Amanda Finn - Page 2

On Saturday night, before the Stage Q production of 'Psycho Beach Party', I got the opportunity to chat with 'Psycho Beach Party' playwright Charles Busch and his cabaret partner/pianist Tom Judson about their Sunday evening show in downtown Madison as well as Charles' history as a playwright and performer.

When Jean Poiret's French play of the same name came out in 1973, and when Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein premiered their Tony Award winning musical in 1983, society was fundamentally different.

KRASS presents a show about three sisters and their struggle to come back together to honor their mother's final wishes.

The musical warhorse penned by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II - the last musical written by the duo -- will turn 57 this year, but thanks to invigorated direction by Jack O'Brien, the musical hasn't aged a day.

Belle, in her bookish ways and reserved manner, was always a stand out princess of Disney's canon. Disinterested in being one of the aptly named "Silly Girls" who spend their idle time fawning over local hunk Gaston, she is a much different kind of Disney heroine.

At a traditional Catholic baptism, the child is wrapped in a white garment as a symbol of their purity in the eyes of God. As the child grows older, the garment becomes metaphorically stained by acts of sin, but the waters of baptism from infancy are said to wash those stains away. So, when the child has grown into adulthood and eventually faces death their garment is said to be clean once again - after a stay in purgatory, of course.

Scrooge, the elves, Santa, and the mistletoe have been done. Christmas shows have been done. Some would argue they've been done to death. But, there is a type of yuletide entertainment that we are sorely missing on our side of the pond - the British panto.

With just a week of preparation time - just 'winging it' is a mantra for the members of the Are We Delicious family. This holiday season they're presenting a series of eight holiday shorts to lighten and enlighten the audiences at Broom Street Theater.

“How do I live? I live!” Exclaimed Mackenzie Whitney as Rodolfo in Madison Opera's fifth incarnation of Giacomo Puccini's La Bohéme. Among the stunning lyrics speaking of love, poverty, and poetry, it was this simple exclamation that stood out on its own.

Christmas in my childhood home involved several traditions: adorning the tree with my mother's crystal ornaments, meticulously setting up the Christmas town figurines, and watching Frank Capra's 1946 classic It's a Wonderful Life.

In the early 20th century, women were barred from many fields of study - even pondering the wonders of the night sky. But that did not stop Leavitt from making discoveries that lead to establishing a measurement standard for astronomers all over the world. She left behind the familiar world of her father's pulpit in Wisconsin, ventured off to Harvard, and uncovered a way to use the brightness of stars to determine their distance from one another.

Will you look back on your life fondly or regretfully? For Stoogie Lucotch or "Stuart Lucas" it's a dilemma for the ages. Combining personal reflections with Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, Ray Olderman's Big Expectations (first performed in 1983) at Broom Street Theater examines the correlation between happiness and success.

This isn't Madison's first Wicked rodeo. The show has come to town three times since 2010, yet, Overture Hall was still filled to the brim with eager audience members last night. Why? Because Wicked is visually spectacular, musically varied, and has relevant lessons to be learned.

Agatha Christie's Mousetrap has been running non-stop since it opened in 1952 on the West End. The film can't be made until the show runs its course, mystery lovers continue to see it long after the criminal has been found out, and those who have seen it already are sworn to absolute secrecy.

It's racist and homophobic. Mart Crowley's The Boys in the Band is full of gay stereotypes and cringe worthy slang. It is politically incorrect in nearly every way. But, it's history. Boys is a snapshot into the past. A comedic, albeit bleak, look back to 1968 - before Stonewall and the major turning points in the gay rights movement. An amalgamation of nearly every negative connotation of what it meant to be a part of the gay community, Boys throws everything out like a spread of packages on the table.

It's Romeo and Juliet with dancing, knives, and a taste for Americana. West Side Story, the nearly 60 year old Broadway musical, is deeply rooted in the musical theatre canon. A tale of two young lovers, separated by opposing street gangs explores dated (though still incredibly relevant) social stigmas outlined by ethnicity and socioeconomic status. The show is well known, beloved, and has several incredibly memorable musical numbers. So when a theatre company takes on this particular production, they also take on the reputation that precedes it - which is often more of a challenge than the show itself.

Can a woman achieve undeniable professional success and be a mother? Can she and her husband share an equal amount of achievement or is one always bound to be at least one step behind the other? Such are questions that Gina Gionfriddo's Rapture, Blister, Burn ponders while toeing the line between provocative and conciliatory. Creating humor from the adage about the grass being greener while not entirely making light of it. After all, can anyone truly say that they have never had to sacrifice something for happiness?

Overture Center Makes the Headlines with NEWSIES

Marriage can be a foreign language. To some, the language comes easily. But, with time, the words can become meaningless as the motivation behind them lessens. The longer the relationship goes on, the more difficult it can become to comprehend the other person and know exactly what to say.

I don't often stay for the post show discussion. Ordinarily, the show stands on its own and I am content with that. Every once in a while, however, a show stirs something within me that insists I stay to hear what the cast or the directors have to say. American Players Theatre's latest production of Athol Fugard's The Island is one such show.