Michael Rabice

Rivaling the adventures of The Count of Monte Cristo, we now  hear the tale of a new found character who once took literary England by storm at the end of the 19th Century. SHIPWRECKED: THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF LOUIS DE ROUGEMONT (AS TOLD BY HIMSELF) has taken to the stage in 'an entertainment' written by Donald Marguiles. The action plays out upon the Road Less Traveled stage through October 13th.

The Buffalo theatre season is back in full swing and it's off to a great start, if the fine production of DISNEY'S NEWSIES THE MUSICAL is an indication. Playing at Shea's 710 Theatre alongside co presenter The D'Youville Kavinoky Theatre, the creative talent assembled showcases the best of Western New York's talent.

He's done it again! The famous sleuth and his sidekick are back at it, solving cases with cunning precision and insight. SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE MYSTERY OF THE HUMAN HEART is playing in a fabulous production at the SHAW FESTIVAL in Niagara on the Lake. Audiences are intrigued, captivated and thoroughly entertained watching this beloved character take on yet another case in Victorian London.

Who doesn't love a good belly laugh, a groan and a perpetual smile on their face for 2-1/2 hours. That's exactly what you'll be in store for when attending the joyously silly production of ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS at the Shaw Festival in Niagara on the Lake.

O'Connell and Company is set to present the latest installment of THE GOLDEN GIRLS- THE LOST EPISODES 5- GOLDEN IS THE NEW BLACK. Billed as a hilarious, naughty drag parody of America's favorite sitcom, the script by David Cerda includes two new episodes.

Time travel back to the age of film noir when black and white movie dramas were played to the hilt with overarching mannerisms, full of prototypical characters and not too subtle close ups full of tension inducing musical scores. The Shaw Festival is producing one from that ilk with the classic Agatha Christie courtroom mystery WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION and the result is mesmerizing audiences at the Royal George Theatre.

The king of pop surely had a storied musical career that went from child star to tabloid fodder in his all too short life. The life of Michael Jackson, now the Broadway musical MJ, is igniting the stage of Shea's Buffalo Theatre through June 16th. Fear not , the moon walk, the infamous sparkly glove and that unmistakable breathy speaking voice is all there, but is that really enough to make a great musical?

Noel Coward may well have been the arbiter of all things regarding propriety , social class, and manners. So it may have come as a shock to some that his witty play PRIVATE LIVES, now playing at Irish Classical Theatre, makes it clear that his upper crust characters certainly  do NOT always behave with the best possible manners. Therein lies the crux of the comedy that audiences love, in part, thanks to the bad behavior of his cast

It's all aboard for 'the largest moving object in the world,' sings the  owner, designer and captain of the doomed ship Titanic. And Buffalo is in for a rare presentation of the 1997 TONY AWARD winning musical TITANIC, composed by Maury Yeston .

Something wonderful has taken to the stage at Buffalo ‘s Irish Classical Theatre, as Arthur Miller’s THE PRICE is being presented in a near perfect production. This seldom produced play may sound somewhat stilted in it’s formality of language, but the story continues to be captivating, all these years after it’s 1968 Broadway premiere.

Guilty as charged. I openly admit I really enjoy the ABBA musical, MAMMA MIA! There is a time and place for all kinds of entertainment, and the birth of the jukebox musical can almost certainly be attributed to kind of show MAMMA MIA has become. Now 25 years after it's opening, the national tour that is playing at Shea's Buffalo this week has audiences happily enraptured with a musical comedy that serves solely to entertain. And it most certainly succeeds.

A breakdown of  union labor relations, abuse in the workplace and  demands for higher wages surely doesn't sound like the stuff of musical comedy. Unless you're speaking of the classic 1954 musical THE PAJAMA GAME, now playing at the Lancaster Opera House. 

Eavesdropping, snooping or just morbid curiosity seemed to be the scene set in Harold Pinter's play BETRAYAL now playing in a riveting production at Buffalo's Irish Classical Theatre. The playgoer sits on the sidelines, witnessing a deeply personal story of three  broken people, best kept behind closed doors.  

Nickel City Opera's 15th Season will bring a new American opera, The Falling and the Rising produced by the U.S. Army Field Band, Saturday, June 29th at 8:00pm and Sunday, June 30th at 4:00pm at Nichols Flickinger Performing Arts Center, 1250 Amherst Street Buffalo. On Friday, March 1st, A Night of Funny Stuff with Artistic Director, Valerian Ruminski and pianist Ivan Docenko accompanying in concert at The Meeting House, 5658 Main Street, Williamsville and the 15th Annual NCO Gala Dinner, Tuesday, June 25th at 6:00pm at Ilio DiPaolo’s 3785 South Park Avenue, Blasdell.

It's not often that  a horror story or the supernatural takes to the stage, so when a comedy turns dark, you know you're in for a night of the unknown. Ike Holter's play THE LIGHT FANTASTIC is full of surprises, twists and turns that kept the opening night audience engrossed in Road Less Traveled Productions latest production.

Funny. In 1964 a newcomer named Barbra Streisand was the third or fourth choice  to take on the role of Fanny Brice in the new Jule Styne musical FUNNY GIRL. The result catapulted a gawky Jewish girl from Brooklyn to superstar status. And the musical has never been revived again on Broadway.

That famed comic strip red head Little Orphan Annie has returned to town just in time to celebrate Christmas in Buffalo. Charles Strouse's blockbuster musical ANNIE is touring the country again and the show will play at Shea's through December 23rd.

Buffalo's Revelation Theatre has chosen a intriguing piece of theatrical performance art in presenting the one woman play AIR HEART. The 65 minute show examines the life of Amelia Earhart, leading to her disappearance while on her famed  flight over the Pacific Ocean in 1937.

The golden age of Broadway found lilting infectious melodies melding with captivating, if often whimsical stories. Lerner and Loewe's 1947 BRIGADOON ticked all the boxes in a world fresh off of World War II. The Shaw Festival in Niagara on the Lake has revived it's 2019 production and this version shines even brighter than it's first outing.

As the audience grew restless awaiting the start of the play, the near twenty minute delay had me wondering if there would even be a production. Luckily, the play started and the wait, though unexplained, was worth it. Buffalo's Irish Classical Theatre's production of Athol Fugard's riveting 'MASTER HAROLD'... AND THE BOYS proved to be a captivating afternoon.