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BWW Review: Wilbury Group Slays with MURDER BALLAD
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. Wi...
BWW Review: Let CATHOLIC SCHOOL GIRLS School You!
CATHOLIC SCHOOL GIRLS by Casey Kurtti, the current offering at 2nd Story Theatre in Warren, follows MASS APPEAL and continues the theater's exploration of the Catholic Church in the second half of the late, lamented Twentieth Century. While MASS APPEAL concentrated on the masculine side of the Churc...
BWW Review: Charming and Familiar ARNIE LOUIS AND BOB
Trinity Rep's world premiere of Katie Pearl's ARNIE LOUIS AND BOB is a charming take on getting older, family and whether or not men ever really grow out of being a lost boy. By shattering the fourth wall and actually having the author of the play become one of the characters, the play manages to ...
BWW Review: Community Players Creates Heavenly Hilarity with NUNSENSE 2: THE SECOND COMING
You might be hard pressed to come up with a musical that is or has a sequel. Sequels seem to primarily be the domain of movies, books and perhaps television shows. There is one musical, though, that actually has a number of sequels to its credit. The hit show Nunsense hasn't just spawned one or two ...
BWW Review: Resplendent RAGTIME Brings Elite Syncopations to Providence Performing Arts Center
Rhode Island audiences, prepare to be dazzled. RAGTIME is - deservedly - one of the most highly acclaimed musicals of the last two decades and the touring production now playing the Providence Performing Arts Center does the show's rich legacy proud....
BWW Review: Ocean State Theatre Stages Inspiring, Uplifting MIRACLE WORKER
Ocean State Theatre Company's staging of THE MIRACLE WORKER, under the direction of Amiee Turner, brings this compelling story to life with dignity and warmth....
BWW Review: MASS APPEALs at 2nd Story
2nd Story Theatre in Warren is on a pretty good run in 2016: HYSTERIA, LOVE DEATH AND WHAT I WORE, and now MASS APPEAL by Bill C. Davis, playing Upstage until April 3, have each provided entertaining and interesting evening or afternoons for their audiences. This play premiered in 1981-about halfway...
BWW Review: Stirring RIPPLE OF HOPE Traces Teacher's Journey with Heart and Humor
For more than a decade, Karen Sklaire has worked with inner-city students as an educator in the New York school department, and now she compellingly relates stories of her time in the classroom through the one-woman show RIPPLE OF HOPE....
BWW Review: Tepid THE SOUND OF MUSIC at PPAC
THE SOUND OF MUSIC, the classic tale of love, music and Nazis is having its 50 year anniversary, and while it's very exciting to see this much-loved production back on the road, there are quite a few hiccups that make this production a little underwhelming to watch. Despite amazing vocal talents a...
BWW Review: Wilbury Theatre Group's Hyper-Local INVISIBLE UPSOUTH
Stories of police brutality are all over the news these days, but they may still seem like something that happens “elsewhere”. In INVISIBLE UPSOUTH, Wilbury Theatre Company's latest in their New Works program, the headlines move right into Providence and we're forced to examine the reality of li...
BWW Review: Compelling, Eloquent TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Shines at Trinity Rep
Trinity's TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is unquestionably a must-see performance this spring and, a scarce three months into the new year, can easily be considered in the running for best production of 2016....
BWW Review: Festival Ballet's Exceptional UP CLOSE ON HOPE
Festival Ballet's productions are always exciting and beautiful, but the UP CLOSE ON HOPE series is a rare treat. Unlike the lavish productions at PPAC or the Vets, these are small, intimate performances of works one might not see anywhere else. This spring's UP CLOSE program showcases the best ...
Burbage Theatre Creates Bloody but Shallow Spectacle with TITUS ANDRONICUS
One might argue that Titus is the perfect kind of play for a bold young company like Burbage Theatre Company. Willing and able to take risks, to go places other theater companies might not be so interested in going. And while there are some high points for Burbage and their production, it seems that...
BWW Review: The Gamm's Delectably Dark A SKULL IN CONNEMARA
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...
BWW Review: LOVE, LOSS AND WHAT I WORE at 2nd Story
You are almost out of time to go see LOVE, LOSS AND WHAT I WORE by Delia and Nora Ephron, currently running Downstage at 2nd Story Theatre in Warren. Part of this is 2nd Story's fault, as the show had a limited run to begin with; and partly this is my fault because my computer monitor quit and delay...
BWW Review: Ocean State Theatre Tells a Timely Story of Politics and History with 1776
Some events in history cry out to be made into a movie or a book or a stage play. Others don't seem like such an obvious choice at first glance. One might guess it would be quite difficult to pull off creating a musical out of the writing of the Declaration of Independence, of all things. But, as Oc...
Astonishing PIPPIN at PPAC is a Spectacular Must-See
There are some shows that tempt a reviewer to write a lengthy essay going into great detail about the many reasons why the show succeeds or fails. Other shows make a reviewer simply want to say, 'Just go see this show,' and nothing more. While there is, of course, much to say about the touring produ...
BWW Review: Trinity Rep's Uproarious THE HUNCHBACK OF SEVILLE
T.S. Eliot insists that April is the cruelest month, but I've always firmly believed that the correct answer is February. Between the unpredictable weather events and the cold; the sloppy sidewalks and the general malaise of realizing that spring is a long way off--February needs to have a few brig...
BWW Review: Cliche' BREAKING LEGS at Ocean State Theatre Company
At its core, BREAKING LEGS is the story of a well-meaning guy who gets an offer he can't refuse, and then quickly realizes he's in way over his head. It's a classic storyline that can be re-worked countless ways and still resonate with an audience. Unfortunately, in order to reach the logical co...
BWW Review: Stellar Ensemble Soars in Wilbury Group's Fantastic STUPID F#%*ING BIRD
There's a moment in the play Stupid F#%*ing Bird, currently playing at The Wilbury Group, where a character talks about how contemporary theaters adapt and reimagine Shakespeare. Certainly, it's always a tricky proposition, reconfiguring a classic work and attempting to bring it into the current era...
BWW Review: Burbage Theatre Company's Excellent HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WANDA JUNE
HAPPY BIRTHDAY WANDA JUNE is the only full length play by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., based on his novel of the same name. Like many Vonnegut works, it captures beautifully the absurdity of life, death and senseless violence all while making you laugh so hard you worry you'll hurt yourself. Burbage Theat...
BWW Review: The Gamm's GRIZZLY MAMA One to Miss
GRIZZLY MAMA, by George Brant, was written in 2011 at the beginning of the inevitable downswing of the stranglehold Sarah Palin seemed to have on media at the time, and though the program clearly states that any resemblance of the characters in GRIZZLY MAMA to real people is mere coincidence, that's...
BWW Review: ANNIE at Providence Performing Arts Center
Proudly boasted as 'The World's Best-Loved Musical', Annie is a show most of us can say we've seen brought to life at least once. For this reviewer, the 1982 film adaptation of Annie was an early eye-opening introduction to the world of musical theater and the likes of legends such as Carol Burnett,...
BWW Review: Festival Ballet Spreads Christmas Joy with Marvelous, Magical NUTCRACKER
Glittering, fairy-like snowflakes. Dancing sugar plums. Toy soldiers capering around the tree. Each of these fanciful childhood images comes to life with a special touch of Christmas magic in Festival Ballet Providence's superior production of THE NUTCRACKER. FBP once again delivers an enchanting NU...
Videos
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A Christmas Carol The Arctic Playhouse (12/03-12/20) |
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FirstWorks Summer Beats Concerts: The GroovaLottos Roger Williams Park Boathouse Lawn (7/24-7/24) |
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Almost, Maine The Arctic Playhouse (11/05-11/22) |
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Bell, Book and Candle The Arctic Playhouse (8/27-9/13) |
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The Secret Garden The Firebarn: Little Theatre of Fall River (2/04-2/14) |
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Plaza Suite The Firebarn: Little Theatre of Fall River (4/15-4/25) |
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Burbage Theatre Co presents MEASURE FOR MEASURE, Shakespeare's darkest comedy Burbage Theatre Company (5/14-6/07) |
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Irving Berlin's White Christmas The Firebarn: Little Theatre of Fall River (12/03-12/13) |
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13 The Narrows Center for the Arts (6/19-6/20) |
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The Moors The Contemporary Theater Company (5/01-5/28) |
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