Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey's wildly popular hit musical NEXT TO NORMAL is back on Houston stages, and audiences are packing the house. Last seen in the summer of 2012 at Stages Repertory Theatre, the almost entirely sung through musical is being produced by Standing Room Only Productions at Obsidian Art Space and covers hard hitting social issues centered around bipolar disorder, depression, and the effect these mental illnesses have on familial bonds.
After the success of THE PRODUCERS, Mel Brooks gave YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN the Broadway treatment. The ribald musical comedy had it's pre-Broadway try out at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington. It began previews on Broadway on October 11, 2007 and opened at the Foxwoods Theatre (then named the Hilton Theatre) on November 8. The show closed after 485 performances on January 4, 2009. The production launched two national tours, with the Second National Tour closing on May 31, 2012. Rights to the musical became available to regional theaters shortly thereafter, and many ballsy theatre companies are gladly taking on the ambitious project.
Imagine a darkly ambient realm where angular architecture rises from the shadows and is adorned with three half ovals curtained in sheer white fabric. In this simplistically austere setting, every surface is painted black and gives the impression of some ambiguous but wholly recognizable cabaret. Out of the ether, six shapes emerge. In an assortment of solos and group pieces, these figures sing intensely haunting and puzzling music. Some songs are rigorously jazzy and mesmerizingly chromatic, leaping through major and minor chords with seemingly crazed affectation. Other songs are tuneful and familiar, playing off of bluesy gospel traditions that are tinged with pop sensibilities. This is the world that Adam Guettel, most widely known for the 2005 Tony Award winning musical THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, and Bit of a Stretch Theatre Company have created with the Houston premiere of MYTHS AND HYMNS.
This summer, Bit of a Stretch Theatre Co. (winner of 2012 Houston Press Award for Best New Theatre Company) will be staging the Regional Premiere of the song cycle MYTHS AND HYMNS, written by Adam Guettel (LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA).
Bit of a Stretch Theatre Company is running in full gear, preparing for the opening of their annual summertime production. Notorious for excelling at demanding and lesser known pieces, Bit of a Stretch Theatre Company provides Houston audiences unique musical experiences and challenges them to redefine their stereotypical notions of 'musical theater.' This summer Bit of a Stretch is presenting audiences with another piece of work from composer and lyricist Adam Guettel, MYTHS & HYMNS. I recently sat down with Emma Martinsen, Wiley DeWeese, and Erin Cressy to discuss their upcoming production.
This summer, Bit of a Stretch Theatre Co. (winner of 2012 Houston Press Award for Best New Theatre Company) will be staging the Regional Premiere of the song cycle MYTHS AND HYMNS, written by Adam Guettel (LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA).
Legendary comedian, Joan Rivers, will perform her world renowned stand up at The Colonial Theatre on May 10 at 8pm with opener Brad Zimmerman. Audience members are invited to walk the red carpet before the show and stay after to see Tom Judson sing and play the piano in The Garage.
To kick off their 2012-2013 season, A.D. Players is presenting Steven Dietz's Edgar award winning play SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE FINAL ADVENTURE. The play itself is an adaptation of American actor William Gillette's 1899 play, which borrows Irene Adler from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "A Scandal in Bohemia" and Professor James Moriarty from "The Adventure of the Final Problem." Irene Adler is an opera singer and a superficial villainess in her own right, tempting Sherlock Holmes' typically nonexistent romantic feelings. Professor James Moriarty is the malevolent architect of most of England's iniquitous scum, which earns him Sherlock's admiration for being a completely reserved and ultimately clever man.
A. D. Players theater will open their 46th Mainstage season September 7th with Steven Deitz' award-winning play Sherlock Holmes: the final adventure at Grace Theater, 2710 W. Alabama. This production of the play, which won the 2007 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Mystery Play, will be its Houston professional premiere.
Bit of a Stretch Theatre Co. is continuing their tradition of bringing complex and thrilling theatre to Houston audiences with Michael John LaChiusa's operetta-like musical FIRST LADY SUITE. Just a couple years out of high school, the young administrative and creative team behind Bit of a Stretch Theatre Co.'s productions is simply inspiring, producing a series of fantastic theatrical events. These talented young artists find and direct casts and crews that convey the intricate works they choose so well that the audience can't help but be blown away, and they make it look so easy on top of it all.
hile many of us realize the great responsibility our Presidents assumed when they were inaugurated, few consider how their wives were affected. In a series of four beautifully scored one-act musicals by Michael John LaChiusa, First Lady Suite journeys into the lives of four First Ladies - Jackie Kennedy, Mamie Eisenhower, Bess Truman, and Eleanor Roosevelt - and the people around them. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the production photos below, which opens tonight, July 26, and runs through August 5.
In a series of four beautifully scored one-act musicals by Michael John LaChiusa, First Lady Suite journeys into the lives of four First Ladies - Jackie Kennedy, Mamie Eisenhower, Bess Truman, and Eleanor Roosevelt - and the people around them. "Weird, Funny, and Wigged out," according to the NY Times, the piece meditates on finding one's identity and how we all must struggle to find our own way while in the shadow of another.
In a series of four beautifully scored one-act musicals by Michael John LaChiusa, First Lady Suite journeys into the lives of four First Ladies - Jackie Kennedy, Mamie Eisenhower, Bess Truman, and Eleanor Roosevelt - and the people around them. "Weird, Funny, and Wigged out," according to the NY Times, the piece meditates on finding one's identity and how we all must struggle to find our own way while in the shadow of another.
MY SON THE WAITER: A JEWISH TRAGEDY, written by and starring Brad Zimmerman plays at Bay Street Theatre tonight, May 12 at 8 pm. Tickets to this one night only return event are $20 in advance on sale now at www.baystreet.org or at the Box Office beginning April 18 at 631-725-9500. Tickets will be $30 at the door. Zimmerman is donating all proceeds to Bay Street Theatre.
MY SON THE WAITER: A JEWISH TRAGEDY, written and starring Brad Zimmerman plays at Bay Street Theatre on Saturday, May 12 at 8 pm. Tickets to this one night only return event are $20 in advance on sale now at www.baystreet.org or at the Box Office beginning April 18 at 631-725-9500. Tickets will be $30 at the door. Zimmerman is donating all proceeds to Bay Street Theatre.
Bergen Performance Arts Center is revealing a sneak peak preview to the new 2011/2012 season. All shows go on sale Wednesday May 4th at 11:00AM. bergenPAC insures that there is something for everyone. This year bergenPAC will present a special Halloween themed magic show for the kids. Rock Concerts include Ted Nugent, Rick Springfield as well as classical superstars like Joshua Bell.
Bay Street Theatre is pleased to bring back MY SON THE WAITER: A JEWISH TRAGEDY to the Mainstage in Sag Harbor on Saturday, October 9 at 8 pm. The hysterical comedy sold out four shows this summer as part of the BAY STREET @ THE PARRISH series in Southampton. The show is written and performed by Brad Zimmerman and will performed for one night only. Tickets are $35. Call the box office at 631-725-9500 or log on to www.baystreet.org.
Bay Street Theatre is pleased to bring back MY SON THE WAITER: A JEWISH TRAGEDY to the Mainstage in Sag Harbor on Saturday, October 9 at 8 pm. The hysterical comedy sold out four shows this summer as part of the BAY STREET @ THE PARRISH series in Southampton. The show is written and performed by Brad Zimmerman and will performed for one night only. Tickets are $35. Call the box office at 631-725-9500 or log on to www.baystreet.org.
BAY STREET @ THE PARRISH is back with two hilarious shows coming to the intimate space at the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton. This year Bay Street @ The Parrish opens its summer season with MY SON THE WAITER, A JEWISH TRAGEDY, running for 2 weekends only-Fridays and Saturdays July 23- 24 and July 30-31.
Bay Street @ The Parrish is back with two hilarious shows coming to the intimate space at the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton. This year Bay Street @ The Parrish opens its summer season with MY SON THE WAITER, A JEWISH TRAGEDY, running for 2 weekends only-Fridays and Saturdays July 23- 24 and July 30-31. In MY SON THE WAITER, A JEWISH TRAGEDY, Brad Zimmerman weaves an intricate and bittersweet tale of one man's lengthy struggle to make it as an actor in New York. Part theatre, part stand-up, his homey send-ups on his childhood, family, career and misbegotten love life are as warm and poignant as they are hilarious.
