At its core, MURDER BALLAD is a simple and timeless story of a love triangle (or quadrangle) gone wrong. What makes this show so fresh and compelling, is the fantastic addition of catchy, funny, heartfelt songs and the excellent direction of Wendy Overly and set design of Josh Christofferson. Wilbury Theatre Group is quickly developing a reputation for staging exciting and fresh musicals, and Murder Ballad is no exception.
The Wilbury Theatre Group proudly continues its 2015/16 season with the New England premiere of the new indie rock musical Murder Ballad, April 14-30, 2016. Created by Jonathan Larson Award winner and two-time Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist Julia Jordan with book and lyrics by Jordan and music and lyrics by indie rock singer/songwriter Juliana Nash and directed by Wendy Overly (Next to Normal) with musical direction by Courtney Swain, Murder Ballad is the 'hot blooded and electrifying' new musical that the New York Times says audiences 'won't be able to resist.'
Dark humor can be a challenge at times, but when it works, it can be so completely satisfying that it sticks in your mind long after the show is over. A SKULL IN CONNEMARA is one of those shows, and not only is author Martin McDonagh's writing is a delightful exploration of the twisted and macabre, but the outstanding performances of Jim O'Brien, Jonathan Fisher, Wendy Overly and Steve Kidd deliver McDonagh's words to the audience and leave them laughing until it hurts. This is a play that's strange and sinister, but so thoroughly hilarious that it's hard to describe, and director Judith Swift captured the spirit of it perfectly.
The Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre(The Gamm) presents Martin McDonagh's dark comedy A Skull in Connemara.The production marks The Gamm's final staging of the Anglo-Irish playwright's celebrated Leenane Trilogy of plays set in a mundane village in Ireland's County Galway. The Olivier and Academy Award winner, who first exhilarated audiences with his satires in the 1990s, is currently earning accolades for his new play Hangmen premiering in London's West End.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WANDA JUNE the only play by the great American satirist Kurt Vonnegut Jr, directed by Wendy Overly, begins previews January 7 as the first play in the Burbage Theatre Company's winter series, This Winter's War. Happy Birthday, Wanda June runs through February 5 at Aurora Providence, 276 Westminster Street, Providence, RI. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast onstage below!
Rhode Island's theater community had much to celebrate in 2015. Outstanding productions graced stages from the East Bay to South County, up-and-coming theatrical companies left their mark on the arts scene, and excellent concerts and dance events made for some of the best performances of the year.
Time is running out to vote for the 2015 BroadwayWorld Rhode Island Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 18. Nominations were reader-submitted and after the nomination period ended, BroadwayWorld's local editors proofed the list for eligibility and errors. Voting runs through December 31!
Voting is fully underway for the 2015 BroadwayWorld Rhode Island Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 11. Nominations were reader-submitted and after the nomination period ended, BroadwayWorld's local editors proofed the list for eligibility and errors. Voting runs through December 31.
The Burbage Theatre Company, just after their critically acclaimed summer rep series Loving the Ghost, mounts another 'mini-season' at Aurora Providence.
Some great musicals are great because they take us to another time, another place, perhaps another world entirely, one unrecognizable and filled with magic and fantasy. Others are great because they offer us a realistic and recognizable image of our own lives, a mirror in which we see our struggles, hopes, joys, failures and successes. The really great ones do so while offering an audience a captivating story, deeply developed and universally human characters, stunning music and unforgettable songs with amazing lyrics. One such musical is Next To Normal, now playing as the final show in The Wilbury Group's current season.
The Wilbury Theatre Group will hold auditions for its 2015-16 season on Saturday, May 30 from 10:00am-5:00pm, and on Sunday May 31 from 12:00pm-5:00pm. Audition slots are limited and are available on a first-come first-serve basis. Auditions will be held at the The Wilbury Theatre Group, 393 Broad Street, Providence RI.
The Wilbury Theatre Group closes its 5th season with the acclaimed rock musical Next to Normal, May 21-June 13. Winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and three Tony Awards, Next to Normal features music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, direction by Wendy Overly, and musical direction by Juan Rodriguez. Centering upon the stop/start life of a bipolar mother as she rides the sharp edge between coping and insanity, and delving into themes about prescription drug abuse, suicide, grief and the breakdown of an American family, Next to Normal is a remarkable, thrilling powerhouse of a musical.
The Wilbury Theatre Group's Founding Artistic Director Josh Short has announced the Group's 2015-16 season, including a new drama from one of New York's most promising young playwrights, the world premiere of a new play by Wilbury playwright-in-residence Ben Jolivet, two of the most acclaimed off-Broadway musicals of the last few years, an irreverent new adaptation of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, and the New England premiere of Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem.
The Wilbury Theatre Group's Founding Artistic Director Josh Short has announced the Group's 2015-16 season, including a new drama from one of New York's most promising young playwrights, the world premiere of a new play by Wilbury playwright-in-residence Ben Jolivet, two of the most acclaimed off-Broadway musicals of the last few years, an irreverent new adaptation of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, and the New England premiere of Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem.
When Pawtucket's Gamm Theatre includes Shakespeare on its season schedule, audiences know the production will meet and exceed all expectations. The company's current offering - MACBETH - is no exception to the rule. This superior staging cuts to the very core of the narrative, delving into characters' motivations and focusing on the import and resonance of Shakespeare's exquisite language.
Stories about mothers have been around for as long as...well...mothers. And with Mother's Day coming up this Sunday, it's hard not to reflect and think about our own mothers or the other mothers in our lives. Or to remember some of the stories and memories that the word 'mother' conjures up. With its production of The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Gamm Theatre offers up an undeniably darker and arguably quite disturbing tale of one mother and how she rules her house and her daughter.
The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh, directed by Judith Swift, is now running at the Gamm Theatre, May 2-June 2, 2013. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the production below.