Miranda Keating

Starting next week, Stages is beginning its yearly panto tradition with PANTO ALICIA IN WONDERLAND, written by Houston's own TEATRX. The show is the classic fairy tale of 'Alice in Wonderland' with a Latinx and Houston spin! Co-directors Marissa Castillo and Benito Vasquez give BroadwayWorld a sneak peek into this magical piece.

'MJ' was a slick production with an extremely talented cast who executed some elite singing and dancing, and I know that the show is a crowd-favorite currently with numerous Tony Awards under its belt. Still, it did not strike me as significantly better or even different than any of the other bio-jukebox musicals that have been coming out.

After 32 years as Music Director of Houston Ballet, Ermanno Florio will step down from his position at the end of the 2023 – 2024 season. BroadwayWorld Houston had the chance and honor to speak with him about what he has learned in his many years with the Houston Ballet and his plans for the future as he retires from his current position.

'POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dubmass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive' is described as a 'feminist farce', which I think is the best definition of this delectable piece. I stepped into the theater one moment, and boom! It was done, flying by, and what a joy it was.

When I viewed 'Jagged Little Pill', I found out the day of that two of the leads were being played by understudies. I was incredibly impressed knowing that they were thrown into the show last minute; I couldn’t even tell that they were understudies! I had the chance to speak with them about their vital roles in and experiences with the show.

The Houston Ballet's 2023-2024 season is starting off with John Neumeier's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, based on Shakespeare's romantic comedy. I had the chance to speak with Chase O'Connell-- one of the dancers portraying Theseus/King Oberon-- who told us how it is to play opposite his wife onstage and what spectacles are within the show!

Queensbury Theatre-- West Houston’s only professional theatre-- is producing SPRING AWAKENING, the first production by the theatre’s recently created Bridge Program, which connects young professionals in Houston. Kristina Sullivan-- Queensbury Theatre’s Executive Director and Director of Education-- gave us a sneak peek of what is in the works!

The Houston Ballet's 2022-2023 season is ending with one of ballet's greatest love stories, SWAN LAKE. I had the chance to speak with Mackenzie Richter, one of the ballerinas portraying Odette/Odile, and they gave me some insight into their experience of performing this iconic lead role and shared what makes this certain production so special.

​I first read THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA MCBRIDE when I was cast to play Jo in a directing class production. It seemed like such a fun show, with sassy lines, hilarious scenarios, and endearing characters. However, the logistics of the constant costume, set, and mood shifts seemed like a nightmare. However, Stages has made magic once again! ​

On May 10th, I had the joy of seeing Mildred's Umbrella's latest production, Elizabeth A.M. Keel's TOOTH AND TAIL. Even though the show's short run is now over, I wanted to share my thoughts about TOOTH AND TAIL to shine a light on Keel's work as well as the artistry that every person involved with the show brought to Houston.

Houston Ballet is presenting DIVERGENCE, a triple bill program that includes Justin Peck’s world premiere UNDER THE FOLDING SKY; Aszure Barton’s ANGULAR MOMENTUM; and Stanton Welch's DIVERGENCE. As a sneak peek at the production, I had the exciting chance to speak with Tyler Donatelli, one of the lead ballerinas of the whole show!

Honestly, I did not know what to expect when I was walking into the Alley Theatre for SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CASE OF THE JERSEY LILY; I have never been a person who goes out of their way to engage in tales of mystery. However, when this show ended, I was still on my toes and itching for more!

I felt incredibly lucky to be the recipient of the very last ticket available for the Sunday, April 23rd performance of Robert Harling's STEEL MAGNOLIAS, produced by The Garden Theatre. I was very excited to see this production, and once I saw the heartwarming tale and the exquisite production, I understood why this show was selling out!

The world premiere of the fantastical TOOTH AND TAIL will be presented by Mildred's Umbrella starting next Thursday! In excitement of seeing this production myself next week, I reached out to speak with Elizabeth A.M. Keel, the playwright of the show, in order to get an inside scoop as well as a sneak-peek of the play... 

Walking into Stages for the first time, I was not sure what I was getting myself into. All of a sudden, Denise Fennell sprinted onto the stage in a huge wedding dress and asked the big question present in the show's title: 'Does this dress make me look married?' The wonderful rollercoaster of THE BRIDE began in that moment, and I was captivated.

Walking into one of the small, black box theater spaces at MATCH, all I knew was that I was about to watch a brand-new sketch musical about Drs. Percy Hinks and Adelaide Hibble attempt to discover a formula that reveals 'the mysterious love code'. I was not ready for the chaos that was about to ensue, leading to quite a fun show!

As much as I admire the art of ballet, I have never seen a new, professional ballet performance, one that no one else has seen before. To say I was excited to be in the audience for the opening night of the world premiere of Houston Ballet's SUMMER AND SMOKE is an understatement, and it was everything that I hoped it to be!

Next week, Houston Ballet is presenting the premiere of Cathy Marston's SUMMER AND SMOKE, inspired by Tennessee Williams' play. It was my joy to speak with Jessica Collado, one of the leads for SUMMER AND SMOKE; I learned about her background, how SUMMER AND SMOKE was uniquely developed, and what we can expect from this beautiful production.

I made sure that I managed my expectations when attending MOULIN ROUGE!: THE MUSICAL because the stage production could not be as visually exciting as the original film, right? Wrong. As soon as the show began, I was instantly transported into the beautiful world of the Moulin Rouge. The spectacle left me speechless. No one should miss this show!

ROMEO AND JULIET…the classic love story of star-crossed lovers. To say that our culture is saturated with this tale is a fact that no one can deny. However, knowing the talent of the Houston Ballet, I was intrigued to see this legend translated to dance. As I watched the production, I quickly realized that this story is simply perfect as a ballet!