Jeff Davis - Page 2

Do you believe in love at first site? Written and performed by Luciann Lajoie and based on interviews with a wildly diverse group of more than 150 online daters (young, old, straight, gay, Mormon, Jewish, etc.), Date* is a hilarious and candid multimedia show explores the hits and misses of one woman's surprising quest to find love online. Here's what Luciann Lajoie had to say about her show and the idea of romance in the digital age…

Andrew Llloyd Webber, Stephen Swartz, and everyone at Disney Theatrical, I hope you're taking notes. A musical doesn't need falling chandeliers, flying green girls, a budget larger than the GDP of most nations, or even show-stopping numbers to be successful. All a show really needs to resonate with an audience is a strong story and interesting characters. Those two elements are precisely why Fiddler on the Roof has enchanted audiences for 50 years and counting, and The Playhouse's current production of it is a wonderful example of how moving this simple musical can be.

Given the incredible talent of the show's creators, creative team, and cast, it's crystal clear why A Year With Frog and Toad has such a wide appeal to such a wide audience. There's not an unlikeable thing about it. For any parents wishing to expose their young children's to theater, Frog, Toad, and their pals are the perfect theatrical introduction for any tadpoles in your pond.

Look up "Broadway Flop" on Google, and Carrie is bound to be the first title to show up. Though the material still is a bit rough around the edges, Austin Theatre Project's staging of Carrie manages to straddle the show's unintentional line between camp and seriousness while finding a compelling story and interesting characters, brought to life by performers who could easily rival many a Broadway star.

The history of Peer Gynt is now almost as legendary and epic as the story itself. Henrik Ibsen based his epic piece of theater on the Norwegian fairytale of Per Gynt (Ibsen gives Per's first name an extra vowel), a young man who has a slew of misadventures involving trolls and other mythical creatures. Ibsen's theatrical interpretation of the fairytale is noted for its poetic style, blend of fantasy and reality, its disregard for the limitations of the stage, and its five hour length (hey, epics aren't short).

Some of Broadway's most acclaimed musical theater actresses will be in San Antonio over the coming months in the Broadway @ Woodlawn Theatre Celebrity Series with host Seth Rudetsky. Starring as host, interviewer and pianist, Rudetsky is a Broadway accompanist, Sirius XM radio host, comedian, and musical theatre expert. In each show, Seth Rudetsky mixes songs with a live interview of a guest Broadway star's life and career. Insider stories are also revealed from the friendship of Seth and each Broadway star.

Anyone who says that perfection can't be improved upon is a liar. Perfection can be improved, as evident in Woodlawn Theatre's current production of The Rocky Horror Show. Woodlawn's 3rd annual production of Rocky Horror manages to surpass the success of last year's production with its use of an imaginative and unique concept and an incredible cast.

From the successful writing team that brought you Dearly Beloved, Christmas Belles, and The Dixie Swim Club, comes the Texas premiere of the newest, Jones Hope Wooten, Southern-fried comedy! Meet the Wilburn family of Mayhew, Arkansas, and spend an outrageously funny day at The Reel 'Em Inn--finest little fishing lodge in the Ozarks. Can the lodge be saved from gangsters, love-starved females, jealous husbands, ruthless corporate executives, bad Swedish accents, a cranky, senior citizen maid packing heat, a jittery man masquerading as a woman, and vicious varmints right outside the door? By the delightfully chaotic climax of this one remarkable day, love has blossomed, truths have been revealed and the lives of all - family, guests and gangsters alike - change in incredible and surprising ways in this laugh-'til-your-sides ache Jones Hope Wooten comedy.

Last Act Theatre Company's production of Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt is well underway, and BroadwayWorld Austin recently caught up with director Bridget Farias Gates, actor Andrew Bosworth, and music director Mario Silva to hear about this imaginative new production.

The Broadway @ Woodlawn Theatre Celebrity Series kicks off on November 8, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. with Seth Rudetsky and Ana Gasteyer. Ana Gasteyer is well-known for her six season stint on TV's 'Saturday Night Live' as well as her work on ABC's 'Suburgatory.' Her Broadway credits include 'Wicked' and 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show.'

The current touring production of Beauty and the Beast shares the songs, dialogue, title, and even the creative team of the original Broadway production, but it completely lacks any sort of purpose, save the desire to put cash in the pockets of its producers. There's no magic or life in this pitiful production at all.

It's clear even before Time Stands Still begins that the show has been carefully designed to make us ponder the effects of war. Before the actors take the stage, clips of the war-torn Middle East are projected on the stage, including images of children being indoctrinated into ISIS. It's impossible for these images to not have an effect on the viewer, and the same can be said for the play itself. The Tony-nominated drama, now playing at Austin Playhouse, makes an unforgettable impact.

Lots of things are meant to be paired together. Peanut butter and jelly, Meryl Streep and Oscar nominations, but romance and quantum physics? They might not be a logical pairing, but in Penfold Theatre's Now Then Again, the way that they come together is an entertaining thing of genius.

Ask anyone you meet and they're bound to tell you that, with the possible exception of The Godfather Part II, sequels aren't as good as the original. That seems to be the case with Rex's Exes, now playing at Sam Bass Theatre. For three years in a row now, Sam Bass has opened their season a slapstick, Texas-themed comedy of errors by the writing team of Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten. This year's offering is a sequel to last year's Red Velvet Cake War, and while the performers at Sam Bass give it their all, it seems that Jones, Hope, and Wooten are on auto-pilot, recycling jokes and plot points that we've now seen for three years running.

There may be quite a few ideas and institutions that bond mankind around the world, but there's one that's more powerful than the rest. It's not politics. It's not religion. It's music.

BroadwayWorld-Austin is pleased to share the following production photos from Austin Playhouse's production of Time Stands Still.

BroadwayWorld-Austin is pleased to share the following production photos from Wimberley Players' production of Young Frankenstein.

BroadwayWorld-Austin is pleased to share these production photos from the World Premiere production of Still Now, a new play by Katie Bender. Still Now is produced by Shrewd Productions.