Susan Haubenstock - Page 4

Peak summer wackiness resulted when Firehouse did 'American Idiot' and 5th Wall did 'The Toxic Avenger.'

The two Richmond productions of David Yazbek's musicals made outstanding memories.

Memories from some Richmond Shakespeare shows of yore that remain clear in my heart but maybe not so much in my head.

Thinking about 'The Late Henry Moss,' the Sam Shepard play that won the Richmond Theatre Critics Circle award for Best Play in 2008.

Two related selectionsa?"a?oeThe Last Days of Judas Iscariota?? and a?oeCorpus Christi.a?? And one that got awaya?"a?oeGrand Concourse.a??

Before Stage 1 Theatre Company opened in Mechanicsville, they put on a blockbuster convert performance of 'Ragtime' that lives on in memory.

Swift Creek Mill has had a lot of eras that could be called golden, but for me the period around 2008 was memorable. In particular, I recall loving their production that year of a?oeOnce Upon a Mattress.'

Blend a hilarious opera parody with five all-out comic singer/actors and you have 'Das Barbecü' at Swift Creek Mill Theatre, a fond memory from 2005.

If anyone was paying attention (though I don't know why anyone would), they probably noticed that I was in the bag for 'Preludes' long before it ever hit the stage.

From everything I've heard, the 2013 production of 'bare: a pop opera' at Richmond Triangle Players was a knockout. I, alas, was in San Diego.

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.