Review: LES MISÉRABLES National Tour at Durham Performing Arts CenterJuly 16, 2025Based on Victor Hugo's 1862 novel of the same name. Les Misérables follows Jean Valjean, an ex-convict who after serving nineteen years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread, goes on a quest for redemption. When a kind bishop inspires him by a tremendous act of mercy, Valjean breaks his parole as he decides to begin his life anew. As time goes on, he has relentlessly been pursued by a ruthless police inspector who’s hoping to bring him to justice. Though along the way, a group of young idealists make their last stand at a street barricade during a revolutionary period in France.
Review: SOME LIKE IT HOT National Tour at Durham Performing Arts CenterJune 18, 2025Based on Billy Wilder’s 1959 Academy Award-winning film of the same name, Some Like It Hot follows two musicians, Joe & Jerry, who are forced to flee Chicago after witnessing a mob hit. With gangsters hot on their heels, they’re on the run as the newest members of the swingingest big band ever to cross the country…disguised as Josephine & Daphne. This is the second musicalization of the classic comedy following the 1972 Tony-nominated Sugar.
Review: Theatre Raleigh's PETER AND THE STARCATCHERJune 13, 2025Loosely based on Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson’s 2004 novel, Peter and the Starcatcher upends the classic story of how a miserable young orphan became The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up, otherwise known as Peter Pan. It begins when he and his mates are shipped off from Victorian England to a distant island ruled by the evil King Zarboff.
Review: KIMBERLY AKIMBO National Tour at Durham Performing Arts CenterApril 30, 2025Based on David Lindsay-Abaire’s 2001 stage play of the same name, Kimberly Akimbo follows a bright and funny teenage girl from New Jersey who happens to look like a 72-year-old lady. However, her aging disease may be the least of her problems. Forced to maneuver family secrets, borderline personalities, and possible felony charges, Kim is determined to find happiness in a world where not even time is on her side.
Review: Theatre Raleigh's THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFULMarch 27, 2025The Trip to Bountiful is set in Houston, Texas in the 1940s after World War II. The story follows Carrie Watts, an elderly Southern woman who dreams of escaping the bustling city to return to her rural home of Bountiful. She sets out on a risky journey to her beloved hometown with her family in hot pursuit.
Review: SHUCKED National Tour at Durham Performing Arts CenterMarch 5, 2025Shucked is a completely original musical set in the fictional Cob County. It tells an audacious farm-to-fable tale about the one thing Americans everywhere can't get enough of: corn. This project was partially derived from one of book writer Robert Horn's earlier projects, 2015's Moonshine: That Hee Haw Musical. Originally, the show was scheduled for a run in late 2020 at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. Yet it was subsequently cancelled due to the COVID-19.
Review: A BEAUTIFUL NOISE: THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL National Tour at Durham Performing Arts CenterJanuary 8, 2025A Beautiful Noise is a biographical musical about legendary singer/songwriter Neil Diamond. The story chronicles how a poor Jewish kid from Brooklyn became one of the most universally adored showmen of all time. With his first break into songwriting in the 1960s, his meteoric rise in the 1970s, and plenty of crushing disappointments and heart-stopping triumphs along the way.
Review: Stephanie J. Block in Concert at Theatre RaleighDecember 9, 2024We’ve come to the end of the second year of Theatre Raleigh’s concert series. Several prolific performers have graced their stages here in the Triangle area throughout 2024. From local talent to Broadway stars such as Telly Leung, Seth Rudetsky, and Julie Benko. As for their closing act this season, it’s none other than Tony Award-winning powerhouse Stephanie J. Block.
Review: CLUE National Tour at Durham Performing Arts CenterSeptember 4, 2024Based on Jonathan Lynn’s 1985 film adaptation of Hasbro’s popular board game of the same name, six guests have been invited to attend a mystery get-together at a large, somewhat secluded mansion. Upon arrival, each guest is provided an alias, situates in the house, and is given a deadly weapon.
Review: SETH'S BIG FAT BROADWAY SHOW at Theatre RaleighJune 24, 2024Next up in Theatre Raleigh’s 2024 concert series is Seth Rudetsky. For those unfamiliar, he’s a DJ for SiriusXM on Broadway. He’s worked for more than 20 years as an actor, writer, pianist, and conductor working on blockbuster musicals such as Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Ragtime, and The Producers.
Review: Theatre Raleigh's JANE EYREMay 30, 2024Based on Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 novel of the same name, Jane Eyre follows a young orphan who is put in the unfortunate care of her cruel Aunt Sarah and cousin, John Reed, as per her uncle’s dying wish. After spending six years at Lowood School for Girls, Jane leaves and is shortly after hired as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets Mr. Edward Rochester, thus beginning her passionate and heart-wrenching journey of love, loss, and the struggles of morality.
Interview: Alex Fluker & Conor Kruger of the 2024 DPAC Rising Star AwardsMay 20, 2024Earlier this month, the 2024 DPAC Rising Star Awards took place at the Durham Performing Arts Center. This regional competition brings together high school musical theater students from Central and Eastern North Carolina to perform and compete for the chance to represent the Triangle in The National High School Musical Theater (otherwise known as The Jimmy) Awards in New York City on June 24th.