Lauren Van Hemert - Page 2

Boy and girl meet. Boy and girl meet again and fall in love. Boy and girl meet again, fall in love again, and break up. In fact, boy and girl meet, fall in love, fall apart, time and time again, in Nick Payne's two-person play CONSTELLATIONS. The play is part of Bartlett Theater's current season, a season which finds the company partnering with Northgate Cinema Stadium 10 in Durham. And for the most part, this venue, which worked so excellently for Bartlett's last production THE FLICK, also works for this production. This time around, ethereal projections are cast across the screen, setting the stage for a play that defies both time and space.

Between January 2018 and August 2018, the federal government attempted to censor, misrepresent, and otherwise silence science over 150 times. That's according to the Silencing Science Tracker (SST) launched by Columbia University's Sabin Center and the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund. While most of the 150 plus SST entries involved attempts to stifle climate science, 24-percent of the entries targeted scientists working in other fields. But the government assault on science is nothing new. In fact, nearly 400 years ago, Galileo Galilei was forced to recant some of his scientific views after the church found him guilty of heresy. Subsequently, his book Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems was placed on the 'Index of Forbidden Books' by the Sacred Congregation of the Roman Inquisition, and he was placed on house arrest. Galileo's life is the subject of Bertolt Brecht's 1938 play LIFE OF GALILEO, which explores the ups and downs of going from being a celebrated scientist to a convicted dissident. More importantly, the play provides a 'big brother' commentary on humanity and the delusion of blind faith in an era of alternative facts.

Decadence and dreams, Hollywood nights and hair bands, and Journey and jazz hands, it could be said that ROCK OF AGES is a party almost 40 years in the making. The Tenth Anniversary Tour of ROCK OF AGES opened at the Durham Performing Arts Center last night, marking the tour's 100th performance. The show tells the story of a wannabe rocker/barback named Drew and aspiring actress from the Midwest named Sherrie who meet, fall in love, break up, and live happily ever after in la-la land. While the whole storyline is formulaic and predictable, what makes this show work is the mashup of 80s music and some powerhouse vocals.

You could say that Katie LaMark has been ready to rock from the time she was a little girl. That's because she is a self-described 'studio kid' whose parents were both musicians. 'My mother is really the rocker of the two of them and my father is a much more disciplined, jazz piano player,' she says. 'I have a little bit of the discipline and a little bit of the edge.' And that diverse range has helped LaMark in her career. Her first big show was the 20th Anniversary Tour of RENT, in which she played Maureen. That production played the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) in 2016.

Sometimes a show completely defies expectations. And in the case of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, that's a good thing. I settled into my seat at the Durham Performing Arts Center Tuesday night and drew forth my pen, my weapon choice, completely prepared to obliterate this production. Then the music started. Cue the ensemble. "Who can take a sunrise, sprinkle it with dew…" Suddenly there I was, smiling, strangely finding comfort in the familiar, when I heard a sound that would completely disarm me. A nine-year-old kid behind me named Blake laughed, an infectious sort of laugh that served as a bit of a wake-up call that this show wasn't calculated for me. This show, this moment, and this performance belonged to him and every other dewy-eyed kid in the audience.

If the Theatre in the Park production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL can be compared to a Christmas gift for Triangle families, then it might be said that the company's pre-Valentine's Day offering of A LIFE IN THE THEATRE is like a love letter to the sanctuary of storytelling and art otherwise known as the theater.

James Young has been singing and dancing in Broadway shows for over 40 years. These days, he spends his time playing Grandpa Joe in the national tour of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. The show plays the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) next week. Hear what Young has to say about the production, the importance of exposing kids to the theater, and the excitement he still feels taking a show on the road.

I was going to begin my review of Honest Pint Theatre Company's production of THE HERD with this sentence. As the mother of a child with special needs, I related to THE HERD. Then, I was going to amend my opening sentence to read, 'As a parent, I related to THE HERD.' Yes, it's true that Rory Kinnear's THE HERD is relatable whether you are a parent of a child with special needs or not. But the fact that I am the parent of a child with a 'disability' makes me perhaps less objective and therefore, unqualified, to offer a fair assessment or review per se.

How many articles have you read in the last four years about high-profile celebrity suicides wherein family members and friends said, 'I had no idea'? And out of the 47,173 people in the United States who died by suicide in 2017 (according to the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention), what, if anything, could've kept these beloved fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, sons, and daughters from taking that leap or wanting to disappear? Depression, grief, suicide, and mental illness are just some of the themes Charly Simpson explores in her new play JUMP, which opened at PlayMakers Repertory Company last weekend. The opening is part of a New Play National Network rolling world premiere that includes Milagro and Confrontation Theatre (Oregon), Shrewd Productions (Texas), and Actor's Express (Georgia). However, this is the first time the play has been fully staged, and this production sets the bar high for future productions.

In 1973, tennis champion Arthur Ashe traveled to Johannesburg to compete in the South African Open amidst the oppression of an apartheid-based government. He had applied for a visa to play in the tournament three times prior but was denied. His presence at the 1973 event sparked some outrage but was the catalyst for change, not only for Ashe as an activist but also for the South African people. This story is the impetus for Hannah Benitez's new play, ASHE IN JOHANNESBURG. Burning Coal Theater commissioned Benitez to write the play, and it is a compelling story to tell. However, the show, which opened this weekend, needs further development before it achieves the same level of polish and flair as other historical dramas like David Hare's STUFF HAPPENS, which opened Burning Coal's current season.

In the second act of MISS SAIGON, there is a song called 'Too Much for One Heart.' And that's how one might describe the national touring production of MISS SAIGON which opened at the Durham Performing Arts Center last night. It's just too much.

North Carolina's own William Ivey Long has been busy designing the costumes for two of this season's most anticipated musicals: TOOTSIE and BEETLEJUICE. When I visited him in his Tribeca studio last summer, he talked to me about his design process, the many BEETLEJUICE jackets, and his North Carolina roots. BEETLEJUICE opens at The Winter Garden Theatre this March. For more information visit: www.BeetlejuiceBroadway.com.

Red Concepcion grew up listening to show tunes. In fact, he remembers listening to cast albums like MISS SAIGON from the age of five. Fast forward 20 plus years and Concepcion found himself playing the role of The Engineer on the UK tour. He says although he knew the music by heart, he had no idea how big and epic the show was until rehearsals started. And for that five-year-old little boy growing up listening to the soundtrack in the Philippines, working with Claude Michel Schonberg (music), Alain Boublil (lyrics), and ?Richard Maltby, Jr. (lyrics) is a dream come true. 'It's wonderful as an actor to be in such a creative space,' he says. 'They don't write scores like this anymore.'

Perhaps the most sobering thing about Raleigh Little Theatre's production of MEASURE FOR MEASURE is the fact that the same societal afflictions making headlines today were timely 400 years ago. Even more telling perhaps is the fact that Shakespeare, an astute observer of humanity, was inspired to speak out and pen this tale of power, abuse, injustice, and sexual misconduct.

After 16 years with Tara Rubin Casting, Eric Woodall has come home. Born and raised in Benson, North Carolina, Woodall is the new Producing Artistic Director of North Carolina Theatre. He is also overseeing the North Carolina Theatre Conservatory, a program which is near and dear to his heart. Hear what Woodall has to say about his North Carolina roots, diversity in casting, and directing the upcoming North Carolina Theatre production of MAMMA MIA!

When Zack Fine's play BEWILDERNESS begins, it feels like a time machine has landed at PlayMakers Repertory Company in Chapel Hill and philosopher and writer Henry David Thoreau has emerged. Fine, playing himself, directly addresses the audience while Thoreau, eagerly played by company member Geoffrey Culbertson, wanders aimlessly about the stage pondering the question: Is the afterlife a regional theater in North Carolina? The curtain opens and the time travelers find themselves at Thoreau's cabin on Walden Pond, roughly built to scale on the Kenan stage. What happens next borders on the ridiculous, absurd, and downright funny.

Four years ago, my husband and I took our kids to New York for Christmas. Like many unsuspecting fools, we just had to see the Macy's Santa. After winding our way through a gumdrop forest for what seemed to be an eternity, we made it to Santa's house, where he chatted with our fed up children for about 30 seconds before shuffling off to housewares. So maybe that's why the Theatre in the Park production of David Sedaris' THE SANTALAND DIARIES tickled my funny bone so.

There are times I drag my reluctant husband to a show because if I didn't, I might not ever see him. And I'm pretty sure he would tell you he finds most shows uninspiring. However, as we left The Kennedy Theatre tonight following Theatre Raleigh's OH WHAT A HOLY NIGHT holiday show, he turned to me and said, 'That was a GFE, a good fun evening out.' I probably could end this write-up right there, because coming from him, that's saying a lot. But I will expound a bit more to say that this production is not only a 'GFE,' but also showcases for some of the Triangle's most talented singers, including Yolanda Rabun, Shayla LaGrange, L.E. Barone, Areon Mobasher, and Derek Robinson. They are joined by Dave Toole, who is not from Raleigh, but may be considered an honorary North Carolinian at this point since this is his third production here in as many months.

You may know him as Tom Tilden from the CBS Sci-FI Show 'Under the Dome' or the Duke Energy guy or even as Chad Thompson in his award-winning movie 'Changeover.' But Estes Tarver is more than an actor, writer, director, and producer. He's also the Artistic Director of Moonlight Stage Company in North Raleigh and coaching the next crop of up-and-comers. Next up for Tarver is performing in the upcoming North Carolina Theatre production of MAMMA MIA. Hear what he has to say about making it as a working actor in Raleigh, working on high-profile television shows like 'Under the Dome' and 'House of Cards,' and building the Moonlight Stage Company.

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen. But how well do you really know Rudolph? Sure, if you're like me, you remember watching the stop-motion animated special on television as a kid. And surely you've heard Gene Autry's version of the song time and time again. But seeing the animated musical version come to life onstage at The Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts sheds a new light on this age-old tale about misfit toys, castaway elves, and a red-nosed outcast.