25th Flamenco Festival Comes to New York City; Full Lineup and Tour Locations
by Gillian Blum - Jan 31, 2026
The 25th anniversary celebration of Flamenco Festival New York will feature programming that evokes this endless love affair between the city of skyscrapers and flamenco.
Interview: MALACHAI STOUT'S FAMILY REUNION RADIO SHOW At Perkins Center for the Arts
by Donna Marie Nowak - Jun 24, 2024
Radio show whodunnit blends murder mystery parlor game and old-time radio for old-fashioned family fun.
Interview: CHOREOGRAPHERS ELLENORE SCOTT & AYODELE CASEL GIVE FUNNY GIRL'S SAGA FLAIR, FUN & FINESSE
by Valerie-Jean Miller - May 28, 2024
VJM: Thank you both for giving of your time to answer my questions. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of two Choreographers being hired for the same Broadway show, not even a revival, that I can think of. How did that come about for both of you? Ellenore Scott: Funny Girl was my Broadway debut as a choreographer. I was so happy when I got a call from Michael Mayer (the director) asking me to work on this revival with him. He knew I was NOT a tap dancer and was aware of the multiple tap routines in the show and asked if I would be down to share the billing with Ayodele Casel. Ayo is an extraordinary artist so I was thrilled to be by her side as she made her Broadway debut as well. Michael first met me initially at Head Over Heels on Broadway where I was an associate choreographer to Spencer Liff. In 2019, he asked if I would choreograph the Off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors and we opened the show October 17th, 2019. I have loved working with Michael and feel as though he keeps his people close and I’m grateful he thought of me for this historic revival. Ayodele Casel: I met Michael Mayer in 2016 when he directed a New York City Center Encores! show I performed in. Later that fall he invited me to perform that piece in a Broadway for Hillary fundraiser he was also directing. We'd kept in touch over the years and in 2019, after seeing a show I’d premiered at The Joyce Theater, he asked if I would be interested in providing the Tap choreography for a revival he was working on. Like Ellenore shared, Michael wanted to work with us both to deliver the full choreographic vision of the show. I believe it was a very progressive vision on his part and I’m really thankful that I was able to make my Broadway debut with this team.
Feature: Burgers from Five Guys? Nah! Quiche from Five Lesbians? Yeah!
by Brennan Paulin - Apr 11, 2024
Let’s face it, the world of theatre, at times, can be misogynistic. Even though we joke about the multitude of gay men that are involved in theatre, that does not mean it is exempt from the repercussions of “the patriarchy”. As a gay man myself, I understand this problem all too well, but here in Dayton, we have luckily had some incredibly impactful pieces that were not only led by women, but speak upon the experiences of womanhood.
REVIEW: Guest Reviewer Kym Vaitiekus Shares His Thoughts On THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW
by Jade Kops - Apr 4, 2024
REVIEW: Guest Reviewer Kym Vaitiekus Shares His Thoughts On THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW
Review: HOME, I'M DARLING at Jarrott Productions
by Joni Lorraine - Mar 27, 2024
What did our critic think of HOME, I'M DARLING at Jarrott Productions? Now onstage at Trinity Street Playhouse is Jarrott Productions latest offering to our theatre scene: HOME, I’M DARLING. Winner of the Olivier Award for Best Comedy in 2019, playwright Laura Wade’s HOME I’M DARLING raises questions about the authenticity of nostalgia, the pressures of conforming to traditional gender roles, and the ways in which individuals construct their own identities.
Review: DREAMING OF LEAR at Upstream Theater
by Steve Callahan - Mar 11, 2024
DREAMING OF LEAR is a brilliant, memorable piece of leading-edge experimental theater. Its director, Lucy Cashion, has, I think, the most refreshing brain in the St. Louis theater world. It’s been a decade since she appeared on my horizon, and in that time she’s led a number of exciting productions. She joined the SLU faculty and has recently become Director of the school’s Theatre & Dance Program—a position which is virtually (and was perhaps literally) “made for her”.
BWW Review: CARMEN at Opera Theatre Of Saint Louis
by Steve Callahan - May 23, 2022
Opera Theatre Saint Louis opens its 47th season with a splendid 'Carmen'. Read our BWW critic's review.
BWW Review: THE NEW COLOSSUS Awakes Audiences to the Universal Needs and Desires of all Immigrants
by Shari Barrett - Jan 16, 2020
With the topic of illegal immigration so prevalent in today's news, now is the perfect time to take a very personal look at the trials and tribulations of those who immigrated, both legally and illegally, to our country in THE NEW COLOSSUS, a new play co-written by The Actors' Gang ensemble and its Artistic Director Tim Robbins, who also directs the production. In it, twelve of the acting troupe's members tell their ancestors' stories, reflecting their great diversity, struggles and journeys from oppression to freedom, a real personal testament celebrating the courage and great character of the refugees who came to this country throughout the last 200 years.
BWW REVIEW: Patrick White's A CHEERY SOUL Challenges 'Good Intentions' When Self Awareness Is Lacking.
by Jade Kops - Nov 11, 2018
Kip Williams (Director) reinterprets Patrick White's A CHEERY SOUL with new technology to enable an intriguing look at underlying emotions as the town's outcast seeks to help everyone she encounters, whether they want it or not.
Photo Flash: First Look at The New York Premiere of David Ives' THE METROMANIACS
by A.A. Cristi - Apr 17, 2018
Red Bull Theater (Jesse Berger, Founder and Artistic Director | Jim Bredeson, Managing Director) presents the New York Premiere of David Ives's The Metromaniacs, adapted from Alexis Piron's La Metromanie and directed by Michael Kahn opening Sundayevening (7pm). Previews now!
Photo Flash: The Sarasota Ballet to present METROPOLITAN Next Month
by A.A. Cristi - Nov 9, 2017
The Sarasota Ballet's second production of the Season, Metropolitan, will open on December 1 at the Sarasota Opera House, with a triple bill by Sir Frederick Ashton, Marcelo Gomes and George Balanchine. For these performances The Sarasota Ballet will be accompanied by the Sarasota Orchestra under the baton of American Ballet Theatre Music Director Ormsby Wilkins.
Photo Flash: The 1950's Return in Living Color in PERFECT ARRANGEMENT
by A.A. Cristi - Sep 26, 2017
Reviewing the comedy's 2015 Off-Broadway production by Primary Stages, THE NEW YORK TIMES called it a clever canap of a comedy...Mr. Payne is a deft and witty writer.' THE NEW YORKER said of it As hiding gets harder, pitch-perfect comedy ensues: slamming doors, strange disguises, preposterous excuses Eventually, the four must decide whether face-saving domestic lies are worth it, or whether ostracism beats living in fear. In our own era of surveillance and paranoia, their mid-century problems don't feel so far away.
BWW Feature: BOURBON AND RAISINS in Omaha
by Christine Swerczek - Sep 26, 2017
This has been an unusual weekend for me. I had the privilege of attending two compelling plays written by African Americans about African Americans and performed by African Americans. Both shows are moving presentations that made me laugh. They made me cry. And they made me view the lives of families very different from my own with a new sense of understanding.
BWW Preview: CHARLIE BROWN and the Gang Coming to Teco Theatre - With Special Sensory-Friendly Performance at The Straz Center For The Performing Arts
by Deborah Bostock-Kelley - Mar 31, 2017
Those with sensitivity issues, autism and other disabilities who have never experienced the magic of live theatre will be able to see You're a Good Man Charlie Brown with special accommodations on April 23 at TECO Theatre, Straz Center.
BWW Review: DISINHERIT THE WIND Takes on Richard Dawkins in an Emotionally Blighted Play of Ideas
by George Brietigam - Mar 6, 2017
Attending this show is closer to sitting through a college philosophy lecture, taught by the campus' resident bat-shit insane tenured professor, than it is a night out at the theatre.
Photo Coverage: The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra Plays Birdland
by Stephen Sorokoff - May 8, 2015
Birdland is 63, The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra is 80, and Frank Sinatra is 100. Gianni Valenti, Birdland owner announced the orchestra and the swinging engine of the Basie Band blasted off with "Come Fly With Me" at the "Jazz Corner of the World" last night. Regardless of how good the fidelity is on your Beats Headphones and McIntosh Amplifier, it doesn't come close to the sound being heard on 44th Street. The original charts might have some wear and tear from page turning by Basie musicians over the years, but the music was clear, precise, and exciting as when the band made their home at Birdland in the 1950's. Scotty Barnhart is now the Director of The Count Basie Orchestra which has won 18 Grammy Awards and 20 Downbeat and Jazz Times polls. He follows in a long line of Jazz greats that have led the orchestra since Basie's passing in 1984. Thad Jones, Frank Foster, Brover Mitchell, Bill Hughes, and Dennis Mackrel have been prior directors. Scotty pointed out that the band might have been formed in 1935, but they are very current and are on Facebook, and have a great website. Carmen Bradford, a Basie choice supplied the vocals.
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