colin roybal - Page 2

La Cage Aux Folles: where the men are men and the women... are too. This hilarious and heartfelt story proves that love really does conquer all.

'Mary Poppins' is a film classic that children of all ages have enjoyed for many years. It is a lighthearted, whimsical tale of a pair of unruly children who are taught the value of order, morality, and family love by a magical nanny who floats into their lives by way of a gust of wind. I was so enamored of Mary Poppins' magic, that as a child I was convinced that singing and snapping my fingers would magically make my chores complete. Alas, things are always sweeter and brighter in Disney films. Such is the case for the stage production of Mary Poppins, which strays from the Julie Andrews version of the tale that we all grew up with from the movie. Instead, some of the darker elements from the P.L. Travers books that Mary Poppins was torn from are included in the musical, and add just the right amount of bitter to the sweetness.

Tick, Tick…Boom! is Jonathan Larson's autobiographical musical that centered on his period of struggle before becoming successful with the Broadway hit Rent.

Few shows capture the glamour and spectacle of the original Ziegfeld Follies as well as 42nd Street. The elaborate showgirl numbers and huge dancing choruses were the stuff of legend, and provided the inspiration for many gaudy Broadway musicals. While the show mocks some of the silliness of the original art, it pays homage to the core glitz and sparkle of the Ziegfeld productions, and keeps the audience tapping their toes throughout.

Razorblade-stuffed apples, body mutilation, and being buried alive: all the stuff of nightmares, right? Such are the elements of the twisted short stories that are a key element in The Pillowman. And how does one combine these gruesome elements into a story that is still palatable enough to sit through with rapt attention? That is the challenge that 11minutes Theatre Company has taken on.

The Denver Center's Garner Galleria Theater is home to some very interesting cabaret-type shows. The most colorful, of late, has been Drag Machine, an original work that combines a traditional drag show with a narrative about the history of drag culture.

The music of jazz legend Thomas 'Fats' Waller is iconic. Born in the Harlem nightlife, his blues/jazz melodies are hauntingly beautiful and complex, and are the feature of Vintage Theatre's production of 'Ain't Misbehavin'.

A six-foot rabbit is not something that goes unnoticed. That is, unless it also happens to be invisible. Despite the fact that Elwood P. Dowd is the only man who sees him, Harvey is certainly a very large presence at the Arvada Center.

Vintage Theatre Productions has tackled one of the more difficult musicals of the last 30 years. Miss Saigon is a show filled with challenges for even the biggest, most equipped theatres. But the smaller-scale production that Vintage performs is a beast in other ways.

The holiday season is in full swing, and holiday magic is all around. Especially at the Denver Center's production of A Christmas Carol. The classic tale by Charles Dickens has been told countless times, and every variation brings the same wonder and spirit of giving to life. As the lights dim and the hum of the pre-show crowd settles, the audience can't help but wonder what variation of the tale they will be treated to in this annual tradition at the DCPA.

Whoever said that, 'love makes the world go round' was right. At least according to the characters in Creede Repertory's production of The Last Romance at the Arvada Center, he was. However, in this show, the conventions of a typical young love are cast aside, because the lovers in this story are in their twilight years, and proving that there is always more love to be found in life.