BWW Review: FRIENDS! THE MUSICAL PARODY at Orpheum Theater
The touring production of Friends! The Musical Parody at the Orpheum Theater in Sioux Falls, SD had an energy of excitement and anticipation on Thursday evening as the audience found their seats; many of them as a 'group of friends'. As recorded music ramped up the theme to the iconic television program, it was a familiar space of sense memory that took you back to a time when we were all less absorbed by our electronic devices and social media and more curious about the situations a cast of quirky and hilarious characters would navigate. Friends! was a series that spanned 10 years and 236 episodes. Is it possible that I saw every episode of this series? Now that the television show is in syndication, I would have to concede the answer is a resounding and celebratory, 'yes!' Twenty five years after it first appeared on the airwaves, it continues to be a favorite among fans, many of them not even born when it began.
BWW Review: SUNSET BOULEVARD: Alice Ripley Puts Her Stamp on Norma Desmond
In the annals of musical theater, Norma Desmond is one of those larger than life characters, like Mame Dennis, Dolly Levi, and Eva Peron, who cries out for an actor with a specific and rare combination of skills to play the role. Tony Award-winner Alice Ripley ascends to playing the faded silent-screen star in the North Shore Music Theatre production of SUNSET BOULEVARD, after originating the role of Betty Schaefer in the 1994 original Broadway cast which starred Glenn Close. In so doing, Ripley joins the pantheon of singular talents who have put their personal stamp on the musical iteration of Norma, stepping out of the shadow of the indelible mark Gloria Swanson made on celluloid in Billy Wilder's 1950 film.
BWW Review: FRIENDS! THE MUSICAL PARODY at Starlight Indoor Theatre
Friends! The Musical Parody runs through April 14, 2019
Location: Cohen Community Stage House at Starlight Theatre (the indoor theatre) Suitable for audiences born before the TV show's finale in 2004 (ages 14+).
Parking
Patrons park for free in the paved Zebra lot on Starlight's east side. Weather permitting, a courtesy shuttle will operate from the lot. ADA parking and patron drop-off is outside gate 8.
Gate Time: open one hour prior to show time with a nice compliment of concessions and other libations. (It's quite tasty!)
Duration: 2 hours including intermission
Single tickets to Starlight events and Broadway season tickets may be purchased:
• Online 24/7 at kcstarlight.com
• By phone: 816.363.7827
• In person: 4600 Starlight Road, Kansas City, MO 64132
(the address of the theatre)
MNM Theatre Company Announces Cast Of GREASE At The Kravis Center's Rinker Playhouse
Marcie Gorman, Executive Producer & Artistic Director for MNM Theatre Company, today announced the cast of its fourth and final production in 2018, the rock n' roll musical GREASE, the most popular movie musical in history. Co-presented by MNM and the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, the show with a 15-person cast and backed by a live six-piece band, will run November 16 through December 2 in the Kravis Center's Rinker Playhouse.
Photo Flash: Palm Beach Dramaworks Presents EQUUS
Why did a teenage boy who literally worships horses commit the unspeakable act of blinding six of them? That is the mystery psychiatrist Martin Dysart must unravel in order to help his disturbed young patient in Peter Shaffer's Tony Award-winning Equus . The psychological thriller opens at Palm Beach Dramaworks on May 18 and continues through June 3, with specially priced previews on May 16 and 17.
Palm Beach Dramaworks Presents EQUUS by Peter Shaffer
Why did a teenage boy who literally worships horses commit the unspeakable act of blinding six of them? That is the mystery psychiatrist Martin Dysart must unravel in order to help his disturbed young patient in Peter Shaffer's Tony Award-winning Equus. The psychological thriller opens at Palm Beach Dramaworks on May 18 and continues through June 3, with specially priced previews on May 16 and 17.
Jan McArt Presents STARMAKER
South Florida playwright-actor-director Michael Leeds' latest work, 'STARMAKER,' tells the true story of Hollywood super-agent Henry Willson and his relationship with his super-client Rock Hudson, as told by Henry himself, accompanied by a Greek chorus of his other famous clients.