holiday. That’s the set-up for Jon Robin Baitz’s “Other Desert Cities,” a familiar but fully engaging play, that ran January 17-20th at The Kate in Old Saybrook. I know the theater well – I’ve worked on three shows there myself – but am new to the Saybrook Stage Company, having only seen their winning production of “Noises Off” some years back.
Review: “Rasheeda Speaking” at Collective Consciousness Theater
Collective Consciousness Theater [CCT] – New Haven’s hidden gem of a theater company – specializes in plays that facilitate a conversation about race. Their last offering, the incredibly exciting “Jesus Hopped the A Train,” was among my favorite shows of 2018, a powerful look at identity and biases based inside the prison system. Their follow-up, “Rasheeda Speaking,” is softer than most CCT shows. It’s funnier too, more buoyant and it occasionally even flirts with satire. In that respect, “Rasheeda” is a nice change of pace for the company. But it’s also less effective than most shows I’ve seen from them, in no parts due to the fine actors assembled by director Elizabeth Nearing, making an assured CCT debut. The problem here lies in the script by Joel Drake Johnson. It has some fascinating ideas and solid moments, but put up against other works CCT has presented recently, by masters like Suzan-Lori Parks, Stephen Adly Guirgis and Dominique Morisseau, “Rasheeda” can’t help feeling well-meaning but clumsy.
Review: “The Mortality Machine” at Wildrence
How deep will you dig to find out the truth about your loved ones?
In a completely immersive experience, “The Mortality Machine” takes you through a laboratory After an illegal experiment caused five deaths, authorities quickly covered it up before loved ones could get any information. Now, five years later, the lab is finally open for inspection. Groups of friends and family of the five victims are gathered together to hopefully get some closure and some answers. Though what follows may raise more questions than it answers…
Review: “1776,” America’s Tuneful Origin Story Gets Vibrant New Staging at La Mirada Theatre
As of the writing (and perhaps publishing) time of this review, the United States government, mere weeks into 2019, continues to be shut down—an unfortunate by-product of our current combative, unwilling-to-compromise political climate that’s more about the attainment (and retainment) of party power rather than the actual pursuit of overall prosperity and goodness of the country. In the midst of these troubling times, what hardly no one can argue against, though, is the fact that thousands of livelihoods are now being negatively and perilously affected by this mess, and that, hopefully, a resolution happens very soon rather than much, much later.
Review: "After the Fire" at The Theatre Centre
Award winning Albertan playwright Matthew MacKenzie enjoys a recent successful run of his production of Bears, a foray into the politics of oil pipelines in our country. With After the Fire, MacKenzie examines an equally large topic with the Fort MacMurray fires of 2015 and their devastating costs, both human and environmental. The fires were the costliest disaster in terms of resources that Canada has seen. Political and societal implications were vast – from South African “volunteers” on strike to a prime minister bent on pride. Mr. MacKenzie has chosen a very wide issue that fragments into many sub-strata.
Review: 'Craving For Travel' with Dark Horse Theatre Company
In my experience, true theatre magic doesn’t come in huge auditoriums or expensive venues. It comes from small rooms or meeting spaces. Such was the case for Craving For Travel presented by Dark Horse Theatre Company. From the moment you enter the venue (a historic church), you are engrossed in a sense of community and love of the theatre. The show follows a hectic day by two rivaling travel agents (once married to each other) and the interactions they have throughout the day. The fun part is that only two actors are on stage, playing the agents and everyone they come in contact with. This leads to hilarity and entertainment for the audience.
Review: "We Are Not Alone" with 2B Theatre Company
Do I believe that extra-terrestrial beings can exist? Do any of us believe they might exist?
About fifteen minutes into his riveting monologue performance, Damien Atkins asks us by a show of hands how many of us believe in this possibility and how many of us are still not convinced. I did raise my hand in support of other worldly life could possibly exist. Notice I’m not saying ‘does exist’ because I’m not certain of that fact.
Review: "1979" at Berkeley Downstairs Theatre
Joe who?
For most Canadians, it was a blink of an eye in remembering a naively thirty-nine-year-old Joe Clark’s tenure as the 16th Prime Minister of Canada from June 4, 1979 – March 3, 1980. I was just finishing high school and can recall the turmoil in which our country found itself during this time, but I really had no interest in that political spectrum as all my thoughts were turned to beginning post secondary education.
I wish now that I had paid closer attention to said events as they were comically played out to audience delight and standing ovation in Michael Healey’s superb comedy ‘1979’ now on stage at the Berkeley Street Theatre.
Off-Broadway Review: “I’m Not A Comedian . . . I’m Lenny Bruce”
The first image after the lights come up on stage is a slumped over, motionless, naked man sitting on a toilet. What follows is a silence that fills the room and becomes a force that provokes processing this scene. There might be the assumption that this is not a comedy. That would be a good guess, since the subject matter of “I’m Not a Comedian . . . I’m Lenny Bruce,” currently enjoying a successful run at The Cutting Room, is the tragic life of the outrageous, groundbreaking comedian. Yes, there are snippets from his more familiar routines to provide a glimpse into what was considered obscene during his heyday in the turbulent decade of the 1960s. His act complimented a society filled with protests and marches, supporting civil rights and denouncing war, proving Lenny Bruce was a performer that took to the stage intentionally to become a fierce advocate for free speech. He was arrested several times and charged with public obscenity for the shocking language he used in his routines that scoffed race, religion, sex, and politics. This one-man show is testament that his stand-up comedy was more abrasive than funny and reinforces the power of words. Mr. Bruce exposed the hypocrisy of humanity in such an unconventional style that his audience was shocked and humored at the same time.
REVIEW: ‘KIVIUQ RETURNS: AN INUIT EPIC’
‘Kiviuq Returns: An Inuit Epic’ is a creative-collection performance of drumming, song, story-telling and movement based on the legends of the Inuit hero Kiviuq, as remembered by Inuit elders: Miriam Aglukkaq (from Kugaarjuk), Susan Avingaq (from Igloolik), Madeleine Ivalu (from Igloolik), and Qaunaq Mikigak (from Kinngait). There is an English language descriptive guide in the program and online that I would recommend future audiences to read in order to develop further insight of the play.