Roy Berko - Page 14

Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II, the fathers of the modern American musical, were advocates of social responsibility. In OKLAHOMA, they stressed the building of community. In SOUTH PACIFIC they pegged prejudice. In THE KING AND I, the duo examined intercultural understandings.

It won Best Unique Theatrical Experience and 2017 MAC Award Show of the Year. 'Hamilton?' No, 'Spamilton: An American Parody,' which is now starting its North American tour at the Hanna Theatre in CLE's Playhouse Square.

Greater Cleveland is blessed with a vital theater scene. It the purpose of BROADWAY WORLD.COM-PROFESSIONAL CLEVELAND THEATER TRIBUTES (BWW-CLE Theater Tributes), to recognize theatrical experiences that, in the subjective view of this reviewer deserve special recognition.

David Maiocco is noted as being a tour-de force solo-performer, who is presently making a career of portraying 'Mr. Showmanship,' the uniquely American icon, Liberace.

Jeanine Tesori (music) and David Lindsay-Abaire (books and lyrics) developed the creative musical 'Shrek' from DreamWorks Animation's film and William Steig's book of the same name.

It has been said that dying is easy, farce is hard to do! And, 'Avenue Q,' the delightful, satirical, coming of age parable by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, is farce at its highest level.

Shahrazad Theatre Company was formed late in 2016 with 'the purpose of performing shows that were important and valuable contributions to today's Cleveland theatre scene.'

The anti-sexual assault and women's empowerment movements #MeToo and Time's Up have brought new relevance to the public conversation about women's issues surrounding the obstacles women encounter in their personal and professional lives.

As the red-jacket usher guided us to our seats before the opening curtain of 'Chicago' at the Connor Palace she said, 'I love musical theater, especially if the show has a Fosse influence.'

According to the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study, 'roughly 11 percent of veterans who served in Vietnam, approximately 271,000 veterans of the war, continue to suffer from clinically PTSD symptoms.'

What do 'Avenue Q,' 'Spamalot,' 'Something Rotten' and 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum?' have in common? They are all American Musical Theater comedies, meant to entertain and evoke laughter.

As Douglas Turner Ward, the author of 'Day of Absence,' explains it, 'The time is now. The play opens in an unnamed Southern town of medium population on a somnolent cracker morning - meaning no matter the early temperature, it's gonna get hot. The hamlet is just beginning to rouse itself from the sleepy lassitude of night.'

Jeannette Sorrell, Artistic Director of Apollo's Fire, the Cleveland-based Baroque Orchestra, started to study conducting and musical composition at age 16. A trained pianist, the young lady, who has been called a 'wunderkind' by 'Audiophile Audition,' won first prize and the audience choice award in the 1991 Spivey International Harpsichord Competition, competing against 70 uber-talented international musicians.

When one thinks of Stephen Schwartz, the lyricist and composer of theater titles 'Godspell,' 'Pippin,' and 'Wicked,' or the films 'Pocahontas,' 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame,' and 'Enchanted' come to mind. How about 'Children of Eden'? Probably not.

Lynn Nottage, who has been called 'as fine a playwright as America has,' started to craft 'Sweat,' which is now getting a production at Cleveland Play House, in 2011, just before the height of the national malaise, but not before Reading, Pennsylvania and similar areas were hit by layoffs, plant closings, and general angst. The playwright honed in on the national problem and succeeded in writing a raw, disturbing and illuminating script that won the 2017 Pulitzer for Drama.