Tara Bennett - Page 7

If audience appeal is any indication of a show's worth, WICKED casts a spell that has created a multimillion-dollar treasure to the musical theatre world.

There are more than 40 songs packed into the jukebox hit machine of MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, the latest show to hit the Saenger Theatre stage. That's a lot of quarters.

The magic of Disney continues this season at the Saenger Theatre with the pinnacle tale of enchantment BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. This classic fairy tale makes a return to New Orleans, closing out 2015 with the ultimate "tale as old as time."

All little girls have a favorite Disney princess. Today, it's either Elsa or Anna, but for women who are still girls at heart, their princess could be Belle or Jasmine. For me, my princess is Ariel.

Long gone are the golden days of musical theatre where we could get by with grand, sweeping choreography and epic singing to tell upbeat stories about life and love. We now live in a new age where musicals should move your heart and bring you to tears. In this new tradition of musical theatre comes the multiple Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning NEXT TO NORMAL, currently playing at Theatre Baton Rouge.

When an opportunity to see one of Tennessee Williams's more obscure works arises, I advise everyone to take advantage of seeing it. So when KINGDOM OF EARTH presented itself, I knew I was in for a treat. Selected as the inaugural production for the newly formed Tennessee Williams Theatre Company (TWTC), KINGDOM OF EARTH is rarely produced, but is gaining traction as a Southern Gothic drama. The melodrama, dark humor and grotesque beauty that can be found in the Williams canon is rife in KINGDOM OF EARTH, and the TWTC puts all of it on a wonderful display.

Whether audience members know, or let alone have heard, about opera singer Maria Callas, Master Class offers much to contemplate about the dedication towards one's art.

Andrew Lloyd Webber is a household name for many fans of Broadway. From his mega-hits ranging from Cats to Phantom of the Opera, everyone knows his works. The Saenger Theatre is no stranger to the genius of Lloyd Webber either, having housed the current tour of Phantom of the Opera earlier this season. This past week they have housed another Lloyd Webber creation of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, best known as the first Lloyd Webber musical to be professionally produced.

To view 'Once' at the Saenger Theatre for St. Patrick's Day was a great decision.

It's funny how some things never grow old. While a rendition of "Tomorrow" won't stop the presses, it still provokes heart melting awes, especially if it is sung by a plucky orphan girl. Perhaps this is why the Saenger Theatre saw great success with their production of "Annie," as part of their Nola Broadway series.

The sheer power of rock could be heard in the French Quarter last Friday evening as punchy drum beats, attacking guitars and warm piano notes became the backdrop of the greatest story ever told.

The one thing I love about theatre, especially musical theatre is that there is always something out there for everyone. There are musicals that can provoke tears or laughs depending on your mood, and there is always that one musical that makes you bounce in your seat. For many, this musical is "MAMMA MIA," which is running this week at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans as part of its Broadway New Orleans series. White wedding dresses and silver sequins more or less sum up the experience, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

If you're wondering whether you should go see the NOLA Project's production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), I'll make it easy for you: go see Twelfth Night. It's the perfect escape during the holidays if sugarplum faeries and Christmas ghosts are not your thing.

The Saenger Theatre has been turned into the Opera Populaire from Nov. 5-16 as the "Broadway in New Orleans" season brings in Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic musical, "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" to New Orleans.

From Oct. 7-12, the Crescent City turned into the Second City as the sensational Broadway hit "CHICAGO" gave audiences "All that Jazz" at the Saenger Theatre for the theatre's Broadway in New Orleans series.

You might say it takes a village to create a musical, and in the case of “Fiddler on the Roof,” nothing could be truer. Slidell Little Theatre (SLT) honors the 50th anniversary of “Fiddler,” and its own tradition of excellence, with an endearing take on the now-classic Broadway hit of 1964.