(04/25/2016) - What? Not like ELEPHANT & PIGGIE'S WE ARE IN A PLAY? "Unpossible!" This is the cute, cute, cutest production to come out of the Rose Theater in a long time. Everything about it is delightful!
(04/19/2016) - I am personally excited to see the spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA coming to Omaha this week! Hailed by critics as "bigger and better than ever," Laurence Connor's re-imagination of the longest-running production on Broadway is drawing superlatives: "stunning!" "spectacular!" "brilliant!" "majestic!" and "beautiful!" Because of all the references to beauty, I called Jacquelynne Fontaine, who plays Carlotta, and happens to be a former beauty title holder.
(04/15/2016) - There's something deliciously undercover at the Omaha Community Playhouse. CALENDAR GIRLS, directed by Susan Baer Collins, opens tonight for a four-week run. The strong ensemble cast reveals distinct, fully rounded personalities. I had so much fun watching their characters unfold, particularly the six friends who belong to the British social club for women, the WI (Women's Institute).
(04/01/2016) - CALENDAR GIRLS, running April 15 - May 8, 2016, directed by Susan Baer Collins, in the Hawks Mainstage Theatre at the Omaha Community Playhouse, is a bare-all play featuring sisterhood and side-splitting laughs. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the cast in costume below!
(03/07/2016) - Andy Huntington Jones, who plays Prince Topher in the national tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein's CINDERELLA leads a fairy tale life. Read on to find out how his love story echoes the magical story unfolding on stage.
(03/04/2016) - Picture this: a quartet hanging around a lamppost in 1940's Hollywood dressed in warm yellow and red tones, singing in close harmony while shadowy gray figures dance in the background. A shot rings out and CITY OF ANGELS opens with a bang at the Omaha Community Playhouse.
(02/19/2016) - CITY OF ANGELS, running March 4 - April 3, 2016, in the Hawks Mainstage Theatre at the Omaha Community Playhouse, is a film noir-style musical that pays homage to glamorous 1940s Hollywood. Winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, this clever show has two plots running simultaneously (the real world and the 'reel' world) as a man writes a screenplay that mirrors his own life. Intrigue, mystery and incredible music make CITY OF ANGELS a must-see production. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the cast in costume below!
(02/17/2016) - I don't remember enjoying a show this much since PIPPIN came to Omaha! Disney's NEWSIES, the record-breaking smash musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman, and book by Harvey Fierstein opened last night at the Orpheum Theater. There was no doubt as to whether the audience enjoyed it. They erupted into cheers, whistles, and applause after, and sometimes in the middle of, each number.
(02/15/2016) - CAROLINE, OR CHANGE is shaking up the Omaha Community Playhouse. The closest to this musical that I've seen on stage is FUN HOME, winner of five 2015 Tony Awards, including best original score by Jeanine Tesori.
(02/12/2016) - NEWSIES! is leaping onto the stage at Omaha's Orpheum Theater. This high-energy musical based on historic events opens February 16 for a six day run. I spoke with Andrew Wilson, Dance Captain and Swing for NEWSIES, about his background and his experience working with the show. This is what he had to say
(01/22/2016) - The house was estrogen-filled last night at the Omaha Community Playhouse. Packed with women and a handful of brave men, the audience responded with knowing bursts of laughter as they listened to five women on stage talk about marking memorable occasions...the good, the bad, and the ugly... with what they wore. LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE will resonate with all women.
(12/07/2015) - Who has NOT grown up with Wizard of Oz? It was a very special annual event in my childhood home, and I am willing to bet most of you can say the same. I was excited to speak with Aaron Fried, who plays the Cowardly Lion in the national tour of WIZARD OF OZ, which opens at the Orpheum Theater in Omaha on Tuesday, December 8?.
(12/04/2015) - Having never seen the five-time Tony Award winning PETER AND THE STARCATCHER prior to the preview at Omaha's Rose Theater last night, I did not know what to expect. I suppose I was thinking it would be similar to the classic Disney movie or the more recent Broadway hit FINDING NEVERLAND, but it was neither. And it was both.
(11/19/2015) - I know everyone will expect this review to begin with, "I've Had the Time of My Life," but I will skip that well-known song that serves as the finale to DIRTY DANCING and go back to the opening number which defines it so well as "This Magic Moment."
(11/06/2015) - A CHRISTMAS CAROL will run at the Omaha Community Playhouse, Nov. 20-Dec. 23, 2015. This year marks the 40th year for the production on the mainstage of OCP. In celebration of 40 years, the Omaha Community Playhouse will hold a special 'alumni reunion' party for all former and current cast and crew members on Thursday, December 17. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!
(11/01/2015) - SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE exploded on stage on October 30th at Creighton University's Lied Center for the Performing Arts as a glorious celebration of light, color and sound.
(10/15/2015) - Get ready to kick up your heels! Wildly popular KINKY BOOTS, winner of six 2013 Tony Awards, opens October 20th at Omaha's Orpheum Theater. To get a little insider insight, I spoke with Steven Booth who plays shoe factory owner Charlie Price:
(10/05/2015) - BEERTOWN runs Oct. 16-Nov. 15, 2015 in the Howard Drew Theatre at the Omaha Community Playhouse. Following successful runs at New York City Off-Broadway theater 59E59 and at Lincoln Center Theater's Director's Lab, dog & pony dc bring their critically acclaimed production of BEERTOWN on tour to Omaha. The tour features dynamic collaborations with dog & pony dc ensemble members and local actors and their communities across the country, each time crafting a new and uniquely relevant BEERTOWN. The Omaha Community Playhouse is one of four national stops for BEERTOWN this year. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the cast in action below!
(09/18/2015) - The Omaha Community Playhouse opens its 2015-2016 season with MAN OF LA MANCHA, the multiple-Tony Award winning musical based on the novel Don Quixote. Written by Dale Wasserman with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion, the story tells of Miguel de Cervantes and his imprisonment during the Spanish Inquisition. Cervantes enlists his fellow prisoners into the telling of Don Quixote, knight errant, and his escapades as he fights for valor. I caught the preview last night and I have to warn you-it would be a mistake to miss this one.
(09/03/2015) - A brand new production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, directed by three-time Tony Award winner Jack O'Brien, hits the road for a national tour. This lavish new production launches this September at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, under the auspices of the Center Theatre Group, and will then tour North America for multiple seasons, playing multi-week and week-long engagements. BroadwayWorld brings you shots of the meet and greet below!
(06/05/2015) - If you've recently watched "Saving Mr. Banks," you may be twice as curious about Mary Poppins and the Banks family. What's true? Who's real? Well, it's hard to tell, because MARY POPPINS is brimming with more than brimstone and treacle. It's filled with magic and wise sayings and heart.
(05/14/2015) - ONCE is not enough. You must see it as many times as possible, because it is unique. It is indefinable. It is a bittersweet love story of longing, and it will leave you wanting more.
(05/06/2015) - Cassidy Stirtz will return to her Nebraska roots and perform the role of Ex-Girlfriend as ONCE the musical takes the stage at Omaha's Orpheum Theater May 12-17.
(04/17/2015) - The minute you walk into the Omaha Community Playhouse and look at the stage, you know you are in for an unusual experience. I HATE HAMLET, opening April 17, is a wonderful playground somewhere between the Hollywood days of the legendary John Barrymore and today. Directed by Ablan Roblin and Assistant Director Noah Diaz, seasoned actors intertwine the serious with the farcical, the real with the surreal. It's a delicious bit of theater that even those who really do hate Hamlet have to love.
(03/30/2015) - GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL! is ridiculous! Cathy Hirsch (the Candy Project) assembled a whole cast of zany characters within two award-winning actors- Dan Chevalier (Bud Davenport +others) and Steve Krambeck (Doug Simon +others). These two guys wear a multitude of hats (literally and figuratively) in this two act musical by Anthony King and Scott Brown. The story centers on Bud's and Doug's scant research of Johannes Gutenberg and his invention of the printing press. Fast paced, satiric, and just plain stupid fun, this production is a sure hit, particularly combined with good beer and great pizza at Pizza Shoppe Collective in Omaha.
(03/27/2015) - MOTOWN THE MUSICAL recently opened at the Orpheum Theater in Omaha, taking the packed house captive for 2 hours and 45 minutes with nonstop songs covering 25 years of emerging superstars.
(03/18/2015) - When I was asked to interview a cast member of "MOTOWN THE MUSICAL" currently on tour, I chose Galen J. Williams. I had two reasons. The first is that I had previously seen him performing in a Broadway Dreams Foundation show in Los Angeles and found him to be a captivating performer. The second is that I am intrigued by the demands of a swing. So I called Galen and spoke with him about MOTOWN and swings and Broadway dreaming.
(03/06/2015) - Omaha Community Playhouse resurrected the 1971 Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice rock opera 'Jesus Christ Superstar' last night. The musical, based on the last week in the life of Jesus, is told from the perspective of Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus. The original Broadway production created a buzz with a nod to contemporary issues from the hippie subculture of the 60's and 70's.
(02/13/2015) - You might wonder how a musical about ten Texans competing to win a Nissan truck by being the last person standing with hands on it could be interesting. There can be little action since everyone is stuck to the truck by white cotton gloves. Yet, this musical is not about outward action so much as it is about inward struggle. These are varied characters with diverse personalities. The truck is the vehicle that ties them together. These white-gloved hands are what hang onto hope. I promise you that it is interesting!
(10/03/2014) - When a tall, lanky cat wearing a red-and-white-striped hat steps through the door, one thing is certain: wild, wacky fun is about to ensue. The Cat in the Hat brings Dr. Seuss' classic tale vividly to life at The Rose Theater, today, Oct. 3-19. This energetic adaptation of the iconic children's book weaves all the silliness and charm of the original story into a playful production that will delight the entire family. Scroll down for a look at the cast!
(02/17/2014) - Omaha Community Playhouse presents the award winning musical, Next to Normal. Don't miss out on the chance to see one of Omaha's best productions this season.
(01/03/2014) - The Omaha Community Playhouse will produce Having Our Say, Jan. 17-Feb. 9, 2014. Meet Bessie and Sadie Delany. At ages 101 and 103, these resilient African-American sisters have lived through historic events, such as the Civil Rights Movement, Jim Crow laws and women's suffrage. These cultural pioneers never married, stating "we were too smart, too independent for most men" and pursued education and careers during a time when it was unheard of to do so. Their endearing stories are humorous and historical as they invite the audience into their home for an evening of memories in this touching, biographical, two-person play, starring real-life sisters Camille Metoyer Moten and Lanette Metoyer Moore. Check out promotional shots below!
(10/15/2013) - 'Memphis' is coming to the Lied Center in Lincoln, Ne. The award winning show will be here November 12th and 13th, with evening performances.
(02/07/2013) - Evil Dead: The Musical runs Friday, February 8 through Sunday, March 17, 2013 in the Omaha Community Playhouse's Howard Drew Theatre. Get a first look at the production in the photos below!
