Deb Miller — Theater Critic

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.

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.