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BWW Reviews: 2nd Story Finds Hilarious Absurdity in THE MURDER ROOM
One of the tricks to great satire, and great comedy in general, is the ability to play it straight. The ability, or talent, of acting as if what's happening is perfectly normal. As if the zany craziness is just another typical day, nothing out of the ordinary. There is much zaniness to be had, and a...
BWW Reviews: Sparkling, Delightful ANNIE Graces the Stage at Theatre by the Sea
Don't dismiss Theatre by the Sea's current production as 'just another' summer stock ANNIE. Matunuck's staging of this long-time family-favorite musical is one of the best of Rhode Island's theatricals so far this year....
BWW Reviews: 2nd Story Pieces Together Entertaining, Mysterious MOUSETRAP
Typically, summer theater is a place for big, bright, fluffy musicals. Most summer stock theater companies fill their seasons with bright, cheerful musical theater extravaganzas, which is not a bad thing, not at all. Musicals can be a perfect lighter, summertime entertainment. On the other hand, it'...
BWW Reviews: LEGALLY BLONDE Brings Spirited Song and Dance to OSTC
Warwick's Ocean State Theatre Company stages a colorful, campy summertime production with the feature-film-turned-stage-musical, LEGALLY BLONDE....
BWW Reviews: Solid, Original Offerings Launch First Wave of Artists' Exchange's Annual ONE-ACT PLAY FESTIVAL
The first wave of this year's One-Act Play Festival, very ably directed by Artists? Exchange actors Tom Chace and Kate Lester, features five selections highlighting the work of both local and national dramatists....
BWW Reviews: Theatre by the Sea Stages High-Energy, Highly-Entertaining CATS
Andrew Lloyd Webber's CATS is an ambitious undertaking for Matunuck's Theatre by the Sea. The venue's small stage area poses a challenge for the acrobatic, dance-heavy production, but the TBTS cast and crew meets and overcomes that obstacle with grace and lots of style....
BWW Reviews: Wilbury Group's IT'S A SPACESHIP NOW Is a Bumpy Ride to Nowhere
New play development is one of the most essential and necessary elements to a thriving theatrical world. Playwrights must keep writing plays and their plays must be given the time to grow, develop, change, morph and grow again. And theater companies must be able and willing to give those plays the o...
BWW Reviews: Artists' Exchange Hosts Powerful, Personal BOB
Writer/actress Anne Pasquale graciously and gracefully shares her family's very personal history of heartbreak, endurance, love, and laughter through her compelling performance in 'BOB: Blessed be the Dysfunction that Binds.'...
BWW Reviews: Counter-Productions Excels When They Keep it Simple With SPEED-THE-PLOW
Once upon a time, a director told a group of young students of the theater to, "keep it simple, stupid." I know it happened cause I was there. This idiea of simplicity is not new or confined to theatrical productions, of course. In many facets of our life, simplicity is the way to go. Sticking to t...
BWW Reviews: Award-Winning WAR HORSE Dazzles Audiences in Providence
The touring production of WAR HORSE, now at the Providence Performing Arts Center, is a visual delight and a masterwork of theatrical craftsmanship....
BWW Reviews: Trinity's Triumphant GARDEN Blooms with Love and Laughter
In most cases, when you have a pair or set of something, one is bound to be stronger or better than the other. They may claim to be, or try to be, but one is usually superior in some way. Alan Ayckborn's House & Garden is no different. In this theatrical pair, two plays designed to be performed simu...
BWW Reviews: Trinity Gets its HOUSE in Order With Unique Theatrical Event
It's not every day hat playwright can come up with something completely unique or different. Everything has been done before, they say. If Alan Ayckbourn hasn't accomplished an entirely unique feat with his plays House & Garden, then he's at least done something pretty rare. You see, House & Garden ...
BWW Reviews: Mixed Magic and 2nd Story Present Eloquent, Gripping THE EXONERATED
The source material is captivating all on its own, and in the hands of the talented storytellers from Warren's 2nd Story and Pawtucket's Mixed Magic Theatres, 'The Exonerated' becomes a hard-hitting, living history of the endurance and determination of these six individuals....
BWW Reviews: Touring BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Missing Some of its Fairy-Tale Enchantment
Despite its Disney pedigree, the NETworks tour of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST runs into difficulties early on....
BWW Reviews: Heavenly Fun Fills the Stage at Theatre By the Sea's NUNSENSE
Sometimes, all a writer/producer/director has to do is find one perfect combination of elements, that one elusive perfect formula, and it immediately takes off. More than that, it becomes a huge success, lasting for years and spawning a long line of sequels, spin-offs and imitators. Think the tv sho...
BWW Reviews: Wonderful Cast Brings Brecht to Providence in Wilbury Group's THE THREEPENNY OPERA
For many, if not most, plays and musicals are an escape. It is a way for audience members to lose themselves in the dark of the theater and in the lives of the people on stage. Plays are, for them, just entertainment, a way to connect with other human beings and feel what they feel, laugh or cry alo...
STOMP's Precision Percussion Brings Energetic Rhythm to PPAC
For two non-stop, high-energy hours, the performers in STOMP drum, dance, and – yes – stomp their way through an array of impressive percussive exhibitions....
BWW Reviews: Despite Some Thorns, 2nd Story's THE ROSE TATOO Blossoms Into Solid Entertainment
Among other things, playwright Tennessee Williams is known for plays which fit into the category of "southern gothic." His works are often set in the south and tell steamy, sordid tales of love, sex, power and death. One such play, The Rose Tattoo, is set in a small town on the gulf coast, where eve...
BWW Reviews: OSTC Stages Terrific THE KING AND I
Ocean State Theatre Company closes the inaugural season at its new Warwick location on a high note with a winning production of 'The King and I.'...
BWW Reviews: Impressive Beatles Tribute RAIN Brings History and Harmony to Providence
'RAIN's' long history - dating back to the 1970s with both US and international tours, as well as a recent limited engagement on Broadway - attests to the high quality of the production. This tour boasts an amazing sound, a sharp, authentic look, and an impressively talented quintet of musicians....
BWW Reviews: Local Talent Rises to Top of Daydream Theatre's HIGHER METHODS
To paraphrase an old saying, you can't swing a dead cat in a Rhode Island theater without hitting a graduate of either Rhode Island College or University of Rhode Island. But don't worry, that's a good thing. RIC and URI have been consistently producing highly talented young theater professionals fo...
BWW Reviews: Artists' Exchange Celebrates Opening of Theatre 82 with Touching OUR TOWN
Artists' Exchange gathered a solid ensemble of local actors for their production of 'Our Town,' and this group makes the most of each and every character portrayed on stage....
BWW Reviews: Riveting RACE Raises Important Questions at Ocean State Theatre Company
Modern-day questions of race are examined with unflinching honesty in David Mamet's play Race, now playing at Ocean State Theatre Company. Mamet, one of the most prolific writers working today, has written numerous plays, screenplays and television shows. He is known for, among other things, his fas...
BWW Reviews: Wilbury Group Brings Intimate BODY AWARENESS to Their New, Smaller Space
Until recently, Wilbury Group was presenting their plays in an old warehouse space, which was both difficult to find and mostly uncomfortable for the audience. The cavernous space was too large, too hard to find and made it too difficult for audiences to enjoy exciting new theater. Now, the company ...
BWW Reviews: Language and Love Take Over The Gamm in Sparkling THE REAL THING
Writers spend their entire careers, perhaps their entire lives, trying to find the right words. The perfect words. Those which will elevate their writing from something ordinary and dull to a lofty place among the great works of literary art. Some concepts, though, can't be so easily put into words....
Videos
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FirstWorks Summer Beats Concerts: Pedro Pastor 195 District Park (8/14-8/14) |
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Boeing Boeing Attleboro Community Theatre (5/22-6/07) |
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A Christmas Carol The Arctic Playhouse (12/03-12/20) |
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The Hope of Loving: Music for Chorus, String Quartet, and Piano Saint Mary of the Bay (5/30-5/30) |
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The Moors The Contemporary Theater Company (5/01-5/28) |
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Pageant The Little Theater Of Fall River (7/09-7/19) |
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The Hope of Loving: Music for Chorus, String Quartet, and Piano Grace Episcopal Church (5/31-5/31) |
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The Secret Garden The Firebarn: Little Theatre of Fall River (2/04-2/14) |
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NEW JERSEY AND NEW ENGLAND GUITAR ORCHESTRAS IN CONCERT Music Mansion (6/21-6/21) |
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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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