Benjamin News

Soka Performing Arts Center has announced its 2023-2024 season. Learn more about the full lineup here!

WOW! What a fun show! I love some of the crazy lines that just pop up out of nowhere, like “Phil Collins can be kick ass sometimes!” Rock of Ages definitely lived up to its hype, and I was super fortunate to see this production. This well paced show boasted soooo many strong performances, I hardly know where to begin.

One thing that can be said about Book-It Repertory Theatre, Dear Readers, is that they know how to surprise and thrill. Their 2016 productions of “The Brothers K” still live rent free in my head. So, when I heard they were tackling a novel such as Stanislaw Lem’s “Solaris”, currently playing at the Center Theater, I was dubious but excited. Taking on this Sci-Fi/thriller/love story is not an easy thing to do. It’s been attempted many times including a few movies, the most recent in 2002 with George Clooney, but to put the Solaris Space Station up on stage sounded like a stretch. But then, I did say they always surprise, and they did this time, as well as thrill.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK's Original Broadway Cast Recording will feature five bonus tracks when the album is released on Friday, June 23.

Hart's illustrious musical career took flight in 2003 when she entered electropop scene as a member of Au Revoir Simone. Their synthesizer-driven tunes were prominently featured in movies, commercials, and hit TV shows like Grey's Anatomy and David Lynch's 2017 revival of Twin Peaks (the band also appeared on the show).

MICHAEL J. BENJAMIN has unveiled an acoustic version of “The Same Again”, ahead of his debut EP. Produced by Jon McMullen (Wet Leg, Michael Kiwanuka) at his London studio, “The Same Again (Acoustic) makes for a wistful country-blues record that feels simultaneously nostalgic and refreshing; true to a style that Benjamin is quickly making his own.

All new footage has been released of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club starring Maude Apatow and Mason Alexander Park. Check out the video here!

BWW catches up with Benjamin Alborough to chat about bringing Absolute Monopoly to the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Internationally acclaimed Visual Artist and Multi-Sensory creator Benjamin Knock will this July in Melbourne present Terra-Therma at No Vacancy Gallery.

Due to popular demand, Ensemble Theatre Company (ETC) has announced a special added performance of its critically-acclaimed production of SEARED on Saturday, June 24 at 2:00pm.  SEARED performs through Sunday, June 25, 2023 at The New Vic Theatre, 33 W. Victoria Street in Santa Barbara. 

Lin-Manuel Miranda, John Kander, Susan Stroman, and more discuss the sound and story of New York, New York!

Watch Maude Apatow perform 'Don't Tell Mama' from Cabaret with an introduction by Mason Alexander Park at West End Live!

It’s exactly four years since English National Ballet brought Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella to the Royal Albert Hall. It sat happily in my memory, from 2019, as a visual spectacle; the opulent ball scene, those slapstick sisters and Julian Crouch’s fantastical designs. Now it returns, these elements still intact however the central choreography still feels weak, meaning the Principals do not dazzle as they always should, however the immersive experience of the Albert Hall and the charm of the corps still hold vast appeal. 

Syracuse Stage closes its 2022-23 season with the madcap farce, Clue. Based on the iconic 1950’s board game of the same name, Clue spoofs whodunit mysteries, film noir, 1950’s pop culture and gothic horror films. The play is adapted for stage from the 1985 film that was a critical flop but has since become a cult classic. Set during McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Committee hearings, a time fraught with suspicion and accusation, the mansion owned by Mr. Boddy becomes the gathering point for six invited guests. These guests we find out are all guarded about their pasts, are all being blackmailed and are referred to by aliases that correspond to the famous characters in the board game. Each guest is then gifted one of the six murder weapons. In all, there are six potential murderers, six weapons and nine rooms in the mansion, 324 possibilities for who, what and where; as Shakespeare and Sherlock Holmes agree, now “the game is afoot.” The gothic mansion, the dark and stormy night, the suspenseful reality of the play merge with Parker Brothers’ (now Hasbro’s) rule book and the characters become mashups of villains and game pieces. They punctuate the endings of scenes with comic confusion, mad scrambling and a kind of frantic skipping, like game pieces moving on a board after a dice roll. Scenic designer, Czerton Lim, creates the perfect 3-D version of the original board game. Upon entering the theatre, the audience sees a classic gothic foyer, complete with crystal chandelier, mahogany woodwork, marble stairs and a tiled floor fashioned to replicate the spaces on a game board. As the play progresses, the set becomes a character in itself as it transforms into the rooms of the mansion required by both the game and the play. His design is beautiful and functional. It not only provides a setting but also helps establish the humor and tempo of the play. It always surprises and delights. Likewise, original music by Michael Holland and sound design by Todd Mack create a comically suspenseful mood and punctuate the zany exploits on stage. Along with lighting design by Jared Gooding, the cliché of a dark and stormy night permeates the atmosphere and heightens the tension and anxiety of this mock thriller. The production is at its best when the actors are highly choreographed and in tune with the music, sound and light cues. In fact, the funniest moment in the play is prompted by a single gunshot. Director Benjamin Hanna establishes a fast pace from the very beginning of the play. It is so fast and furious that neither the audience nor the actors are allowed to get their bearings. The characters in Clue are obvious stereotypes but the portrayals all share the same frenetic quality without ever establishing basic, underlying traits and motivations. Characterization, for the most part, has been sacrificed to blatant silliness and camp. (There is nothing in the script that requires the beginning to move at such a pace.) Once the first murder occurs and the stakes are raised the speed can and should pickup through the end. For example, Plum is a stereotypical Professor, haughty and cerebral but cursed with an inflated libido. Beethovan Oden has a nice general feel for the character and indicates his personality traits, but he isn’t able to develop those qualities from the onset of the play. If he had, then as the pace became more frantic the audience could have enjoyed watching him first struggle then ultimately fail to keep his composure. Clearly many of the actors are talented. John Taylor Phillips as Wadsworth has a natural presence on stage as well as crisp comic timing but never fully embodies the stereotypical reserved, unflappable and ultimately arrogant butler. Emily Berman as Miss Scarlet is also clean and precise. Miss Scarlet is a stereotypical Madame but the actress is not allowed to explore the cynism and sexuality of the character who should have a slower, more voluptuous pace than some of the others. Henry Woronicz’s Colonel Mustard vacillates appropriately between being doddering and demanding. He sketches out an interesting frame for his character but again seems to fall prey to the tempo of this runaway train. Claire Wilcher makes a strong acting choice to play Mrs. Peacock with the nervous energy of a bird. Her comedy is broad and eccentric while still grounded in reality. Even when she is in the background of the action, she is always in the moment. When given focus, she commands the stage and rate of action. As a result, her portrayal is very funny and very satisfying to watch. Her least successful moments occur when directed to do something out of character simply for a laugh. Less successfully, Eric Sharp’s Mr. Green and Emjoy Gavino’s Mrs. White just seem lost in the silliness and frenetic mayhem. As lovers of farce and broad comedy, we were disappointed that more care wasn’t taken to create an underlying believability before descending into comic chaos. A stock character when presented by an actor still needs to have specificity. Silliness can be funny, comic bits enjoyable and a fast pace exciting, but they need to be balanced and well executed. By the end of the production, it felt like all 324 murder possibilities were explored, but few realities remained. If you are looking for an evening of fast-paced silliness, screwball comedy and sight gags this production satisfies. As a farce poking fun at human frailty and foibles, Benjamin Hanna’s Clue misses the mark. Clue runs through Sunday, June 25th. Tickets can be purchased by visiting SyracuseStage.org or by calling (315) 443-3275 or by visiting the box office at 820 East Genesee Street. did our critic think of CLUE at Syracuse Stage?

Last night CABARET at the Kit Kat Club welcomed Kate Hudson, Billie Piper, Leslie Mann, Emma Corrin and more to a gala performance celebrating Maude Apatow as the new ‘Sally Bowles’ and Mason Alexander Park as the new ‘Emcee’.

Donmar Warehouse Artistic Director Michael Longhurst and Executive Director Henny Finch have announced full casting for the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical Next To Normal.

A pub theatre in Earl's Court turns into a Quaker Meeting House for Naomi Wallace and Marcus Rediker's intriguing play The Return of Benjamin Lay, which takes the true story of a farmer, sailor, and abolitionist who stands just 4 feet tall and makes his passion for equality universal.

What did our critic think of A QUIRKY COMEDY CABARET at the NAC's Fourth Stage?

When Audrey’s (Ashley Park) business trip to Asia goes sideways, she enlists the aid of Lolo (Sherry Cola), her irreverent, childhood best friend who also happens to be a hot mess; Kat (Stephanie Hsu), her college friend turned Chinese soap star; and Deadeye (Sabrina Wu), Lolo’s eccentric cousin. Watch the trailer for the new film now!

Merola Opera Program continues its 2023 Summer Festival with a fully staged production of Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, approached through a current lens.