BWW Review: DEAR EVAN HANSEN at The Overture CenterMay 12, 2022Dear Evan Hansen has been a long-awaited show for this reviewer and it did not disappoint. The show was inspired by the true story of Benj Pasek, the show's lyricist, who, after a high school classmate died of a drug overdose, witnessed classmates tell false stories of being part of the deceased student's life.
BWW Review: THE PROM at The Overture CenterMarch 23, 2022The Prom is a hilarious romp about a very weighty and far-reaching issue. The issue of course is that actors are perceived as narcissistic and shallow. Well, that and a high school in Indian is canceling the prom so that out of the closet lesbian Emma (Kaden Keaney) won't attend.
BWW Review: NASSIM at The Overture CenterMarch 10, 2022I cannot imagine the bravery of the actor in last nights performance of NASSIM. The premise is simple. One actor on stage performing a never seen script.
BWW Review: ROUGH CROSSING at American Players TheatreJuly 5, 2021It was another beautiful day up The Hill. Today’s picnic menu included canned cocktails (they’re better than you’d think), fried chicken and cholate mousse tort from an area café. It did not, unfortunately, include any Cognac.
BWW Review: A BRONX TALE at The Overture CenterMay 18, 2019I had the pleasure of seeing A Bronx Tale with my friend Cassy, who had NEVER seen a musical before! (I know, right?!) I invited Cassy because the 1993 movie, off which the musical is based, is her favorite. Seriously, her cat is named Calogero, after the lead character in both the movie and the play. I was excited to see this show, and especially excited to see it through the eyes of a neophyte theater goer. I was not disappointed!
BWW Review: LEND ME A TENOR at The Palace TheaterFebruary 27, 2019The Cleveland Opera has fallen on hard times and the only person who can saver it is Tito Merelli, or El Stupendo as he is known. Tito (Magnificently portrayed by Jamie Michael Parnell) has been hired to perform as the lead I Giuseppe Verdi's opera, Otello. The issue initially is that Tito has failed to arrive at the allotted time, sending the General manager of the opera into a panic.
BWW Review: HEISENBERG at Forward TheaterJanuary 20, 2019From the moment James Pickering enters the stage you can feel the electric excitement from the audience. It is heightened by the added presence of Colleen Madden.
BWW Review: FOREVER PLAID at The Palace TeaterJanuary 14, 2019It's Saturday afternoon; a couple of drinks and a decent night's rest have transpired since I saw Forever Plaid at The Palace Theater, and I still can't get Sh-boom Sh-boom out of my head.
BWW Review: Continued Education at Overture Center with SCHOOL OF ROCKNovember 22, 2018Complete with lights and haze machine, Andrew Lloyd Weber's School of Rock, opens with the fictitious Band, No Vacancy, singing "I'm Too Hot for You". As the super cool rockers do their thing, rock-god-wanna-be Dewey Finn (Merrit David James), super un-cool by comparison, does his. This results in him being forced out of the band.
BWW Review: HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS at The Palace TheaterNovember 12, 2018From the moment you set foot in the theater, you feel Christmas. The giant nut cracker that greets you as you walk through the foyer is an outright invitation to enter a new world, a happier time and a place of peace and joy.