The Tony Award winning musical The Drowsy Chaperone, the current offering from The Noel S. Ruiz Theatre at CM Performing Arts Center (CMPAC), is indeed a fascinating piece. I say fascinating because at its entertaining core, it is a show within a show spoofing old musicals. The plot includes mistaken identities, dream sequences, an unexcitable English butler, a Broadway producer going crazy over his Follies production, comical gangsters, a ditzy chorine, a harried best man, and an alcoholic, er, “drowsy”, chaperone amongst other stereotypes. The enjoyable Jordan Hue directed incarnation runs through March 12th at the charming Oakdale, Long Island, venue.
Port Jefferson’s Theatre Three indeed has a hit with their current offering The Marvelous Wonderettes. Running through March 26th, the adorable production is superbly directed by Long Island theatre vet Linda May. This show hasn’t been on Broadway, per se, but it did have two off-Broadway runs in 2008 and 2016 well as inspiring several spin-offs. There have been many local productions of this show and it’s easy to understand why: it is a fun, nostalgic show.
It has been over a year and half since the world shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Finally, I'm thrilled to say, Theater has returned. 'Welcome back!' Oops, Wait I'm mixing-up my 1970's John Travolta pop culture references. 'I got chills and they're multiplying' (that's better). Thankfully, these multiplying chills are not from COVID, but from Theatre Three's fantastically fun production of Grease, complete with an on-stage hot rod.
When Green Day's American Idiot arrived on Broadway in 2010, it received a mixed response. When I saw the original Broadway production, I thought the cast was glorious and found the Book, like everyone else, safe; an emotional roller coaster. Furthermore, you have the rocking score of Green Day's Grammy-winning album the musical is based on. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience seeing it on the Great White Way, and I am delighted Oakdale's Noel S. Ruiz Theatre at CM Performing Arts Center (CMPAC) has added it to their current season.
Now playing at the adorable Noel S. Ruiz Theatre through September 28th, the lush show features a superb ensemble cast each of whom gets to shine. They're young, but they seem to 'get' this type of music, so devotees of this type of this style need not worry. Some of the iconic artists featured in the fun score are Duke Ellington, Casey MacGill, and Johnny Mercer. And, you're sure to recognize some of the classic song including a?oeIt Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) and a?oeBoogie Woogie Bugle Boya??
The Noel S. Ruiz Theatre at CM Performing Arts Center, Nice Work If You Can Get It, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Joe DePietro, Patrick Grossman, Matthew W. Surico, Alison Weinberger, Ashley Nicastro, Amanda Wenchel, Nicolette Carosi, Ronald Green III, Steven Cottonaro, Bailey Whitney, Andrew J Beck, Emily Edwards, Briggs G. Houston, Barry Johnson, Emily Nadler, Adriana Michelle Scheer, Jeff Pangburn, Linda Pentz, David DiMarzo, John Mazzarella, Steven Press, Luke Ferrari, Mike Shapiro, Christian Kalinowski, Katie Perpall, Morgan Zweibel, Maggie Overbaugh, Jennifer Trezza, Juliana Jagielo, Katie Johnson, Megan Fives, Kristi Kahen, Megan Monaghan, and Katy Snair
Over the years, CM Performing Arts Center has continued to impress Long Island audiences with top-notch production value, talented casts, and crowd pleasing seasons of musicals. Their latest show on the marquee, Disney's "Newsies," is no exception.
If there ever was a time to see Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, it is now. The strangely uplifting and silly show encourages the viewer to dream. Even if you are sad or down; continue to dream. Don't get me wrong; there are emotional and dramatic moments. However, the overall message thrives.
The tale, set in the 1960s, takes place in the city of Venice. It centers on Guido Contini who is dreading his upcoming 40th birthday. We follow him as he is facing a midlife crisis that seems to be blocking artistic whims cornering him in a web of romantic complications; Both in real life and his mind. Arthur Kopit's book takes much insight from the viewer as they switch between reality and Guido's mind. Moreover, the music, by Maury Yeston, is rich and moving.
You will not be disappointed when you see a production of the worldwide hit Mamma Mia!. As the current offering from the Noel S. Ruiz Theater at CM Performing Arts Center, this show boasts a remarkable cast. Running through March 9th at the Oakdale venue, Patrick Grossman directs the superb production featuring our favorites from pop group ABBA.
It's the last week to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Long Island Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.
There's just two weeks left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Long Island Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.
There's just two weeks left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Long Island Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.
There's just one month left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Long Island Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.
If you're looking to enjoy some holiday cheer in the comfort of a toasty theater look no further than the Noel S. Ruiz Theatre at CM Performing Arts Center's production of the family favorite 'Annie.' Lavish sets by the masterful Patrick Grossman, a spacious house with a majority of plush red seats and some of the best talent on the island - this production is nothing less than you would expect from this company. Although there are multiple other companies also producing 'Annie' this season I must say this would be quite difficult to top.
In a superb offering, Oakdale's CM Performing Arts Center (CMPAC) presents Phantom at the Noel S. Ruiz Theatre. Not to be mistaken for the famous Andrew Lloyd Weber musical Phantom Of The Opera, this is a different take - though based on the same novel - that gives us more insight into who the Phantom, the man, is. Running through November 3rd, Ashley Nicastro directs and choreographs this boffo incarnation.
Admittedly, when Long Island's Noel S. Ruiz Theatre announced they were going to have a run of the musical The Rat Pack Lounge, I was a little bewildered. The show hasn't been on Broadway, this is the first time it is being done in New York, and, honestly, there wasn't much overall information about the production as I was researching it. However... Sammy Davis, Jr., Ol' Blue Eyes, and Dean Martin? Pass me a martini because I am sold.
Some shows move you. Some shows run a chill up your spine. Some shows leave makeup and tears streaming down your face. This was my experience sitting in the intimate Circle in the Square Theatre, where 'Fun Home' premiered on Broadway in 2015 after an Off-Broadway run in 2013. More than three years later I experienced the same rush of emotions at Smithtown Performing Arts Center's production.
While watching and enjoying 'We Will Rock You,' the latest hit musical at the Smithtown Center For The Performing Arts, you tend to wonder why the show's stars who belt out Queen's greatest hits aren't on Broadway. Gifted performers Andrew Murano and Danielle Nigro delight audiences as they breeze through the rock and roll score and lead a talented troop of young artists to stardom.
The incarnation of Bullets Over Broadway, The Musical at Oakdale's Noel S. Ruiz Theatre at CM Performing Arts Center (CMPAC), is certainly an enjoyable one. Strongly directed by CMPAC Artistic Director Patrick Grossman, the Long Island premiere, running through August 11th, spectacularly closes out the venue's thrilling 42nd season. And let me tell you this cast is absolutely wonderful.
