Joni Lorraine

What did our critic think of RED, HOT, PATRIOT - THE KICK-ASS WIT OF MOLLY IVINS at Austin Playhouse?

MJ THE MUSICAL has hit the stage at Bass Concert Hall. Is it smooth? Is it criminal?  Was it a thriller? Is it Bad? Forgive me. I love a good pun – I love a bad pun, too. Nevertheless, MJ the MUSICAL is the latest in a long history of Broadway jukebox musicals now touring in Austin.

Two brutal murders a quarter of a century ago sparked a massive amount of media attention and a movement that led to new legislation addressing hate crimes.

Boundary-breaking choreographer Twyla Tharp returns to Austin on September 26 with Diamond Jubilee, a special program showcasing two new pieces alongside a revival of one of her renowned classics. This event also celebrates the 60th anniversary of her acclaimed dance company, Twyla Tharp Dance making this a performance you must-see.

Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year more than 16,000 K-12 students in Central Texas will attend their first-ever Broadway School Show and additional school day performances as Texas Performing Arts (TPA) Austin’s largest arts organization will educate and inspire even more students through live performance. This is great news for achieving greater awareness of the rich array of performing arts available to us in the Austin area.

The Archive Theater gives the Austin theatre community a fun and lavish production with Jennifer Rose Davis’s compact and streamlined version of Alexandre Dumas’s THE THREE MUSKETEERS.

Playwright Antoinette Nwandu wrote PASS OVER as a response to the ongoing racial violence and systemic oppression experienced by Black people in the United States. The play was heavily influenced by the numerous incidents of police brutality and the killing of unarmed Black men, which have been widely publicized and protested in recent years.

It’s Summer! It’s HOT! It’s that usual time of the year when, in other parts of the country, people are enjoying walks on the beach or picnicking. Here in Texas, it’s too hot even for that, so do what any sane person would do and go see a play in a freezing cold theatre! Impact Arts has just the cure for your need to cool off AND have fun.

Wow. Get thee to ZACH quick. This weekend is the last for the epic THE LEHMAN TRILOGY. This work by Italian playwright Stefano Massini, chronicles the history of the Lehman Brothers firm from its inception in the mid-19th century to its dramatic collapse in 2008.

Texas Performing Arts welcomes Tony®, GRAMMY®, and Emmy®, winner Ben Platt on his all-new THE HONEYMIND TOUR, playing across North America this summer with a stop at Bass Concert Hall on Friday, July 12 at 8 p.m.

Texas Performing Arts is the professional arts presenting and producing program of The University of Texas at Austin. It is one of the largest and most active university-based performing arts centers in the U.S. Texas Performing Arts is an anchor institution in Austin’s arts, cultural, and entertainment landscape and operates venues on the UT campus including Austin’s largest theatre, the newly renovated Bass Concert Hall.

These formerly incarcerated individuals working at an insignificant truck stop sandwich shop, grapple with their pasts and seek to rebuild their lives. Their evolution, and the work of the actors embodying them, invites us to expand our understanding of the potential for personal growth and appreciation for what some might see as “the other.” We are resilient. We are courageous. We are complex and unique. And we are all worthy of freedom. As much as I fear Clyde would stifle my “five-star-would-recommend” review, I can’t stop myself. Go see this show. It’s got all the perfect ingredients.

I recently had a fascinating conversation with Abby Z, director and choreographer of RADIOACTIVE PRACTICE, about her work with the New Utility and this unique show opening Friday as part of the Fusebox Festival here in Austin.

What did our critic think of HOME, I'M DARLING at Jarrott Productions? Now onstage at Trinity Street Playhouse is Jarrott Productions latest offering to our theatre scene: HOME, I’M DARLING. Winner of the Olivier Award for Best Comedy in 2019, playwright Laura Wade’s HOME I’M DARLING raises questions about the authenticity of nostalgia, the pressures of conforming to traditional gender roles, and the ways in which individuals construct their own identities.

WICKED comes to town this week! And even though it’s running for nearly two weeks, don’t expect to get seats for much longer, because this show is (yes, I’m going to say it, so go ahead and sing it yourself) POPular. WICKED is in fact, pushing up against THE LION KING as the highest grossing musical of all time. This stands to reason, as it is based on what is arguably the most influential film of all time, The Wizard of Oz. WICKED actually has its roots in lesser known novels also called Wicked, by author Gregory McGuire. And now, after fourteen years of various delays, the film version will finally be released later this year.

When a friend called me and invited me to join her for a middle school production of SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS:THE MUSICAL last week, I think it fair to say it wasn’t high on this reviewer’s list of things to do on a free Saturday night.

A positive testament to a family’s capacity to love and affirm their transgender child. Austin Theatre is currently providing us with some interesting and informative LGBTQ+ perspectives on which to marinate. At Ground Floor Theatre, director Lisa Scheps has taken on Jo and Jeremy Ivester’s ALWAYS A BOY, while just up the road, City Theatre director Andy Burkovsky tackles Jonathan Tolins’s THE TWILIGHT OF THE GOLDS.

Maybe BEETLEJUICE: THE MUSICAL, is Gen Z’s ROCKY HORROR SHOW. When THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW first premiered in London in 1973, it received mixed reviews from critics. Some praised its campy humor, catchy songs, and provocative themes, others found its content shocking and controversial. However, it quickly gained a cult following among audiences. Fast forward to BEETLEJUICE: THE MUSICAL. It has campy humor, (somewhat) provocative themes, and a cult following. It has a strong presence on social media platforms, with the cast and creative team actively engaging with fans through channels like TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. This has helped to cultivate a dedicated fan base among younger audiences who are drawn to the show's behind-the-scenes content, fan art, and discussions.

From Geoff Sobelle’s website, we learn that “FOOD is an intimate dinner party performance that uses smell, taste, touch and audience instruction to feed a meditation on the ways and whys of eating. Why do you eat what you eat? Where does it come from? What does it really cost?” I quote it here, because it is entirely accurate. But that only cracks the surface of this deep performance piece that nudges us toward contemplation of the evolution of food and mankind.