Mike Brown News

What did our critic think of BLUE MAN GROUP at The Charles Playhouse? Blue Man Group has been in residence at Boston’s Charles Playhouse for so many years, that – with the exception of tourists and new-to-town college students – it’s probably been a long time since local theatergoers have given the show much thought.

Audiences in the West Village were enchanted last weekend with the opening of the Players Theatre 11th LUV 2023 Short Play Festival.

SEE HOW THEY RUN on Hale Centre Theatre’s Jewel Box Stage is an exuberant comedy that keeps you always guessing and ever entertained.

The August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC) will host a closing reception on January 27th for the groundbreaking exhibition OPTICVOICES: Mama's Boys. Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, will join us for a tour & conversation with Alaquiva at the closing reception. The interactive, multimedia exhibit addresses the trauma and healing of mothers who have lost their sons to systemic violence and aims to highlight their legacies and cement it in history. The exhibition closes on January 29, 2023.

Coming up, Can’t Swim is gearing up to head out on tour supporting Free Throw. Beginning March 3rd in Buffalo, NY at The Rec Room, the band will visit over 25 cities across the country including stops in Pittsburgh, Chicago, Anaheim, San Diego, Houston and more before wrapping up on April 9th in Worcester, MA at the Palladium.

​​​​​​​Theatre Aspen announced today that Theatre Aspen is once again ushering in the holiday season with its celebrated cabaret series. As is traditional, the series will take place In the Grand Ballroom of the Hotel Jerome.

Michael Dalen directs Blue Men Mike Brown, Meridian, Josh Wills, and Blue Man Captain Adam Zuick for the tour that bangs the drums at Bass Concert Hall.

Whether you have seen The Blue Man Group before or are going for the first time, you don’t want to miss out on this otherworldly experience. 

The national tour of SUN & SEA literally beaches at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA October 14th through the 16th. In its west coast debut, the producers of SUN & SEA will transform the Frank Gehry-designed former warehouse space into a sunny day at the beach with the installation of twenty-five tons of sand. Touring vocalists will be supplemented by L.A.-based choral group Tonality. Had the chance to get some behind-the-scenes’ scoop from MOCA’s associate curator of performance and programs Alex Sloane.

West Valley Arts will return to the stage with Arsenic and Old Lace in time to celebrate Fall and Halloween. Arsenic and Old Lace, a dark comedy, runs October 1-26, 2020 at Harman Theatre.

“I went to the studio with the intention of writing a dance song, but after receiving news of yet another vicious attack, I broke down in tears,” says independent alternative artist DOUG LOCKE about his new single “Why?” from his recent EP Why? (Lunar II) (released May 26, 2020). 

To support the ongoing Justice for George Floyd and Black Lives Matter movements, The Wilma Theater in Philadelphia will stream their 2018 production of James Ijames' KILL MOVE PARADISE from today, June 8, 2020, to June 21, 2020, featuring members of the Wilma's HotHouse Company.

Do you LOVE Valentine's Day? Sticky sweet, lovestruck, SO cute and all googly-eyed mushiness? Or do you HATE Valentine's Day? Sourpuss, eye-rolling, don't-get-me-started-on-couples, can't stand this capitalist holiday?

Netflix and Spike Lee's 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, Inc to release the time travel drama See You Yesterday. Based on the award-winning short film, the feature centers on two Brooklyn teenage science prodigies, Claudette “C.J.” Walker and Sebastian J. Thomas, who build make-shift time machines to save C.J.'s brother, Calvin, from being wrongfully killed by a police officer. The film is produced by Spike Lee and stars Eden-Duncan Smith (Roxanne Roxanne) and newcomer Danté Crichlow.

Laugh Exchange LIVE! welcomes Ophira Eisenberg, Shalewa Sharpe, Usama Siddiquee and many more to help introduce comedy fans and performers to Laugh Exchange, a game-changing new mobile comedy app. After a pre-show red carpet with photos by Jenni Walkowiak, host Carolyn Castiglia will be joined by co-hosts from the Laugh Exchange roster to introduce a live contest version of the app, with 48 comics doing 1 minute sets each, following 6 different themes throughout. At the end, eight winners will be chosen and everyone will dance the night away with DJ Donwill. Brought to you by Laugh Exchange.

Laugh Exchange LIVE! welcomes Ophira Eisenberg, Shalewa Sharpe, Usama Siddiquee and many more to help introduce comedy fans and performers to Laugh Exchange, a game-changing new mobile comedy app. After a pre-show red carpet with photos by Jenni Walkowiak, host Carolyn Castiglia will be joined by co-hosts from the Laugh Exchange roster to introduce a live contest version of the app, with 48 comics doing 1 minute sets each, following 6 different themes throughout. At the end, eight winners will be chosen and everyone will dance the night away with DJ Donwill. Brought to you by Laugh Exchange.

Last week, I introduced you to ten performers in Signature Theatre's current production of Kander and Ebb's final, complete collaboration, The Scottsboro Boys, which runs through July 1st. This included eight of the nine gentlemen who play the African American men who were falsely accused of raping two Caucasian women, as well as two others who play the minstrel characters known as Mr. Bones and Mr. Tambo.

2018 USA Fellow and five-time Grammy-winning jazz trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard is an artistic force making powerful musical statements on painful American tragedies past and present. In his new album, Live, Blanchard and his current quintet, The E-Collective, address the epidemic of gun violence with seven powerful songs that reflect the bitter frustration of the conscious masses and provide emotional healing. With a title that carries a pointed double meaning, the album is an impassioned continuation of the band's 2015 Grammy-nominated studio recording, Breathless.

Since 2010, The Man From RavCon (aka, Mike Brown), has been creating adventurous, atmospheric instrumental music featuring Mellotron enriched arrangements accentuated by piano and organ, interweaving synths, bass, dynamic percussion, and melodic guitar. Blending influences of 70's classic FM album rock (Stones, Kraftwerk, Steely Dan, Supertramp) with a melodic prog flavor, The Man From RavCon's ninth release, “Another World,” may be considered a somewhat more accessible work than his most recent offerings, but is no less adventurous in scope. With contributions from special guests, guitarist Larry Smith, and flutist Jeff Eacho, “Another World” features a more lighthearted, breezy vibe making it the perfect soundtrack for Summer 2018 and beyond.