SMITH STAGE AT STAGES REPERTORY THEATRE

by Brett Cullum - April 15, 2024

I don’t think you are going to find a funnier TAMING OF THE SHREW easily. Director Dana Bowman has lucked out to get the cast and crew that could pull this off, and she had extreme insight into how to handle the problems the show represents to women today. You will laugh, and you will find it a deli...

by Brett Cullum - April 08, 2024

STAGOLEE AND THE FUNERAL OF A DANGEROUS WORD is a wonderful meditation on the power of words, folklore, and the human condition. It soars and becomes electric any time actors TiMOThY ERiC and Seth Carter Ramsey confront each other. It has a power and heft you do not see in most theater. It goes to a...

by Brett Cullum - April 04, 2024

Part of the genius of THE OUTSIDER is it is pure farce. Characters and plots are played larger than life, and doors constantly swing open with new surprises behind them. We’re not in the sturm and drang of THE WEST WING, but rather the territory of a silly sitcom like VEEP. Physical comedy, verbal b...

by Brett Cullum - March 23, 2024

Patti Lupone has always known how to merge pop culture with her theatrical training, and she can craft a story around any song she chooses. And that is why we come, to hear the storyteller tell her tale....

by Brett Cullum - March 18, 2024

It’s fun, a bit quirky, and has a Fellini-sized cast that should make your head spin in all the right ways. Apparently, it takes an army to make a diva, but then again, is that a surprise?...

by Brett Cullum - March 10, 2024

Malinda L. Beckham has always been a master of directing testosterone-fueled plays where men fight and abuse each other. She and her cast bravely take on Martin McDonagh’s script and make wise decisions. The pace is breakneck, never allowing the viewer to wallow much in the muck. She brings out the ...

by Brett Cullum - March 06, 2024

THE NERD is frankly still THE NERD, and the director, Brandon Weinbrenner, doesn’t reinvent much of anything. There’s nothing new or fresh, and the script is presented almost as if it would have run back in 1981. There is no discernable reason to remount this show save for the idea that it was fun b...

by Armando Urdiales - March 06, 2024

Explore the insightful play Laughs in Spanish at STAGES, a captivating blend of humor and cultural exploration. The play offers a fresh perspective on the human experience, highlighting the joys and challenges of navigating the world through the lens of language....

by Armando Urdiales - March 06, 2024

Sports. The word with various meanings, but always seems to perpetuate a game, a sparring of two teams or two people. This battle is well done on-stage with Rec Room Arts, King James. Rajiv Joseph’s expert play book ends the friendship of two male Cavaliers fans at the start of Lebron James career w...

by Miranda Keating - March 01, 2024

For the “Late Nite Catechism” series of shows, actors dress up as a character named “Sister” and lead their audiences through a “class” full of audience interaction. Denise Fennell-Pasqualone has been performing as 'Sister' for many years now, but–for this specific show–she preaches about St. Patric...