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BWW Reviews: Stark Naked Theatre's ALL GIRLS is a Moving Production that Resonates with Humor and Heartbreak
Stark Naked Theatre Company, notorious for producing new and relevant work in the Houston area, is kicking off their 2013-2014 season with a Houston regional premier of ALL GIRLS by up-and-coming playwright Anna Greenfield. Any grown woman can recall the uncertainties and trauma of girlhood. Gender ...
BWW Reviews: TUTS Underground's LIZZIE Proves to be the Perfect Opener for a Season of Bold Theatre
Earlier this summer, Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) surprised us with the announcement of their newest endeavor TUTS Underground. With that announcement came the promise of 'No revivals - No dead authors - No boundaries,' and ultimately a cutting edge brand of theatre for Houston audiences. Kicking ...
BWW Reviews: The Eklektix Theatre Company's SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD is a Charismatic Concert
With intense and tricky harmonies and complex syncopations, Jason Robert Brown's SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD is an ambitious title for any company to program, let alone an up and coming group like The Eklektix Theatre Company (ETC). With that said, from what I saw at last night's final dress rehearsal, ET...
BWW Reviews: Opera in the Height's LA TRAVIATA is Engrossing
When it comes to classic opera, Giuseppe Verdi is one of the most prominent composers. LA TRAVIATA is based La dame aux Camelias, a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils, and had its world premiere on March 6, 1853. Guiseppe Verdi was displeased that the authorities at La Fenice insis...
BWW Reviews: Standing Room Only Productions' YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is Frothy, Fun Entertainment
After the success of THE PRODUCERS, Mel Brooks gave YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN the Broadway treatment. The ribald musical comedy had it's pre-Broadway try out at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington. It began previews on Broadway on October 11, 2007 and opened at the Foxwoods Theatre (then named the...
BWW Reviews: The Catastrophic Theatre's THE PINE - A Modern Take on Purgatory
When attending a production at The Catastrophic Theatre, I always know I am in for a journey. My favorite aspect of this group is that each and every one of their productions is a risk-taking endeavor, guaranteeing Houston audiences access to fresh, cutting-edge presentations of theatrical craftsman...
BWW Reviews: Theatre Under the Stars' PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT: THE MUSICAL is Fabulous and Fierce
Inspired by Stephan Elliott's 1994 motion picture, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the international smash-hit show PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT: THE MUSICAL is making a stop in Houston. Having found success in Australia and in London, the musical had its Broadway debut at the Pa...
BWW Reviews: The Ensemble Theatre's IMMEDIATE FAMILY is Comedic and Touching
Before Thursday's opening night performance of Paul Oakley Stovall's IMMEDIATE FAMILY, The Ensemble Theatre's Artistic Director Eileen J. Morris explained that their 37th season is all about creating magical moments within productions and within the community of their ever-growing audience base. Cre...
BWW Reviews: The Alley Theatre's YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU is Amusing, Spirited, and Relevant
When it comes to American Theatre from the 1930s, one of the leading writing duos was George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. This pair is integral in the development of Modern American Theatre. They are often studied in survey courses that chart the progression of the art form, as most agree that together...
BWW Reviews: Zack's Mac Shack's SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD Is Electrifying
This past weekend, I had the distinct pleasure of discovering the Greater Houston Area's best kept secret. Ever since The Masquerade Theatre announced they were permanently closing on April 27, 2012, I have been going through Masquerade withdrawals. Other theatre groups, namely Michael J. Ross' Musi...
BWW Reviews: Theatre Suburbia's GOING BARE Tickles the Funny Bone
Northwest Houston's longest-running all volunteer playhouse, Theatre Suburbia, opened their 53rd season with Houston-based playwright Mary Jane Taegel's comedy GOING BARE. The romantic comedy about a doctor who drops his malpractice insurance and promptly gets sued for 4.2 million dollars was first ...
BWW Reviews: Bayou City Theatrics' LES MISERABLES Is Promising But Unpolished
Victor Hugo's epic novel Les Miserables has become one of the world's most successful and beloved musicals. Alain Boublil first got the idea to adapt the novel to stage while watching a production of OLIVER! In London. He pitched the idea to French composer Claude-Michel Schonberg. LES MISERABLES wa...
BWW Reviews: Houston Ballet's THE MERRY WIDOW is Opulently Romantic
As a ballet, THE MERRY WIDOW is an adaptation of Franz Lehar's popular romantic operetta Die Lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow), which premiered in 1905. In the process of adapting the score for ballet, John Lanchbery and Alan Abott retained the style of Franz Lehar's orchestrations and included severa...
BWW Reviews: Black Lab Theatre's ASSISTANCE is Witty and Relateable
For the most part, a large chunk of Generation Y is out of college and in the workforce. According to some, we are the young hopefuls that were born between the early 1980s through the early 1990s. Others push the birth dates back as far as the 2000s. Either way, our voice is gaining in strength, an...
BWW Reviews: Classical Theatre Company's Edward Snowden Inspired HAMLET Works
Even after interviewing Classical Theatre Company's Artistic Director and Director of William Shakespeare's HAMLET JJ Johnston, I was highly skeptical about this production. HAMLET set in the post September 11th world with inspiration from Edward Snowden sounded like a gaggle of confused metaphors l...
BWW Reviews: Bayou City Concert Musicals' THE PAJAMA GAME is an Opulent Revival of an Old Gem
Bayou City Concert Musicals (BCCM) is kicking off their series of neglected 50s musicals with THE PAJAMA GAME, featuring Music and Lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross and a Book by George Abbott and Richard Bissell. The beloved romantic comedy is based on Richard Bissell's novel 7½ Cents. In the...
BWW Reviews: Theatre Under the Stars' Humphreys School of Musical Theatre's XANADU Shows Off Talented Youths
Theatre Under the Stars' (TUTS) Humphreys School of Musical Theatre (HSMT) introduced Houston, Texas to the 2007 stage musical adaptation of XANADU this weekend. The musical film Xanadu opened to mixed-to-negative reviews and audience responses in 1980, but over the interceding years has gained a cu...
BWW Reviews: A.D. Players' ARSENIC AND OLD LACE Proves The Classic is as Funny as Ever
Joseph Kesselring wrote ARSENIC AND OLD LACE in 1939, and the darkly comic play premiered on Broadway on January 10, 1941 at the Fulton Theatre, now named the Helen Hayes Theatre. Brooks Atkinson, theatre critic for The New York Times, famously stated that the play was "so funny that none of us will...
BWW Reviews: Houston Ballet's FOUR PREMIERES is a Celebration of Choreography
The Houston Ballet is notorious for providing audiences with top-notch productions and a supremely talented company. Launching into their 2013-2014 season, Houston Ballet opens with FOUR PREMIERES. Consisting of one American premiere and three world premieres, FOUR PREMIERES is a wonderful evening o...
BWW Reviews: Edge Theatre's NIJINSKY'S LAST DANCE is a Show Biz Tell All
Vaslav Nijinsky was heralded as the greatest male ballet dancer of the early 20th century. He deftly performed gravity defying leaps, leading many to assume he used wires, and could even dance en pointe, which was a rare skill for male ballet dancers at the time. He famously choreographed L'APRÈS-M...
BWW Reviews: The Texas Repertory Theatre Company's THE NERD is Dated but Entertains
The Texas Repertory Theatre Company is opening its ninth season with Larry Shue's THE NERD, a comedic play in two acts. The simplistic comedy had its world premiere at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater in April 1981, and it starred Larry Shue in the role of Willum Cubbert. Glowing press and strong wor...
BWW Reviews: Cone Man Running Productions' SPONTANEOUS SMATTERING - THE THIRD is the Iron Chef of Theatre
On Saturday night, August 25, I had the pleasure of attending Cone Man Running Productions' annual twenty-four hour play festival, SPONTANEOUS SMATTERING. Although this was my first official Smattering, Saturday night was Cone Man Running Productions' third inception, and it was clear that they had ...
BWW Reviews: Pearland Thatre Guild's TARZAN is Wholly Entertaining
The stage musical of TARZAN may be Disney's biggest Broadway flop. The company reportedly sunk anywhere between $12 million to $15 million into the overinflated musical. The problem that may reviewers and audiences had with the show was that the often-repeated stunning visuals ceased to be astoundin...
BWW Reviews: Horse Head Theatre Company's THE ALIENS is Quiet, Unusual, and Captivating
My research indicates that the average temperature highs in July in Vermont are in the low 80s, making Annie Baker's lines about discomforting heat in THE ALIENS almost farcical during Horse Head Theatre Company's presentation of the peculiar play. Always presenting works in non-traditional spaces t...
BWW Reviews: Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company's FOXFINDER Brims With Insight and Intrigue
For me, the appeal of avant-garde pieces of theatre is never knowing exactly what you're in for when the houselights dim and the show begins. For Houston audiences, Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company specializes in these kinds of productions, and their current presentation of Dawn King's FOXFINDER i...
Videos
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The Stable Genius Midtown Arts and Theater Center (5/21-5/31) |
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Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat A.D. Players at the George Theater (6/24-8/02) |
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IGNITE PRAISE FEST The OC (6/13-6/13) |
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And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie Cone Man Running Productions (6/05-6/20) |
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Buena Vista Social Club Hobby Center for the Performing Arts (11/17-11/22) |
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The Last of the Dragons Company OnStage (6/06-6/27) |
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Black Boys Cry The Deluxe Theatre (6/06-6/06) VIDEOS |
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Jesus Christ Superstar Deluxe Theatre (8/14-8/17) |
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LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS Art Factory (6/05-6/14) |
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Moulin Rouge! Hobby Center for the Performing Arts (7/14-7/19) |
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