HOUSTON INTERVIEWS

It is definitely summertime in the city and the perfect time to head to the Houston Zoo, where there is always something new to see and experience. This summer is no exception! For the first time ever, two of Houston's most prominent nonprofit organizations, The Houston Zoo and Theatre Under the Sta...

One of the most exciting aspects of theatre in Texas is sitting in the audience while Jaston Williams, of GREATER TUNA fame, takes the stage. His charisma and charming personality completely mesmerize and enchant audiences. Recently, I had an opportunity to catch back up with Jaston Williams, and he...

Dixie Longate is fast-talking Tupperware Lady from Mobile, Alabama. She has packed up her catalogues, left her children in her trailer park and took Off-Broadway, London & Melbourne by storm! Starting June 4, 2013, Dixie Longate is throwing two-weeks worth of good ol'fashioned Tupperware Parties at ...

A.D. Players is currently presenting the Regional Premiere of Cathal (pronounced Cal) Gallagher's riveting drama MALCOLM AND TERESA. The Play chronicles the life of Malcolm Gallagher and his BBC interviews of Mother Teresa, which helped make her a known and popular person worldwide. Before attending...

Summer in the theatre world is awards season. The king of all theatre awards is the annual Tony Awards Show. This year's Tony Awards Ceremony will be televised live on CBS on June 9, 2013 at 7:00pm Central Standard Time. To help Houston prepare for Broadway's big night, I had a chat with one of our ...

While SISTER ACT's First National Tour was playing in Durham, North Carolina, I got a chance to talk with Kingsley Leggs, who plays Curtis Jackson, Deloris Van Cartier's gangster boyfriend and the show's villain. Kingsley Legs, who originated the role of Curtis Jackson on Broadway, spoke with me abo...

Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) is bringing SPAMALOT back to Houston stages. This locally produced production of the smash hit comedic musical is being directed by Marc Robin. The cast features performers that have previously been in productions of SPAMALOT before and some new to the show altogether....

All across the state of Texas, high school theatre students are gearing up for the annual UIL One Act Play State Championship competition, annually held at the University of Texas in Austin. Just as these students are indefatigably preparing, so is Landry Gideon and his documentary film crew. They h...

Shortly after many children all over Houston had hunted lawns for eggs and other treats that the mythical Easter Bunny delivered this past Sunday, I had a delightful conversation with composer Marty Regan and librettist Kenny Fries for Houston Grand Opera (HGO)'s 50th World Premiere, THE MEMORY ST...

As February gallops to an end, Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) is hard at work, preparing a local production of the classic musical THE MAN OF LA MANCHA. With a score by Mitch Leigh, lyrics by Joe Darion, and a book by Dale Wasserman, the acclaimed musical is inspired by Dale Wasserman's teleplay I, ...

Sitting down with any member of the Houston theatre community is one of the true perks of writing for BroadwayWorld. Recently, I got to sit down with three of the four cast members in Stark Naked Theatre's upcoming production of Yasmina Reza's GOD OF CARNAGE. Kim Tobin (playing Veronica), John Gremi...

As Houston Grand Opera began rehearsing SHOW BOAT, the Houston theatre community started to focus a lot of attention on the production. Utilizing social media, friends and followers of the artists got inside looks into the impressive amounts of dedicated labor, passion, and sheer hard work that went...

With less than twenty-four hours until the Ensemble Theatre opened the Regional Premiere of KNOCK ME A KISS, I got to have a brief conversation about the play with its playwright, Charles Smith. During our conversation we discussed the play, which introduces audiences to Yolande Du Bois, daughter of...

QUIDAM is internationally acclaimed Cirque du Soleil's ninth stage show. The production had its World Premiere on April 23, 1996; however, in 2010 it was converted from its original big top format into an arena format so that it could tour across North America and the world. It introduces audiences ...

As the world premiere production of Will Ledesma and Braden Hunt's musical version of THUMBELINA was in its opening weekend at A.D. Players, I got the opportunity to speak with book and lyric writer Will Ledesma. We discussed his career as a writer, his process, and the show itself....

Broadway Across America-Houston is about to fly CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, the thrilling tale of Frank Abagnale, Jr., into the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. Merritt David Janes is starring as Carl Hanratty, the FBI agent that tirelessly pursued Frank Abagnale, Jr .He was wanted for posing as a Pan...

Despite being wholly busy and working on perfecting DON GIOVANNI with the Houston Grand Opera creative teams and cast, I had the pleasure of being able to spend a delightful 30 minutes with the talented and intelligent Rachel Willis-Sørensen. We discussed her career, including her impressive contes...

Before a recent rehearsal, I had the opportunity to sit down with Philip Hays at Studio 101. He is directing Classical Theatre Company's upcoming production of Alfred Jarry's UBU ROI. Walking into Studio 101, the first thing that struck me was the elaborate and large set. Even in its unfinished stat...

As temperatures dropped on January 2, 2013, I sat down with Jordan Jaffe, Ross Bautsch, Matt Benton, Candice D'Meza, and Darcy Cadman to discuss Black Lab Theatre's upcoming production of Jeff Talbot's controversial and comedic drama, THE SUBMISSION....

With 2013 officially underway, the Houston Theatre Scene is working hard to bring audiences theatrical delights to rival what we saw in 2012. Colton Berry, Artistic Director of Bayou City Theatrics, made a splash when his team opened an 80s Pop-Punk ROCKY HORROR SHOW. That was followed by their high...

In the crisp, morning hours on December 27, 2012 I got the chance to speak with Lara Teeter, who will be playing Cap'n Andy in the upcoming production of SHOW BOAT at Houston Grand Opera. The celebrated actor had a plethora of interesting and scholarly items to discuss about SHOW BOAT, and the chara...

Kicking off 2013 at The Hobby Center, Theatre Under the Stars is presenting two classic musicals back to back. First TUTS is offering a star-studded production of CAMELOT followed by MAN OF LA MANCHA. CAMELOT features Broadway heavyweights such as Robert Petkoff, Margaret Loesser Robinson, Sean MacL...

The night before Amy Fote and dancers of the Houston Ballet celebrated her impressive career in Houston with JUBILEE OF DANCE, the charming and convivial Amy Fote took a few minutes out of her busy schedule to talk with me. With her retirement from the company drawing near, we took the opportunity t...

As consumerism ruled the streets of Houston on Friday, November 23, 2012, the cast of PETER PAN was preparing for a six show weekend in San Jose, California. PETER PAN, with Cathy Rigby back in the titular role by popular demand, is known for being a fun-filled, family friendly extravaganza. The cur...

If you haven't seen it yet, you still have a little bit of time to see GIRLS ONLY - THE SECRET COMEDY OF WOMEN. The critically acclaimed production in Houston has been extended twice and is taking Houston by storm. Before I sat down to view the show myself, I was invited backstage to get to know the...