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BWW Reviews: Beatles Bring Originality and Fun to LET IT BE CHRISTMAS
At some point while I was en route to see Let it Be Christmas, I couldn't help but laugh. Here I am, an atheist who grew up in a half-Jewish/half-Christian household, going to see an original musical based on the nativity and featuring music by the Beatles, a band featuring John Lennon who once said...
BWW Reviews: One Man WONDERFUL LIFE Is An Amazing Event
Forget ringing bells. Every time Martin Burke takes the stage, an angel gets its wings. If you think I'm exaggerating, go see This Wonderful Life at ZACH Theatre. The zany one man version of It's a Wonderful Life is easily one of the most entertaining and inventive holiday shows you will ever see...
BWW Reviews: Ballet Austin Debuts New Designs for THE NUTCRACKER
It's tough to think of a production in the Austin area that's been as hyped as Ballet Austin's current production of The Nutcracker. Now in its 51st year, this year's show features new sets and costumes, the first time in over a decade that Ballet Austin's Nutcracker has received such a makeover. ...
BWW Reviews: AUSTIN HOLIDAY PROJECT Is the Perfect Alternative Christmas Show
With The Austin Holiday Project, Austin Theatre Project closes out their first full season with their first original show. While it might not be as flashy or extravagant as other holiday offerings, its phenomenal cast and intimate, personal vibe make it a show to add to your Christmas list....
BWW Reviews: World Premiere of WE WERE NOTHING! Shows the Downfalls of Virtual Communication
While Arbery does a damn good job at illustrating the limits of virtual conversation and cleverly uses text jargon in his dialogue, the piece does fall into the trap I was warned about. If the point is that the characters can't fully connect through social media, will the audience have the same pro...
BWW Reviews: Penfold's WONDERFUL LIFE Is Still Wonderful
Last year, I saw Penfold Theatre Company's annual production of It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play for the first time. I loved the show and gave it a rave review. My reaction this year is no different. Now in its 3rd year, Penfold's It's a Wonderful Life is just as delightful as ever....
BWW Reviews: MEMPHIS Is An Electric, Rousing Must-See
Original musicals are tough to come by nowadays. For every mammoth hit like Wicked or Book of Mormon, there's a short-lived flop like First Date or Glory Days. And then there are shows like Memphis that wind up somewhere in the middle. The show picked up 4 2010 Tony Awards, including Best Musical...
BWW Reviews: STEEL MAGNOLIAS Shines at City Theatre
There's a lightning-in-a-bottle quality that permeates Steel Magnolias. With a cast that includes Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts, it's no surprise that the film version was such a hit and continues to be an enduring classic. But the tr...
BWW Reviews: AND THEN THERE WERE NONE Is Enjoyable But Has Some Text Issues
There's nothing like a good murder mystery, and writer Agatha Christie certainly made a career out of them. But while Christie penned 66 detective novels and several plays, I stop short of calling her an expert at the mystery genre. While mystery depends on surprises, Christie often uses conventio...
BWW Reviews: Different Stages' ARSENIC AND OLD LACE Is Murderously Fun
When December rolls around, it's customary for theater companies to scramble around for Holiday-themed fare. As beloved as Holiday shows are, it's refreshing when companies like Different Stages mount something decidedly in opposition of the trend. With its strong and hysterically funny production...
BWW Reviews: World Premiere of THE FAULT Runs into Character Development Problems
Original pieces of theater are a tricky business. For every well-crafted, well-received new work, there are countless others that are less successful, to put it mildly. The Fault, a new drama by UT-Austin M.F.A. candidate Katie Bender, falls into the second category. While Bender does have a few ...
BWW Reviews: Wimberley Players Presents Charming, Professional YOU'RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN
In the final number of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, the world's favorite blockhead and his iconic pals reflect on what happiness is. In a moment that mixes existential philosophy and childlike curiosity in a way that only Charles Schultz can do, the Peanuts gang determines that happiness is as ...
BWW Reviews: PETER PAN at Georgetown Palace Is A Magical Delight
Anyone who's seen a production of Peter Pan, or at least one of the televised versions starring Mary Martin or Cathy Rigby, knows that there's a moment late in the evening in which Peter turns to the audience and begs everyone to clap their hands if they believe in fairies. It's a moment that easil...
BWW Reviews: National Tour of GODSPELL Packed with Energy
In a time when Broadway caliber shows are defined by falling chandeliers, witches that literally defy gravity, and a swinging Spiderman with a $70 million budget, it seems that audiences may expect and want more than a simple set and small cast. But when that simple set and small cast are just righ...
BWW Reviews: MURDER BALLAD MURDER MYSTERY Is A Hysterical Western Spoof
On their website, Paper Chairs describes their latest production, Murder Ballad Murder Mystery as "part existential whodunit, part slapstick haunting, and part ramshackle hoedown [that] investigates the many ways and whys we carry out a death sentence." I didn't see the existential pieces or the ru...
BWW Reviews: BELLE OF AMHERST Offers a Stunning Portrait of Emily Dickinson
Any production of The Belle of Amherst certainly has its share of hurdles to overcome, and Austin Shakespeare's production tackles the issues head on. This isn't a one woman show or even a show about Emily Dickinson. It's an experience, and an incredible one at that....
BWW Reviews: BLOOD WEDDING Is Eerily Beautiful But Could Use Stronger Translation
It's not what you say, it's how you say it. That adage often runs through my head, both in my personal life and in my work as a theater critic. It also runs through my head when viewing productions, especially ones like Blood Wedding. With plays not originally in English, attention must be paid t...
BWW Reviews: DON CARLO Sounds Splendid But Misses Key Plot Points
When it comes to operas by Giuseppe Verdi, Don Carlo has to be the most challenging one to produce. Which version do you use? The French version? The Italian translation? Given the over four hour running time of the full version, where do you make cuts, and why? And once you answer those questi...
BWW Reviews: Re-launched Tour of CHICAGO Puts Show Back on Track
Over its 17 year history, the revival production of Chicago has had its share of ups and downs, but if the current tour is any indication, the show's back on an upswing. If you've been unfortunate enough to see a lesser cast of Chicago in the past, you owe it to yourself to catch the current tour....
BWW Reviews: NURSERY CRIMES an Inventive Twist on Film Noir
It seems mash-ups, particularly in music, have become more and more popular in recent years, and the crazier the idea, the better the mash-up usually is. The same goes for theater mash-ups. On paper, the idea of mixing a film noir-esque mystery with Mother Goose characters may sound bizarre, but t...
BWW Reviews: STARS AND BARMEN - A Heavenly New Comedy
I've heard a lot of great things about Reina Hardy, the playwright of Stars and Barmen. I've heard people throughout Austin refer to the UT Austin MFA candidate as a quirky comedic genius whose work is witty, smart, and intriguing. I hadn't seen any of Hardy's work for myself until I recently saw ...
BWW Reviews: TSU-San Marcos's TITUS ANDRONICUS Misses Some Key Ingredients
Shakespeare should be about three things: language, character, and story. While Titus Andronicus is not be Shakespeare's best work by any means, it still has a treasure trove of elements to be mined by a skilled director and cast. Shakespeare's tale of revenge plots between Titus, a powerful Roman...
BWW Reviews: Darcie Roberts Brings Broadway Class to TexARTS
There were several empty seats at TexARTS last night as Broadway veteran Darcie Roberts took the stage for her first cabaret performance ever. I'm guessing the empty seats were partly because theater lovers in Austin proper may not know of the Lakeway based TexARTS and because Austinites may not be...
BWW Reviews: THERE IS A HAPPINESS at Capital T Is A Hilarious Must-See
There is a happiness that is There Is a Happiness…
Indeed, it easily could lead to crappiness
Given how much it owes to poetry and rhyme,
Arts rarely found on stage in our time.
But writer Mickle Maher's play is full of wit
Which he manages to pepper with touches of grit
As he ex...
BWW Reviews: ATP's FALSETTOS is Funny, Moving, and Brilliant
Falsettos may be a show that challenges both performers and audience members due to its complexity and subject matter, but any audience member who is up to the challenge (and I hope you are) must see this show. Falsettos is funny, intelligent, entertaining, and an important piece of musical theater...
Videos
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& Juliet Bass Concert Hall at the University of Texas in Austin (7/14-7/19) |
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Boogie Down Broadway Empire Garage (6/27-6/27) |
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The Unknown Tour Julie Rogers Theatre (11/07-11/07) |
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The Book of Mormon (Non-Equity) Bass Concert Hall (6/08-6/13) |
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Guns N’ Roses Globe Life Field (9/09-9/09) |
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Jesus Christ Superstar Georgetown Palace Theatre (5/29-7/05) |
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Austin City Limits Music Festival: Weekend One – 3 Day Pass Zilker Park (10/02-10/11) |
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Every Brilliant Thing Georgetown Palace Theatre (6/19-7/19) |
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Disney’s Newsies Bastrop Opera House (9/04-9/27) |
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Vincent Penfold Theatre Company (6/04-6/21) |
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