Tamara Siler News

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).

It is summer in Houston. The heat index is soaring more and more each day. Moreover, many of our local theatre companies are producing family friendly fare that allows each and every one of us to beat the heat for fun theatrical treats. Championing this campaign is Country Playhouse with their whimsical and captivating production of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens' SUESSICAL. The Broadway incarnation tried out in Boston before moving into the Richard Rogers Theatre late in 2000. It was met with lukewarm reviews and closed on May 20, 2001 after 198 performances and 34 previews. Before hitting the road on its first of two national tours, the book underwent extensive revisions because of its marginal showing on Broadway.

The Country Playhouse will pre­sent Seussical: The Musical by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty on its Cerwinske main stage for three weekends only, June 14 - 29. The eleven performances are on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m., plus one Saturday matinee on Saturday, June 29 at 2:00 p.m.

Kicking off the holiday season while also helping to raise funds for the theater's ongoing operations, a one-weekend-only Yuletide Cabaret will be presented at The Country Playhouse tonight, November 30 to December 2, with an opening night cocktail recep­tion gala at 6:30 p.m., plus a Saturday performance at 8:00 p.m., and closing with a matinee at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.

What started as friends having fun, singing around a piano, has blossomed into what promises to be a mirth filled and extraordinary production. Last night, I was invited to attend a rehearsal for The Country Playhouse's special holiday event YULETIDE CABARET. Walking into The Country Playhouse, the air was buzzing with holiday cheer and excitement. Even though it was just a rehearsal, the mood was set for a fantastic evening of holiday favorites, wondrous surprises, and delightful new Christmas themed songs.

Kicking off the holiday season while also helping to raise funds for the theater's ongoing operations, a one-weekend-only Yuletide Cabaret will be presented at The Country Playhouse on November 30 to December 2, with an opening night cocktail recep­tion gala at 6:30 p.m., plus a Saturday performance at 8:00 p.m., and closing with a matinee at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Kicking off the holiday season while also helping to raise funds for the theater's ongoing operations, a one-weekend-only Yuletide Cabaret will be presented at The Country Playhouse on November 30 to December 2, with an opening night cocktail recep­tion gala at 6:30 p.m., plus a Saturday performance at 8:00 p.m., and closing with a matinee at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.

ain Street Theater's regional premiere production of Liz Duffy Adams' DOG ACT is a dark and challenging show that is fantastically moving and altogether enjoyable. Skillfully directed by Andrew Ruthven, DOG ACT tells the tale of Rozetta "Zeta" Stone and Dog, traveling vaudevillians, as they journey across a barren, post-apocalyptic United States in search of passage to China. Along the way, they encounter and team up with Vera Similitude and Jo-Jo, an enigmatic duo that vacillate between being helpful and deviously sinister. The piece really comes together in the second act, when the cast rehearses their vaudeville act, showcasing the play within a play that fully discloses the parable-esque themes of both the framing narrative and the vaudevillian act that the characters perform.

Main Street Theater's next production is the regional premiere of Liz Duffy Adams' DOG ACT, which is a post-apocalyptic comedy. The plot follows Zetta Stone and her companion Dog, who is voluntarily undergoing a species demotion, as the travel across The Remains of the United States with their vaudeville troupe. In preparation for this fantastic production, Liz Duffy Adams took a few moments of her time to talk to me abut the genesis of DOG ACT, her writing process, advice for other artists, and women artists in general.

Houston's Theatre Under the Stars' production of the two time Tony award winning musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas reminds Houston audiences why it has always been said that the stars shine big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas. This production, full of big hair, is filled with even bigger show-stopping numbers and larger than life characters.

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) just announced the cast of The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, running June 5 - 17 at the Hobby Center for The Performing Arts. It's all big songs and big hair in this sassy, spirited musical about a real-life brothel in Texas. Based on the "Chicken Ranch", the infamous, long-running house of ill repute, this tongue-in-cheek story chronicles Miss Mona Stangley, a classy yet brassy madam with a heart of gold, as her "business" becomes the center of a media controversy. Thrusting the Chicken Ranch into the spotlight is Melvin P. Thorpe, a loud-mouthed reporter based on Houston's own late Marvin Zindler. Spicing up the story line is a hot-headed, trigger-happy town sheriff, the Texas A&M football team, and Miss Mona's risque girls. The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas will be a feisty, fun-filled treat that includes favorites such as "A Lil' Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place" and "Hard Candy Christmas".