Susan Haubenstock - Page 3

I've been chasing the geeky quartet known as The Plaids since 1994. Fortunately, they make frequent appearances in Richmond.

Nothing is more fun than a surprise. Especially when the surprise is that an actor you've seen before can steal a show.

The now-dormant African American Repertory Theatre reached the heights with its 2011 production of August Wilson's 'Jitney'.

'[title of show]' was the laugh machine that kept on giving, co-winning the Artsie for best musical (with 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels') in 2011.

Haubenstock's COVID-19 pastime is reminiscing about her favorite shows of the past 18 years, more or less

In 'Small Mouth Sounds,' a co-production of Virginia Rep and Cadence Theatre Company, six people participate in an extended silent meditation retreat in upstate New York, led by a pompous guru. The character sketches that emerge from the nearly wordless script illuminate individual yearning and pain.

I was lucky to see 'The Cake' at Richmond Triangle Players. It's late in the run of this sold-out hit, with a star turn by Terri Moore, who's made herself a local favorite in a couple iterations of 'Always, Patsy Cline.'

In 'The Revolutionists,' a quartet of French Revolution-era women brilliantly claim their power in this comedy/drama at TheatreLAB.

Douglas Scott Jones's 'Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad' tells young audiences the full Tubman story, from birth to death, with a strong ensemble and beautiful a cappella songs.

Virginia Rep's production of August Wilson's great play 'Fences' is soulful and emotional, with cast, direction and technical elements at a peak.

Steven Dietz's 'Bloomsday' makes an enchanting entry for both the Acts of Faith Festival and the St. Valentine's season. Blending memory, romance, time fluidity and James Joyce, the play examines a romance that never was but still could be.

Playwrights Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten are masters of sitcom-style comedy for women of a certain age. 'The Wild Women of Winedale' is their 2018 installment, short on laughs but featuring some strong monologues.

For a respite from holiday madness, settle in for a leisurely, tuneful stroll through Anthony Williams's heart.

A second trip to 'Always . . . Patsy Cline' was a pleasure, because Debra Wagoner has returned to the title role.

Virginia Rep's all-ages show for the holiday season is 'Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella,' a gently updated retelling of the fairytale. Originally written for television in 1957, the musical has had several stage and TV productions, and eventually a rewrite by Douglas Carter Beane (author of last season's 'Sister Act' at Virginia Rep). The retooled version played Broadway for two years, earning several Tony nominations and a Tony win for costume design.

For an antidote to holiday treacle overload, look no further than TheatreLAB's superb production of the 2001 agitprop musical comedy 'Urinetown.'

The plot, like the novel, is unfinished, so eventually the source material comes to an end, and the audience is invited to vote on the musical's endinga?"is there a victim, and if so, whodunit?

A friend let me know that Thursday's performance of 'Always. . .Patsy Cline' had been canceled due to the illness of its star, Debra Wagoner. Wagoner played the crossover hit maker for Virginia Rep in 2012, and for the Ohio Shakespeare Festival in 2006. I feared there would be a cancellation Friday night as well.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's HAMILTON is certainly one of the best touring shows going, and the company visiting Richmond through December 8 is of the greatest imaginable quality.

For your outrageous holiday viewing pleasure, head to Richmond Triangle Players for a?oeTimes Square Angel,a?? Charles Busch's hardboiled, campy treat.