Deb Miller — Theater Critic

What ensues is a high-camp laugh-out-loud tale of bitterness and spite, chosen family and forgiveness, filled with powerhouse performances, pop culture references, witty nods to Shakespeare, and important messages about self-expression triumphing over oppression and community overcoming disharmony.

What ensues is a high-camp laugh-out-loud tale of bitterness and spite, chosen family and forgiveness, filled with powerhouse performances, pop culture references, witty nods to Shakespeare, and important messages about self-expression triumphing over oppression and community overcoming disharmony.

Can Stacey sing her way out? Will she fulfill her ambition of appearing in the reality TV franchise The Real Housewives (but “NOT of DUBAI!”)? Is it all just a dream? Or has someone covertly devised it with a very specific purpose in mind? Whatever (or as Stacey would say, “What the fuck?”). All I know is that, like Mindelle’s smash hit Titanique, playing Off-Broadway since 2022, The Big Gay Jamboree has all the makings of a cult classic. If you love to laugh, this is one cult you should join.

What The Welkin lacks in subtlety it over-compensates for in length. Everyone has a different sense of humor and taste in comedy, but for me, this was overloaded, unfocused, and in need of some serious editing. And if you’re looking for a laugh-out-loud happy ending, you should go see a musical.

Presented by The New Group and directed by Ashley Brooke Monroe, it’s a funny, combative, and ultimately celebratory view of love and determination breaking free from the disruptive socio-economic biases in their families and contemporary America – not exactly a spoiler, since it is, as advertised, a feel-good rom-com, not a tragicomedy!

Lempicka offers a theatrical manifestation of the revival of interest in a woman artist who embraced the avant-garde style of Art Deco, along with a privileged lifestyle and free sexuality, as stated in her own bombastic and defiant words: “I live life in the margins of society, and the rules of normal society don’t apply to those who live on the fringe.” If only the sexualization of women and their nudity in art were not so standard. As questioned in the famous poster by the feminist/activist group Guerrilla Girls in 1989, “Do women have to be naked to get into the Met Museum?,” noting that “less than 5% of the artists in the Modern Art section were women, but 85% of the nudes were female.”

But no spoilers here; to see “more about that,” the truths Fishburne learned from the stories and lies he was told, and his masterful embodiment of a variety of disparate roles and emotions, don’t miss his galvanizing reflections and stellar performance in Like They Do in the Movies.

A blockbuster cast of eight and a powerhouse five-piece band deliver it with full-blown mastery and full-out commitment, with not a single weak link among them, as they transition fluidly from scene to scene, character to character, gallows humor to tragic pathos, sensitive ballad to psychobilly and country-western to Vegas lounge-act musical stylings.

If you’re a child of the '80s-90s and have fond memories of growing up watching the invincible Marc Summers, this is the show for you, and it could make your dreams come true by volunteering to be a part of it with him. If not, it’s a great introduction to the life and charm of a thoroughly open, upbeat, and amiable person with a fabulous stage presence, delivery, and sense of humor, which is sure to make you a fan and to inspire you to make the best of everything life hands you – even if it gets slimy!

In the director’s program notes, Cadell observed the importance of a cast’s fundamental connection to the audience in the shared experience of theater, both in Shakespeare’s time and today. Izzard makes that connection. For those not well-versed in Hamlet, keeping up with the changing characters and locales of the story could be challenging (so read at least a synopsis before you go), but everyone will surely appreciate Izzard’s singular talent, individualized portrayals, and engaging performance.

Without question, the story of White Rose is one worth telling and its courageous young martyrs should never be forgotten, but the light-hearted spirit of the current musical is a jarring contrast to its horrific outcome and events. For me, the production would be more effective if the characters were given more emotional depth and three-dimensionality, the Nazi atrocities against which they rebelled were more prominently featured in the staging, and the musical stylings were more in keeping with those of the era.

Without question, the story of White Rose is one worth telling and its courageous young martyrs should never be forgotten, but the light-hearted spirit of the current musical is a jarring contrast to its horrific outcome and events. For me, the production would be more effective if the characters were given more emotional depth and three-dimensionality, the Nazi atrocities against which they rebelled were more prominently featured in the staging, and the musical stylings were more in keeping with those of the era.

Under Greenberg’s rapid-fire no-holds-barred direction, the 90-minute farce of a fright fest is framed in the meta-theatrical device of five Actors presenting a play, with four of them performing multiple quick-change roles (sometimes opposite themselves at a dizzying pace), in a laugh-out-loud mash-up of the Victorian era and now.

Under Greenberg’s rapid-fire no-holds-barred direction, the 90-minute farce of a fright fest is framed in the meta-theatrical device of five Actors presenting a play, with four of them performing multiple quick-change roles (sometimes opposite themselves at a dizzying pace), in a laugh-out-loud mash-up of the Victorian era and now.