Anne Kennedy News

Brilliantly ending their spectacular 10th season, Long Island's John W. Engeman Theatre offers a great incarnation of the iconic, game-changing musical Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!. Excellently directed by Engeman vet Igor Goldin, this production runs through June 25th at the gorgeous Northport venue. The cast is truly outstanding and the whole production is well done.

The John W. Engeman Theater's OKLAHOMA! is now open! Performances run now through Sunday, June 25, 2017. Take a look at the cast celebrating opening night below!

The John W. Engeman Theater's OKLAHOMA! is now open! Performances run now through Sunday, June 25, 2017. Take a look at the cast taking their opening night bows below!

Manoa Valley Theatre will captivate audiences with the mystery thriller from Frederick Knott, from the 1966 and 1998 Broadway seasons. It's the story of a sinister con man and two ex-convicts who are about to meet their match when they deploy a cleverly constructed deception on a blind woman whom they think unknowingly possesses a doll of particular interest to them. Seemingly disadvantaged, it is only when darkness falls and she turns off all the lights leaving the perpetrators to maneuver in the dark that the real cat-and-mouse game ramps up. You'll be on the edge of your seat as this thriller masterfully moves from one moment of suspense to another and builds toward an electrifying, breath-stopping final scene.

The John W. Engeman Theater announces the cast and creative team for OKLAHOMA! Performances begin on Thursday, May 11 at 8:00pm and run through Sunday, June 25, 2017.

Manoa Valley Theatre parties on in its 2016-17 season, with the rock musical, "Rock of Ages," by Chris D'Arienzo from the 2015 Broadway season. It's the tail end of the big, bad 1980s in Hollywood, and the party has been raging hard at one of the Sunset Strips last legendary rock and roll venues. The fairy-tale madness is about to end, though, when developers unveil plans to turn the fabled Strip into just another capitalist strip mall. Can a pack of rock and rollers save the strip-and themselves-before it's too late?  Music of headliner pop bands from the era holds the answer. This is a Hawaii premiere.

PlayMakers Repertory Company proudly presents Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" at the Paul Green Theatre, from March 1 through 19, 2017. The Slim Aarons flavor of the production design can be seen in newly released promotional photos below.

Inspired by the photographic works of Slim Aarons, Jerry Ruiz's conception of "Twelfth Night" will transport audiences to a mid-20th century Illyria where jet-setting socialites encounter mistaken identities and gender masquerades, ensuring that no one really knows who they are, or what they want. A shipwrecked Viola disguises herself as Cesario, a page in the service of Duke Orsino. Viola loves Orsino, but Orsino loves Lady Olivia, who in turn falls for "Cesario" when "he" is sent by the Duke to court her. Turning this comic love triangle even further on its side is the reappearance of Viola's twin brother Sebastian, presumed dead after the shipwreck. Add in a fool named Feste and a drunkard named Belch for a fast-paced feast for the senses.

Manoa Valley Theatre continues its 2016-17 season, ringing in the New Year with a contemporary comedy by Sarah Ruhl from the 2014 Off-Broadway season. 

Manoa Valley Theatre continues its 2016-17 season, ringing in the New Year with a contemporary comedy by Sarah Ruhl from the 2014 Off-Broadway season. 

The New York Musical Festival (NYMF), previously known as The New York Musical Theater Festival, just honored Tony and Grammy Award winning composer and lyricist Duncan Sheik, Casting Director Tara Rubin, and former NYMF Board Member and Treasurer Frank Troutman at its 2016 Gala hosted by Mo Rocca last night at the Edison Ballroom.

Manoa Valley Theatre continues its 2016-17 season in a Hawaii premiere with the poignant drama The Elephant Man, by Bernard Pomerance, from the 1979, 2002, and 2015 Broadway seasons. Based on a true story, nineteenth century London's John Merrick, a horribly deformed young man, victim of rare skin and bone diseases, is befriended by a celebrated young physician, Frederick Treves. Rescued from a freak attraction in traveling side shows and introduced to London society, Merrick slowly evolves from an object of pity to an urbane and witty favorite of the aristocracy and literati only to be denied his ultimate dream: to become a man like any other. Awards include Tony Award, Best Play (1979), Drama Desk Award Outstanding New Play (1979), Drama Desk Award Outstanding Revival of a Play (2015).

ABIGAIL/1702 is playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's exploration of the aftermath of the 1692 Salem witch trials. Merrimack Repertory Theatre and Director Tlaloc Rivas push all the right buttons to give the audience a scary ride. The outstanding design elements create an atmosphere that is spooky on many levels, and Rachel Napoleon is convincing as the troubled young accuser trying to escape her past.

Artistic Director Les Waters and Managing Director Kevin E. Moore are pleased to announce the cast and creative team for Dominique Morisseau's heartfelt drama, Detroit '67.

???????NYC-based theatre company The Woolgatherers presents Revel's End, a striking new take on Shakespeare's The Tempest, set in a Brooklyn night club. Directed by Grace Herman-Holland, the production features original tracks performed live by DJ Jared Arnold and devised dance inspired by the actors different cultural traditions, to tell Shakespeare's controversial romance in a bold new way.

This fall Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT) presents the regional premiere of Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's 'Abigail/1702', the haunting play that asks what might have happened ten years after the Salem witch trials. At the center of the story is Abigail Williams, the young accuser of 1692's Salem Village, as she tries to begin a new life after the hysteria has subsided-yet remains haunted at every turn by terrors of the past. Tlaloc Rivas directs.

The Internet may have altered the dating scene a lot since Haley Walker first graced a Playhouse stage in the 2005 production of BAD DATES, but one thing hasn't changed: Dating can be torture, so you might as well laugh about it. One of the most popular shows in Playhouse history, Theresa Rebeck's irresistible comedy returns April 30 through June 12 to the intimacy of the Thompson Shelterhouse Theatre to prove that a good date can be just as elusive as a bargain-priced pair of Chanel pumps.

Idris Goodwin's second break beat play is a love story set in the world of hip-hop, exploring one young man's search for authenticity and identity when he moves from the suburbs to the urban environment. Hoping to immerse himself in the culture of the hip-hop music world, T.O. learns important life lessons from a no-nonsense Journalism professor and from being tossed around on the rocky shoals of love.

Merrimack Repertory Theatre continues its 2015-16 Season with the world premiere of "The Realness: a break beat play," the latest work from renowned playwright and hip-hop artist Idris Goodwin. The love story at the center of "The Realness" lets us view the seismic events of the mid-90's hip-hop scene insightfully, through a compassionate human lens. Audiences will see this world through the eyes of T.O., who immerses himself in the hip-hop culture he's only observed from the safety of the suburbs, and falls hard for a captivating MC. Wendy Goldberg, head of the National Playwrights Conference at The Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, will direct. The production is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts' Art Works program.

There is no perfect way to realize Shakespeare's vision, but employing an all-female cast is apt to be among the less successful ways. In the alternative, you can say the hell with realizing Shakespeare's vision, and simply have fun with your own. And that, I think, is the approach that director Wendy C. Goldberg has chosen to pursue at Center Stage