It's almost Halloween, and if you're still looking for a spooky good time, let us make some suggestions. From ghosts and man-eating plants to telekinetic teens and angry mobs, there's a lot out there for the Houston theatre-goer to find ... if you dare.
Every year at the anniversary of 9/11, we stop and reflect about where we were, who was lost and the events that followed. It always catches me by surprise how much time has passed since 2001. DYING CITY is a play that follows one family's life after 9/11, but not in the way you may think. Student director, Alliyah Corley took some time to answer BroadwayWorld Orlando's questions about the show.
Ask Celia Berk what she loves about New York and she'll give you a list. Or, better yet, an album. Corporate executive by day, cabaret chanteuse by night (and a damn good one), Berk has won a MAC Award (New York Debut – Female), a Bistro Award (Vocalist), a BWW Award (NY Cabaret Debut), and The Margaret Whiting Award from The Mabel Mercer Foundation since her 2014 debut album You Can't Rush Spring. Her latest, Manhattan Serenade, is an eclectic collection of New York and New York-esque songs steeped in nostalgia and romance, complete with arrangements by Alex Rybeck and a stunning orchestra. Extended by popular demand, Berk will celebrate its release once more at the Metropolitan Room this Friday, October 14 at 7:00 pm. Before the show, we sat down for a discussion on her love note to New York, carving out a space for yourself in the city, and typical New York resilience.
BWW Review: MAMMA MIA! Gives A Farewell Tour At The Hobby Center
Plays that deal with a terminal illness are tough. The storytelling can be tricky as each audience member comes to it with varying degrees of personal impact. In Visiting Edna, currently making its world premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, cancer is an actual character who gives voice to its own experience. Mostly clever, this device (along with an actor playing a television and another an angel), provides an interesting point of view in this lengthy tale.
Matthew Morrison is the prime example of a Renaissance man. From getting his big break as Link Larkin in Hairspray to starring in the cultural revolution of Glee to his time as J.M. Barrie in Finding Neverland, Morrison has showcased his ambition, passion and dedication as one of Broadway's leading men.
Playing the oldest Von Trapp daughter, Liesl, is Paige Silvester. The role was made famous by the recently deceased Charmain Carr (may she rest in peace) in the 1965 film by the same name. Silvester hails from Sacramento, California; earned her BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan; is no stranger to the stage; and writes a really fun blog. She grew up dancing, singing, and acting, and has performed The Muny, Sacramento Music Circus, and was most recently seen in the ensemble of the Broadway 1st National Tour of EVITA.
Acclaimed American actress Hope Davis has starred in numerous independent films and TV dramas, from About Schmidt and American Splendour to In Treatment, The Special Relationship and Wayward Pines. She received a Tony Award nomination for her performance in the original Broadway production of God of Carnage, and next month she returns to the stage in David Hare's new play The Red Barn at the National Theatre, directed by Robert Icke.
Join us September 23 to October 2, 2016, when over 100,000 film lovers in over 250 cities across six continents gather in Cinemas, Museums, and Universities for one purpose...to view and vote on the Finalists' Films in the 19th Annual MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival.
I hate when one acoustical element in a theatrical production prevents me from thoroughly enjoying the play. In A View From the Bridge, the Young Vic production currently at the Ahmanson through October 16, my concern was regarding Frederick Weller playing Eddie Carbone. He's a fine actor, but for some reason, from the very top, his voice was not carrying adequately over the stage to the audience. I could not hear many of his line deliveries in the first several minutes, and I was straining to understand. Perhaps because of the shell-like structure surrounding the actors center stage? Other voices seemed dimmed as well, so this set may have caused the problem. For a while, I thought it was me, that I was going deaf, but after the performance other audience members voiced the same complaint. Other than that, I have mostly good things to report about this piece directed incisively by Ivo van Hove. It comes to LA from Broadway where it won last year's Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.
Having answered the cries of her growing fan base with the sell-out return season of her hit one- woman show, Becoming Bette, at Brisbane's latest answer to the independent theatre scene, Room To Play, Elizabeth Scales is now hearing the call of southern fans and is set to deliver with a two show PRE-fringe treat of Becoming Bette at iconic The Butterfly Club.
Route 66 Theatre Company has announced its 9th season, featuring two plays at its new resident home, The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood. The 2017 season kicks off early spring with the world premiere of Gabe McKinley's psychological drama THE SOURCE, directed by Jason Gerace.
Fifteen years ago, Una and Ray had a relationship. She was 12, and he was 40. Then he abandoned her, and they haven't set eyes on each other since. Now she's found him again...After three years in prison and subsequent hardships, Ray has a new identity and has made a new life for himself, thinking that he cannot be found. Una, twenty-seven, has thought of nothing else; upon seeing a photo of Ray in a magazine, she has tracked him down and arrived, unannounced, at his office. Guilt, rage, and raw emotions run high as they recollect the passionate relationship they had fifteen years ago. Without moral judgements, the play never shies away from the brutal truth of this abandoned and unconventional love. Nevertheless, the consequences are shattering.
A highlight of this year's Erasing Borders Festival was that it took place on Indian Independence Day; perhaps that is why each artist infused the work with such celestial splendor. We opened with Carolina Prada of Colombia - who is based in New Dehli, India - performing the choreography of her Guru, Janmejoy Sai Babu in the Mayurbhanj Chhau style. It should be noted that each artist seemed to personify a specific human virtue. In the case of Ms. Prada, that virtue was intimacy. I felt as if she were dancing for me alone during her majestic solo. This piece showed the embodiment of feminine and masculine energy in one godly being. With her extreme extension, gravity defying barrel turns, leaps and bounds, perfect balances, and tremendous expression, Ms. Prada proved the perfect incarnation of God as a dual gendered being.
A well-done production that is a feast for the eyes.
Tony nominee Tammy Blanchard (HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING) takes a dramatic turn in the new Netflix original movie TALLULAH.
With a book by Terrence McNally, music and lyrics by David Yazbek and now under the direction of (and also featuring choreography by) Terry Norgeot, The Full Monty has arrived at the Provincetown Theatre, in association with Peregrine Theatre Ensemble. Based on the cult-hit film of the same name, this ten-time Tony-Award nominee is one of the most unconventionally 'real' musicals you are ever bound to say; it is a surprisingly dramatic story trapped in the body of a semi-comedic musical, and the songs are an added bonus in bringing both its characters and the audience away from real-life issues by the comedic way in which they are dealt with.
It's tough when you see a play that has some really amazing moments but also sits there and screams, "My God I need an editor!" Such is the case with Stephen Adly Gurgis' "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot" currently performing at the Center Theatre from Sound Theatre Company. Not only could Gurgis do with trimming down this piece that tends to ramble but the folks at SCT could do with tightening their performances as well. But we'll get to that in a minute.
What makes The Second Girl a comedy more than anything else is Cathryn Wake's electrifying performance as Cathleen, a confection of flashing eyes, red hair, a tell-the-truth-and-shame-the-devil attitude, and naked ambition. Her vivacity is inescapable.
Jack Ferver never let up on his drag delivery. Switching arbitrarily from bad French to English or from danse to dance passed for plot in this cabaret act. The scantily clad men in the audience - I attended the June 30th, 2016 performance - lapped it up before they even had a chance to hear the next line. It was all good fun, though if there is an art to telegraphing intention it was not on display here. That was 'I Want You to Want Me': a surrealistic B movie romp ruled by a character with mystical abilities for no other reason than 'just because'. File it under lazy craftsmanship. The world that Mr. Ferver inhabited was self referential, sassy, and imbued with magic, not unlike a gay lounge.
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