Robert Brooks

Brilliant acting mixed in with a powder keg of singing, dancing, and orchestration stuns its audience.

The year is 1858. Charlotte Cushman, renowned performer in the US and abroad, plays male roles onstage as often as female roles, and prefers them. Strand Theater Company produces Barbara Kahn's script, which is built for humor, and spotlights an underappreciated American heroine. This female-centric production is triumphant queer comic theater.

New work advocate and feminist writer Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin pens realistic portrayal of high school life, complete with timeless element of sexual assault. Sexual and gender-based violence survivorship activist Lee Conderacci directs a 6-member cast enacting trials and traumas of teen witch wannabes, at womxn-focused Strand Theater in Baltimore.

I will proudly admit it. I don't like Christmas shows. I once videotaped HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS and purposely stopped taping right about the time the Grinch was about to dump the presents off the edge of Mount Crumpet. I empathize with Miles Finch and Mr. Potter more than I do with Buddy the Elf and George Bailey.

What did our critic think of REVIEW: DISNEY’S NEWSIES at Southern Theatre? Aristotle is credited with coming up with the phrase, 'the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.' Had he witnessed the Columbus Children Theatre's production of DISNEY'S NEWSIES, the philosopher may have reversed the quotation to 'the parts are greater than the sum of the whole.' An energetic cast, sharp management by director Joe Deer and choreographer Vincent Sylvester, and tight orchestration by musical director Lara Brooks lifted a cheesy musical to stellar heights.

Kona Nui Nights is a free monthly event that honors and highlights Hawaiian language, music, and the art of hula. Hosted beneath a large tent behind the IBM building, Ward Village presents one of the best cultural experiences on Oahu. December's special night featured Kupaoa (Kellen and Lihau Paik ) and Mark Yamanaka. This special Kona Nui Nights was a family-friendly event with holiday-themed activities and treats throughout the night. Guests had to RSVP well in advance, and the event was completely booked to capacity. However, some disabled guests found they were robbed of this Christmas celebration due to a Grinch who decided to block the handicap ramp with his Lexus. Instead of allowing the path 50 inches for a wheelchair to pass through, he decided handicapped people only needed about 13 inches for their wheelchairs and walkers in the space between his car and the cement wall. (See photo)