Regional Roundup: Top New Features This Week Around Our BroadwayWorld 3/16 - IN THE HEIGHTS, GUYS AND DOLLS, MOTOWN and More!

By: Mar. 16, 2018
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BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature IN THE HEIGHTS, GUYS AND DOLLS, MOTOWN and More!

Check out our top features from around the BroadwayWorld below! Want more great global content? Check out our "Around The World" section!


Regional Roundup: Top New Features This Week Around Our BroadwayWorld 3/16 - IN THE HEIGHTS, GUYS AND DOLLS, MOTOWN and More! Louisville: Contributor Keith Waits reviews DO YOU FEEL ANGER at Actors Theatre of Louisville. He writes "By the end of the show, I found that I was a little disappointed - not with any of the performances, production value or even writing, as all of that was at a level befitting the Festival's history. I wanted to have answers. I was angry with what happened to the characters I had fallen in love with. I was as powerless to help them as they were to help themselves. I think that was precisely the point, but it didn't make the play an easy watch by the end. I'll put it another way by borrowing the play's title and one of Sofia's empathy exercises:"


Regional Roundup: Top New Features This Week Around Our BroadwayWorld 3/16 - IN THE HEIGHTS, GUYS AND DOLLS, MOTOWN and More! Indianapolis: Contributors Dylan and Celeste Caraker review LES MIS at the Old National Centre. They write "The costuming, wonderfully designed by Adreane Neofitou and Christine Rowland were expertly crafted and Matt Kinley's incredible set and images (literally based on images by Victor Hugo) provide a topnotch backdrop for the action. As a techie, if any part of the production design could really be the star of the show last night, it would have to be the intense lighting design by Paule Constable, which perfectly recreated the world of Hugo's France with admirable skill. The lighting was absolutely breathtaking and gorgeous, and it really helped focus the attention of the audience with ease and created a sense of wonderment as the story unfolded."


Regional Roundup: Top New Features This Week Around Our BroadwayWorld 3/16 - IN THE HEIGHTS, GUYS AND DOLLS, MOTOWN and More! Raleigh: Contributor Jeffrey Kare reviews THE WIZARD OF OZ at North Carolina Theatre. He writes "Though under the direction of Dean Sobon, there is a wonderful cast of performers that should keep audiences invested. Kalie Kaimann as Dorothy Gale gives a performance that really makes you care for her throughout the show. Her three companions in Oz are perfectly portrayed in this production with Chris Duir as the brainless Scarecrow, Christopher Russell as the heartless Tinman, and Victor Legarret as the Cowardly Lion. As the story's classic antagonist, Emily Perzan is wickedly spunky as The Wicked Witch of the West."


Regional Roundup: Top New Features This Week Around Our BroadwayWorld 3/16 - IN THE HEIGHTS, GUYS AND DOLLS, MOTOWN and More! Palm Springs: Contributor Stan Jenson reviews SISTER ACT at Palm Canyon Theatre. He writes "The energy throughout the evening is spectacular, especially in the numbers where Tillman is leading the sisters in enthusiastic sacred production numbers. Tillman hails from Asbury, New Jersey where she is the Worship Leader of the Shore Christian Church, so her role indeed finds art imitating life. From her first number in the nightclub, "Take Me to Heaven," we know that she is a very special talent, and it is obvious why PCT was willing to transport her across the country to take on this role. There doesn't seem to be a moment in the show when she sits back and takes a breath."


Regional Roundup: Top New Features This Week Around Our BroadwayWorld 3/16 - IN THE HEIGHTS, GUYS AND DOLLS, MOTOWN and More! Jacksonville: Contributor Jordan Higginbotham reviews Motown at the Times Union Center. She writes "Berry Gordon, played by Kenneth Mosley, was spectacular. My first thought to Mosley's performance was he portrayed Gordon as a voice behind the iconic voices, but Mosely's voice was just as memorable. Mosley performed with such strength and stamina through the entire production. His "Can I Close the Door (On Love)?" was breathtaking and pulled the entire show together. Not only were his singing abilities phenomenal, but Mosley's stage presence was astounding. The moment he walked on stage, the audience knew Berry Gordon was the boss and would do anything to make Motown Records a success. Mosley also had an incredible sense of wit. He made his witty comebacks so natural, such as the scene in the Bahamas where he continues to get phone calls and hangs up with "Bye, Smokey!"


Regional Roundup: Top New Features This Week Around Our BroadwayWorld 3/16 - IN THE HEIGHTS, GUYS AND DOLLS, MOTOWN and More! South Bend: Contributor Christopher Michael Kadden reviews IN THE HEIGHTS at the South Bend Civic Theatre. He writes "From the beginning of the show I feel in love with Jorge Rivera-Herrans version of Usnavi. He has taken the pure genius lyrics Miranda wrote and has brought them to life in a new way. With staying true to the character Rivera-Herrans also made it his own. Mimi Bell was a sheer joy to watch perform as Nina with the way she carried herself and sang each note with perfection. Andrea Deleon a South Bend Civic favorite once again wowed me with her star stunning voice and impeccable comedic timing. In every show there is a dancer who stands out and in this show that was Brayden Lynam who plays Graffiti Pete. From the moment he stepped on stage until the final bow he showered the audience with energy. The ensemble vocally was stunning and I was impressed with the amount of talent throughout the show."


Regional Roundup: Top New Features This Week Around Our BroadwayWorld 3/16 - IN THE HEIGHTS, GUYS AND DOLLS, MOTOWN and More! Central PA: Contributor Allison Rambler reviews I LOVE YOU BECAUSE at Theatre Harrisburg. She writes "Theatre Harrisburg's I LOVE YOU BECAUSE is truly a love story for the present day. The show is presented in the round, making an already intimate production all the more close to the audience, and uses incredibly modern elements to add to the tone of the show. Even small details such as personal phones being used on stage or shown visibly in the character's back pockets make the production seem as though it could be happening anywhere in America, and this helps the story to resonate even more with the audience. The cast is of the highest calibur; while each shine individually, group numbers such as "Another Saturday Night in New York" and "But I Do," are an absolute delight for the audience. The show is a pure, simple romp through the modern world of dating--the good, the bad, and the complicated--while bringing an unabashed smile to the face of any lucky enough to see it. Theatre Harrisburg brings humor and romance back into the present day, and this production leaves the audience with plenty of reasons to say, "I love it because..."


Regional Roundup: Top New Features This Week Around Our BroadwayWorld 3/16 - IN THE HEIGHTS, GUYS AND DOLLS, MOTOWN and More! Central PA: Contributor Rich Mehrenberg reviews GUYS AND DOLLS at the Fulton Theatre. He writes "Costume choices for the show were consistently bright, bold and vibrant. The patterns and hues of the gamblers' clothes were just as colorful and diverse as their personalities. Likewise, the mission workers were adorned a deep red, perhaps a commentary on their bleeding hearts? I especially liked the choices for Lieutenant Brannigan, decked out in an eye-popping yellow hat and overcoat, reminiscent of the great Dick Tracy."


Regional Editor Spotlight:

Regional Roundup: Top New Features This Week Around Our BroadwayWorld 3/16 - IN THE HEIGHTS, GUYS AND DOLLS, MOTOWN and More! Jordan Higginbotham
Jacksonville Contributing Editor

A nutrition and dietetics major working at a healthcare IT company. Theater is my escape from the science and technology world. I enjoy getting to shows when they come to Jacksonville, FL, but I will travel hours to go see a show.


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