Michael Rabice

Something magical is happening at Shea's 710 Theatre. And it's a joy to report that the local talent onstage is simply astounding. Along with the Ujima Theatre Company and Second Generation Theatre, Shea's is producing a spine-tingling production of the musical THE COLOR PURPLE.

Unearthing a hidden gem is always intriguing- whether it be a true fossil, pirates booty, discarded musical manuscript, or perhaps a virtually unknown play. The Shaw Festival is the lucky producer who gets to produce a never before seen mystery by the celebrated author Edith Wharton. For the first time, audiences get to be mesmerized by THE SHADOW OF A DOUBT, Wharton's one and only play that was written in 1901, never produced and found in a library archives in 2016.

Everyone's life has a story. And when you start from birth, most can be pretty interesting, although not worthy of the stage. Such a story of  a young boy from  Indiana born in 1951 is being told, but is it really that stage worthy?  The answer is a resounding yes, if that guy is Marc Summers, that charismatic game show and TV host extraordinaire.

A good story often bears repeating. Such is the case in Tom Stoppard's ON THE RAZZLE, currently playing on the Royal George stage of the Shaw Festival. It's storied provenance has beginnings dated back to the 1842 play  'Einen Jux will er sich machen'  by Johann Nestroy.

Composer Carl Orff most certainly would never have imagined having his most beloved cantata Carmina Burana staged with costumes , actors, dancers, and scenery. As one of those most popular choral  pieces performed worldwide by Symphony Orchestras everywhere, the established tradition is to perform this  piece in standard oratorio fashion.

The  perennial festival favorite BLITHE SPIRIT is making a welcome to return to the Shaw Festival stage after 30 years. The result is a breezy romp that is sure to delight, thanks to the fine casting showcasing some of the company's best players.

The Provincetown Theater will be presenting their production of the longest running musical in theatre history. THE FANTASTICKS will take to the stage as the company presents an updated re-imagined version of the classic love story, written and updated by the original author, Tom Jones.

'A Musical Fable.' This is the subtitle that author Arthur Laurents chose when writing his script for the blockbuster musical 'GYPSY.' And after a  delay of almost 3 years due to covid, the Shaw Festival in Niagara on the Lake is presenting their version of this famed musical fable at the Festival Theatre. 

It's good to be reminded that there was a time when manners mattered, albeit at the expense of social end economic hierarchy. Oscar Wilde's delightful THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, now playing at Buffalo's Irish Classical Theatre Company , is a gem of a production  worthy of it's own notoriety. 

When reality slaps you in the face and your personal problems seem unsurpassable, you may escape to the fantasy world of a Broadway musical. Unless the show's score is from Alanis Morissette, whose music peaked in the 90's with her unique Alternative  Rock style. And there emerges her musical JAGGED LITTLE PILL, based on her hit 1995 album of the same name.

Some of Broadway's great talents will once again be merging with the best of Buffalo's own actors to present a beloved hit from 1964--Jerry Herman's HELLO, DOLLY! Starring Buffalo, led by Artistic Director Drew Fornarola, has assembled a cast of nearly 50 for it's concert presentation of the classic show.

Everyone was raising the roof at Shea's 710 Theatre last night singing 'Yeah' as the little story of a drag queen who saves a failing English shoe shop captured the audience's heart in KINKY BOOTS

The Tudor Era meets the Girl Band as the six wives of Henry VIII take the stage in the flashy new musical SIX now playing at Shea's Buffalo. The girl singing groups of the last 70 years surely have paved the way for our regal queens, with the Spice Girls and K-Pop Girl Bands being more recent additions to the pop culture musical scene.

A classic American musical is headed to SUNY Buffalo with Rodgers and Hammerstein's CINDERELLA. This long held audience favorite was written for television audiences in 1957, where over 100 million people tuned in to get their first glimpse of a young Julie Andrews singing a score by the esteemed Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.

American History, Civil Rights, Black History and theatrical drama are magically melding on stage in the one act play THURGOOD that is playing at Buffalo's Irish Classical Theatre.

What did our critic think of Just how wrong can everything go so that it looks wrong in a perfect way? That should be the goal in any good  farce. And the farce du jour these days seems to be the ridiculously absurd but oh so perfectly titled, THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG now playing at the Kavinoky Theatre. THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG at Kavinoky Theatre?

The stage can bring you to places never dreamed of before, but what about places that are even beyond your dreams...or nightmares. Lucas Hnath's THE THIN PLACE, now playing at Road Less Traveled Theatre, brings the audience along for a fascinating ride in this interactive play. The result is nothing short of brilliant as it's four players delve into a world that can only be experienced with the help of psychics or mediums.

Finding new ways to tell age old stories is as old as time.  Greek and Roman mythology, passion plays and Shakespearean tales are often updated or transformed from play to musical to opera or  even ballet.  Most recently the Broadway stage has found a new re-telling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth in the form of the TONY Award winning  HADESTOWN and the tour is playing at Shea's Buffalo through this Sunday.

A modern day memory play  of sorts with influences of Greek mythology may be one way to describe THE MAI,  now playing at Irish Classical Theatre. Never a company to shy away from complex topics, the drama that is unfolding challenges the viewer in a myriad of ways.

The best uplifting evening of theatrical magic is happening again just in time for the Christmas season. And no, it's not the annual Christmas Pageant at your family church. It is the remarkable true story of goodness that came out of the unthinkable tragedy of 9/11. COME FROM AWAY has returned to the Shea's Buffalo stage and it continues to enthrall audiences.