Lynn Beaver - Page 3

If you have never seen Broadway smash hit, DEAR EVAN HANSEN, you're in for an emotional roller coaster wrapped up in a multimedia work of art.

ZACH Theatre's A CHRISTMAS CAROL has been a holiday tradition in these parts for many years, and just when you think it can't get any better, Director Dave Steakley goes and does just that. He gives us bigger stars, better songs and a more topical message. I've been a fan of the show since I first reviewed it four years ago, but this year is the best ever, mostly due to the casting of Austin theatre legend Marc Pouhé as Scrooge.

Rita Anderson's new play premiered with Mèlange Theatre Company last week at Trinity Street Theatre. The fascinating story is worthy of notice by any audience interested in American history or the human struggles that face us all.

Austin Opera's latest effort, Verdi's, RIGOLETTO dazzles in every way. They absolutely outdid themselves this time.

THE VINEYARD by Nicole Oglesby and produced by Heartland Theatre Collective plays its final performance at Trinity Street Theatre on November 10th.

HANG by Debbie Tucker Green is a thoroughly modern play. Using only three actors, a bare bones set and lasting only 90 minutes, HANG uses clever dialogue to pull the audience in and twists the mind brilliantly. Currently showing at Ground Floor Theatre the play, that debuted in 2015, boasts an unequaled cast and crew that shatters the audience's perception with an unforeseen plot twist. Producer/Director Chuck Ney and his new production company, Horizon Line Theatre, have chosen the perfect show to make their first foray into the Austin theatre scene. Witty, articulate and provocative, HANG holds the audience in rapt attention, our heads spinning for the duration.

The Hidden Room has a reputation for presenting meticulously researched historic theatre in the acting style in which they were originally produced. Their current show, THE DUCHESS OF MALFI does not disappoint. The cast and crew outdo themselves in presenting outstanding classic theatre every time. After it's run in Austin, this production hits the road to perform in London, Stratford and Cornwall.

Playing this month at the Georgetown Palace Theatre is DISNEY'S NEWSIES, a high voltage new musical about the newspaper strikes in New York City at the turn of the 20th century. The show follows a group of newspaper boys who are struggling to make enough to help feed their families. Prior to child labor laws, children of all ages did everything from hawk papers on street corners to deliver groceries or work in factories doing minimal paying tasks for pennies a day. Grueling work for kids but for families in dire financial situations the jobs were a godsend.

Tarik Daniels, recent winner of an Austin Under 40 Award for his mental health advocacy using his theatre company Whatsinthemirror? presents FIREFLIES by Donna R. Love opens August 14th at Santa Cruz Center For Culture. A quiet young man with an ever ready megawatt smile, Tarik's joy in life is infectious as we sat down with him recently for a chat.

Over the last couple of years reviewing opera with BroadwayWorld, I have become a fan. Not only a fan of the classical work but a fan of Austin Opera and the sumptuous productions they bring to the stage. It makes my heart soar to hear the first strains of the orchestra conducted by the amazing Peter Bay and watch the curtain rise on pure magic.

With the Notre Dame Cathedral still in the news after a nearly catastrophic fire so recently it seemed strange coincidence to attend a production of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. It certainly brought home for me the majesty of the medieval church but it also lent a small glimpse into the immense scope of Hugo's work. Kaitlin Hopkins takes the medieval setting and recreates it in a high concept artwork in black, white, tones of gray and slashes of crimson. The effect is a feast for the senses.

SISTER ACT, the musical, follows the 1992 Whoopi Goldberg movie of the same name, opened April 19th at the Georgetown Palace theatre, and the result is solid gold entertainment.

Roald Dahl's novel, MATILDA was published in 1988 to join his other popular children's books; among them, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, THE WITCHES and BFG. In 2010 The Royal Shakespeare Company commissioned a musical version and MATILDA THE MUSICAL was born in London's West End. ZACH's production includes two youth casts, I had the opportunity to see the 'Young Orange Cast'.

Lila Rose Kaplan's, 100 PLANES gets its first full staging at Mastrogeorge Theatre under the direction of Elizabeth Newman. Set in 1997, the story revolves around an ambitious young Air Force pilot, Kay (Alain Rose Chock) and her intention to be chosen to fly the latest aircraft.

The fascinating autobiography CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, by Frank Abagnale, Jr., first made into a movie starring Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio is now a musical adventure. Debuting on Broadway in 2011 to mixed reviews. As a character study the story is engrossing, but as the basis for a musical, it's problematic. While it has some great moments of comedy with a touch of drama and lots of jazzy 60's music, there are certainly better crafted musicals around.

A DOLL'S HOUSE by Norwegian Realist playwright, Henrik Ibsen is a theatrical staple, studied and performed worldwide since its debut in 1879. The updated continuation A DOLL'S HOUSE, PART 2 gleefully deconstructs the original play with a lot of laughs and a bit of colorful language.

NOTES FROM THE FIELD by Anna Deveare Smith and currently playing at ZACH Theatre's Kleberg Stage is as impactful a piece of theatre as I believe I have ever witnessed.