Rachael Logue News

For a third time, Rachael Logue, Chelsea Ryan McCurdy, Christina Stroup, and Holland Vavra are taking the stage as The Marvelous Wonderettes, and Houston audiences couldn't be more thrilled. Stages Repertory Theatre is currently producing the Regional Premiere of Roger Bean's frilly musical THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES: CAPS AND GOWNS, which takes audiences to 1958 for the quartets graduation and to 1968 for Missy's wedding. This sweet as cotton candy, fluffy theatre confection sells the audience with powerhouse performances and delights with nostalgic appeal.

I've been writing about Houston's extremely varied theater scene for a little over a year now. One thing I quickly learned is that there is never a dearth of quality productions to look forward to in this city. As summer is finally beginning to take hold of Houston, I can't help but anticipate the many happenings this season brings. In order of opening nights, I have listed the six productions I am most excited to experience.

Stages Repertory Theatre is presenting a tense and taut production of Rebecca Gilman's DOLLHOUSE. The 2010 play is a modernized retelling of Henrik Ibsen's classic A DOLL'S HOUSE. DOLLHOUSE is set in Chicago, circa 2004. Scandals, like Enron, have rocked American society, and the financial stability of the country is starting to falter. Rebecca Gilman's narrative puts a wealthy couple at the center of the pressure-cooker drama, where Terry keeps close tabs on the families various accounts with hopes to pay off debts and Nora is a shopaholic with a spending addiction. Tension mounts while anxiety gives way to anger and shows for dominance, racing towards Henrik Ibsen's famous door slam. Yet, in DOLLHOUSE, Rebecca Gilman adds a modernizing twist to the classic ending that will give audiences plenty to talk about, but, in my opinion, only serves to solidify how disgusting and unlikeable the two main characters really are.

Eva Laporte directs the regional premiere of Rebecca Gilman's Dollhouse, a 2004 Goodman-commission adapted from Ibsen's A Doll's House. Set at the cusp of the economic downturn of the past decade, Gilman's Dollhouse explores the economy of a relationship in America. The play is particularly poignant in the after-math of the mortgage crisis and the continuing economic struggles in America.

Eva Laporte directs the regional premiere of Rebecca Gilman's Dollhouse, a 2004 Goodman-commission adapted from Ibsen's A Doll's House. Set at the cusp of the economic downturn of the past decade, Gilman's Dollhouse explores the economy of a relationship in America. The play is particularly poignant in the after-math of the mortgage crisis and the continuing economic struggles in America.

Nordstrom's may not be ready to get into the Christmas spirit before November 27, but Stages Repertory Theatre is reprising last year's wildly popular musical celebration of the season. Roger Bean's WINTER WONDERETTES is more a yuletide cabaret than a musical with plot. The barely-there story is about the Marvelous Wonderettes performing at Harper's Hardware Holiday Happening. Yet, the best gift of all is that Stages has reassembled their original Marvelous Wonderettes, giving these talented ladies a third opportunity to wow Houston audiences with every ounce of their charismatic star power.

Living in the South, there is an undeniable general cultural familiarity with the iconic film adaptation of STEEL MAGNOLIAS. With the utterance of those two words, images of Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts spring to mind along with many of the movie's most quoted and loved lines. While others may be afraid to compete with the cultural memory, Stages Repertory Theatre, without trepidation and imitation, is housing a stellar, must see production of the beloved modern classic.

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) is proud to produce the classic holiday story and brand NEW holiday musical, WHITE CHRISTMAS, December 4-21, 2008 at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Houston. The all-time number one pop song and most-recorded tune in history inspired first a beloved classic film, and now a brand-new, splashy family musical as rare as Texas snow.