While his fixed-set concept is too confining and his Van Helsing isn't on her best form, Tony Wright's new COUNTESS DRACULA is plenty of fun at its best, smoking with feline sharpness, sexuality, and grace.... (more...)
With the iconic song 'A Whole New World', Aladdin certainly delivered 'the magic' of Disney that took the audience on a mind-blowing journey of 'toe tappin' dance performances and tickled our imagination to believe that we too could embark on a fairy-tale infused 'magic carpet ride'. ... (more...)
Like its title, CYRANO is a shortened adaptation of Edmond Rostand's 'Cyrano de Bergerac.' Presented outdoors at the Winthrop Amphitheater, the Shakespeare Carolina production is an engaging intro to this classic - if you can comfortably plow through the distractions of a wayward sound system.... (more...)
There aren't many plays for pre-schoolers that boast the right pace and sustain their attention, Children's Theatre's new adaptation of A SICK DAY FOR AMOS MCGEE hits the sweet spot, quietly modeling friendship and kindness.... (more...)
Outdoor Shakespeare is back in Charlotte with a fine Actor's Theatre production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. Master access, bring a beverage, and get a good sightline - NOT in the middle - for the dreamiest experience.... (more...)
GBS is often decried for his didacticism, but in SAINT JOAN, he allowed the story to carry him away from his usual soapbox. With some judicious pruning and an infusion of lively swordplay, Free Reign Theatre has made this masterwork even more agreeable and accessible.... (more...)
The 2019 National Black Theatre Festival has ended with memories of grandeur and spectacular stage plays. Here is my review of the productions I attended.... (more...)
When the stars come out…there is magic in the air. That's exactly how the opening day of the National Black Theatre Festival (NBTF) in Winston-Salem felt…majestic and magical. As the originators and attendees declare…”This Is Holy Ground!” The NBTF is “taking over” the city of Winston-Salem, Nor... (more...)
Although nuVOICES 5 was all about women playwrights, the staged readings in the revived Actor's Theatre of Charlotte festival at Queens University featured plenty of diversity - and plenty of onstage and tech talent.... (more...)
You might think SHOW BOAT is impossibly quaint and politically incorrect. Well, it is, but an excellent CPCC Summer Theatre cast keeps the ol' boat afloat on 'Ol' Man River.'... (more...)
Israeli filmmaker/director Amos Gitai has crafted a multimedia piece that hurls accusations at his countrymen - most fiercely in Hebrew rather than Arabic. It's a powerful indictment, even if it is a bit one-sided and inflammatory.... (more...)
Getting over the seedy scenery and the pre-recorded orchestra, I found Theatre Charlotte's THE PRODUCERS more politically incorrect - and nearly as enjoyable - as the previous three times I've seen this Mel Brooks romp.... (more...)
Charlotte Ballet's SPRING WORKS, with a surprise cameo from the Merce Cunningham centennial, is another varied and provocative display by the Queen City's preeminent performing arts troupe... (more...)
Well-aware of the Peter Shaffer implications of programming MOZART'S REQUIEM with a Salieri symphony, Charlotte Symphony flipped the script, revealing a happy-go-lucky Salieri and a fearsome Mozart.... (more...)
Although Tchaikovsky's SLEEPING BEAUTY suite was the headliner, Charlotte Symphony and guest conductor Joseph Young were far more convincing in American fare by Aaron Copland and Michael Daugherty.... (more...)
The BNS production of JITNEY was quite a treat in late 2017, but this season's August Wilson offering, TWO TRAINS RUNNING, is even richer and more refined.... (more...)
No amazing synthesis or revelation emerges in Charlotte Ballet's audacious SHAKESPEARE REINVENTED collaboration with UNC Charlotte, but the evening bristles with excitement and electricity, probably because the two imaginative choreographers didn't allow their academic partners to get inside their h... (more...)
Joseph Robinette's adaptation of Jean Shepherd's beloved Yuletide story doesn't make all the right moves, but A CHRISTMAS STORY, THE MUSICAL will still warm your holiday spirit if you're patient with it.... (more...)
Two wives grapple with the prospect of meeting their common old flame in Noel Coward's FALLEN ANGELS, a situation that played out very differently in 1925 than it does today.... (more...)
THE DAFFODIL GIRLS, Jeff Swearingen's makeover of 'Glengarry Glen Ross,' transformed David Mamet's real estate shark tank into a Girl Scout Cookie drive. Now in a further mutation, Three Bone Theatre successfully produces this children's theatre hit with an all-adult cast.... (more...)
Charlotte Symphony's celebration of Italy with music by Berio, Berlioz, Paganini, and Mendelssohn's ITALIAN SYMPHONY actually peaked with Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1, thanks to the spectacular virtuosity of Sergej Krylov.... (more...)
After we're rid of the obligatory 'Memory,'CP's fond farewall to Pease Auditorium, THE MUSIC OF THE NIGHT, is a lot of fun - but not a lot of music,... (more...)
A less-than-imperial Tracy Lord picks up strength, energy, and enlightenment as THE PHILADELPHIA STORY chugs along at Theatre Charlotte, cresting in time for an affecting epiphany.... (more...)
While nobody onstage reminded us exactly what we were celebrating, Charlotte Symphony's MUSIC FOR A ROYAL CELEBRATION, commemorating the Queen City's 250th anniversary, was a concert fit for a king.... (more...)
With a company that mostly outclassed the replacement cast I saw on Broadway, the HAMILTON tour not only set off a ticketbuying frenzy across Charlotte, it fulfilled theatergoers' wildest expectations.... (more...)
BWW Review: New DRACULA Sports Female Feline Fangs
BWW Review: THE “GENIE-US” OF ALADDIN at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
BWW Review: ShakesCar's CYRANO Has Ample Eloquence but Faulty Amplification
BWW Review: AMOS McGEE Takes Us Into Uncharted Pre-K Territory
BWW Review: ATC's Outdoor MIDSUMMER Is Electrifying Fun
BWW Review: Free Reign's SAINT JOAN Handsomely Shaves a Shavian Tragedy
BWW Review: THE END OF THE ROAD: 2019 NATIONAL BLACK THEATRE FESTIVAL
BWW Review: OPENING DAY: 2019 NATIONAL BLACK THEATER FESTIVAL at Winston-Salem, NC
BWW Review: nuVOICES NEW PLAY FESTIVAL Bucks the Patriarchy
BWW Review: Excellent CPCC Summer Cast Isn't Weary of SHOW BOAT
BWW Review: Gitai's Elegiac and Abrasive LETTER TO A FRIEND IN GAZA Strikes a Nerve at Spoleto
BWW Review: Theatre Charlotte's THE PRODUCERS Is More Politically Incorrect Than Ever
BWW Review: SPRING WORKS Delights With Sensuous, Satirical, and Classic Vibes
BWW Review: MOZART REQUIEM Clashes With Sunny Salieri Symphony
BWW Review: Cherokee Anguish Upstages SLEEPING BEAUTY in Symphony Concert
BWW Review: BNS Productions' TWO TRAINS RUNNING Runs at Full Steam With a Deep Cast
BWW Review: UNC Doctors Do No Harm in Charlotte Ballet's SHAKESPEARE REINVENTED
BWW Review: A Catchphrase Becomes a Musical Mantra in A CHRISTMAS STORY
BWW Review: Actor's Gym Unearths a Gem in FALLEN ANGELS
BWW Review: THE DAFFODIL GIRLS Vie Viciously for Survival – and a Pony
BWW Review: Mendelssohn's ITALIAN SYMPHONY Upstaged by Epic Paganini Concerto
BWW Review: Like Panoramic Pease, MUSIC OF THE NIGHT Was Fun While It Lasted
BWW Review: THE PHILADELPHIA STORY Bides Its Time Before Detonating
BWW Review: Charlotte Symphony's ROYAL CELEBRATION Delivers Brassy, Breathtaking Music
BWW Review: HAMILTON Sparks a Feeding Frenzy – and Justifies It
