I attended The Young Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto’s Distillery District for the world premiere of the first production in the history of Canadian theatre, specifically musical theatre, of Adam Pottle’s ‘The Black Drum’, produced by The Deaf Culture Centre. After viewing a vibrant opening night production, I predict the deaf culture voice is one which will continue to make its mark within Canadian culture and particularly in the arts community.

“13 Fruitcakes” dazzles and destroys in one-two punches expertly strung along thirteen original musical vignettes depicting the queer experience across history. These thirteen scenes transport us from ancient to modern times, highlighting obscure and noteworthy LGBTQ+ figures and the prices they paid throughout their historical impact, ranging from AD 780 Korean King Hyegon.

O’Casey’s themes of nationalism, divisiveness, religious freedoms and “rights,” the merits of socialism, and fantasy versus reality (fake news, alternate facts) counterpoint powerfully with the current political climate in the United States and throughout Europe.

The best part of “Luzia” is its very apparent love for Mexico and its people. The live music, the costumes, the effects, and the performances all engross the audience in a beautiful menagerie of life and is not a show to be missed.

“Waitress” is a sweet, well-constructed show that leaves you thoroughly entertained without having tread much new ground. But maybe that’s just fine. An apple pie doesn’t need to “tread new ground” to be satisfying.

Director Jillian Kelley creates an enchanting production, with an energized pace appropriate for a quest story—and one that will keep the young people in the audience riveted.

Perhaps all the people of the world should just go ahead and create the greatly feared New World Order everyone’s always talking about and declare Eddie Izzard its de facto leader. Now that would be wunderbar indeed.

Dear Touring Musicals:

My wish for all of you is to provide what Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ gave me and my 16-year-old godson on opening night at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre. Let me kindly explain why.

“Three Musketeers 1941” was an exhilarating theatrical experience that brought classic characters into a more relevant time period without making them feel too modernized. It unflinchingly portrays the World War II era and gives us characters we can no doubt relate to as well as hope for.

Little Theatre of Manchester has assembled together a production of Larry Kramer’s “The Naked Heart” that is exceptional community theater, giving a solid production that reminds us of the dangers of ignoring people groups that are in severe and dangerous situations.

What worked extremely well at this matinee performance was the four actors’ adroit handling of the sweetly, delicious banter and repartee combined with just the right amount of silence to heighten interest in what is about to happen next.

MIDNIGHT STREET, a dramatic, perplexing new musical written and directed by Arnold L. Cohen, with music direction by Matt Castle, is currently slogging its way through a run at Theatre Row through June 22.

With a nod (intentional/unintentional) to the genre of disillusioned youth represented by Kenneth Lonergan’s 1996 “This Is Our Youth,” Carla Ching’s “Nomad Hotel” currently running at Atlantic Theater Company Stage 2 dives headlong into the lives of a triangle of vagabond California youth yearning to belatedly separate and individuate from adults who have been less than successful in providing safe and secure environments and unconditional-nonjudgmental love.

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.”

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.

An exceptional leading cast of women and confident direction by Terrence Mann has made Connecticut Repertory Theatre’s production of “Mamma Mia!” a delightful show.

We need The Stratford Festival’s production of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s musical sci-fi spoof right now.  A little wacky, escapist fun is good for the soul and, under the supreme direction and choreography of Donna Feore and sublime music direction of Laura Burton, this ‘Little Shop’ takes us away for two- and a-bit hours to be thoroughly entertained from the score’s first note.

Meet the HOS: Housewives of Secaucus flip the script on traditional reality TV drama

Martini-fueled hair-pulling! Snarky and passive aggressive side comments! Sex scandals! Hats! What more could you possibly ask from an evening of indulging in a live version of the shows you love to hate?

Much more, it seems. And Housewives of Secaucus delivers.

Under the playwright’s direction, the cumbersome play raises more questions than it answers and leaves the inquiring audience member desperately flipping through The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders to sort out the dysfunction displayed on stage.