Review - Memphis
by Michael Dale
- Nov 2, 2009
From Show Boat to Finian's Rainbow to Ragtime to Hairspray the racial divide between white America and Americans of African decent has been one of the richest resources for both Broadway musical dramas and musical comedies. And a popular theme of such musicals has been the assimilation of African-American music into the white mainstream. The latest to tackle this topic, Memphis, certainly wouldn't look like the best of the lot on paper, but on stage the gritty sincerity of Joe DiPietro's book coupled with David Bryan's infectiously melodic compositions (they collaborated on the lyrics), under Christopher Ashley's dynamic staging, frequently threaten to tear the roof off of the Shubert Theatre.
Review - Memphis
by Kristin Salaky
- Nov 2, 2009
Michael Dale's review of Memphis, the new Broadway musical. The verdict is positive: Memphis is bursting with gutsy story-telling, convincing performances and exhilarating moments that more than make up for a bit of predictability.
Review - Bye Bye Birdie
by Kristin Salaky
- Oct 29, 2009
Michael Dale reviews Bye Bye Birdie and focuses on the positives in the production: dance ensemble numbers sparkled with real show-biz energy and livened up the production, Allie Trimm's solid performance, and Dee Hoty's presence.
Review - Oleanna & Circle Mirror Transformation
by Kristin Salaky
- Oct 26, 2009
Michael Dale reviews Oleanna and Circle Mirror Transformation. In 1992, when David Mamet directed the premiere production of his controversial play, Oleanna, the name 'Long Dong Silver' was still fresh in the minds of Americans who followed the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas hearings. Susan Faludi's bestseller, Backlash, was urging women to stand up to 'The Undeclared War Against American Women' while Camille Paglia criticized the feminist movement for teaching women to see themselves as victims. Take Back The Night rallies on college campuses encouraged women to publicly announce the names of men who have raped them, though the definition of what exactly constituted a rape was still being publicly debated.
Review - The Night Watcher: Don't 'Ah, Ma' Me
by Kristin Salaky
- Oct 9, 2009
Michael Dale reviews Charlayne Woodard's new solo piece The Night Watcher. From Jess Goldstein's flowing and flattering wardrobe to Geoff Korf's embracing lighting to Obadiah Eaves' jazzy sound design to the soft images in Tal Yarden's projections, everything about the production surrounds Woodard in a sweet and pretty atmosphere, perfectly framing the already irresistible words and performance.
Broadway Blog - Hamlet
by
- Oct 18, 2009
Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Sunday, October 18, 2009.
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