BWW Review: Raleigh Little Theatre's MEMPHISAugust 22, 2016Loosely based on the life and career of Dewey Phillips, one of the first disc jockeys to have ever played black music on the radio in the 1950's, Memphis tells the story of a white radio DJ who wants to change the world and a black nightclub singer who is ready for her big break.
BWW Review: North Carolina Theatre's MARY POPPINSJuly 27, 2016Based on the children's novels by P.L. Travers as well as the classic 1964 Walt Disney film of the same name, Mary Poppins tells the story of a nanny who arrives on the doorstep of the Jane & Michael Banks. Mary Poppins takes the children on many magical and memorable adventures, but Jane and Michael aren't the only ones upon whom she has a profound effect. Using a combination of magic and common sense, Mary Poppins must teach the family members how to value each other again.
The Making of America's Musical- 1776: The Story Behind the StoryJuly 4, 2016As America celebrates its 240th Birthday today, let's talk about what is probably one of the greatest musicals ever written, and it only came about 46 years before Hamilton. 1776 dramatizes the story of how John Adams was able to persuade his colleagues to vote for American independence as well as signing the Declaration of Independence. While the musical does dramatize the most important event in American history, the story behind the musical is probably just as interesting.
BWW Blog: Durham Performing Arts Center's 2015-16 Season RecapJune 23, 2016Since the 2015-16 Season at the Durham Performing Arts Center has wrapped up, I decided to give you guys a little recap. While there were several different offerings that range from overhyped (A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder) to thought-provoking, yet a little divisive (Cabaret) to entertaining (42nd Street) to compelling (If/Then), these are some of my top picks of the season.
BWW Review: 2016 Triangle Rising Star AwardsJune 7, 2016The Triangle Rising Star Awards is a regional competition that 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 Awards in New York City every summer. The national competition celebrates outstanding student performances in high school musical productions from all over the United States.
BWW Review: 42ND STREET National Tour at Durham Performing Arts CenterMay 4, 2016Based on Bradford Ropes' 1932 novel as well as Busby Berkeley's 1933 film musical adaptation of the same name, 42nd Street tells the story of famed dictatorial Great White Way director Julian Marsh to mount a successful stage production of a musical extravaganza at the height of the Great Depression. When the star breaks her ankle, a young, small town girl named Peggy Sawyer takes over and becomes a star herself.
BWW Review: North Carolina Theatre's WITMay 2, 2016Wit is a 90 minute one act play by Margaret Edson that tells the story of Vivian Bearing, a renowned English professor who has been diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer. During the course of her illness, Vivian comes to reassess her life and her work with a profundity and humor that are transformative both for her and the audience.
BWW Blog: 70th Tony Award Nomination PredictionsMay 2, 2016At 8:30 AM tomorrow morning will be the announcement of the nominations for this year's Tony Awards! The announcements will be made by Tony nominee Andrew Rannells (The Book of Mormon; HBO's Girls) and Tony Award winner Patina Miller (Pippin; CBS' Madam Secretary). You can watch the first part of the announcement on CBS This Morning as well as a live webcast of the whole thing at TonyAwards.com.
BWW Review: CABARET National Tour at Durham Performing Arts CenterApril 20, 2016Based on John Van Druten's play I Am a Camera which was adapted from Christopher Isherwood's short story Goodbye to Berlin, Cabaret is based in the nightlife at the seedy Kit Kat Klub as the Nazis were rising to power in Berlin back in 1931. The action is overseen by a Master of Ceremonies with the club serving as a metaphor for some of the ominous political developments in late Weimar Germany. The story revolves around 19-year-old English cabaret performer Sally Bowles and her relationship with the young American writer Clifford Bradshaw. A sub-plot involves a doomed romance between German boarding house owner Fraulein Schneider and her suitor Herr Schultz.
TV: Kaitlin Lawrence of 42ND STREET National TourApril 18, 2016Coming to the Durham Performing Arts Center from May 3rd-8th is the new national touring production of the Tony Award winning Broadway musical, 42nd Street! The cast features Kaitlin Lawrence as Dorothy Brock, a role originated on Broadway by Tammy Grimes.