Mere Man

Porgy and Bess is a famous 'folk opera' created by George Gershwin, with a libretto by DuBose Heyward and lyrics by DuBose and Ira Gershwin. The work chronicles the life of a Black community on Catfish Row in Charleston and is known for its fusion of operatic elements with American folk music, jazz, and blues. The story focuses on the love between Porgy, a disabled beggar, and Bess, a woman seeking a better life.

What do Shakespeare and James Cameron have in common? Before Rupert Goold took hold of the Bard’s tragic masterpiece, the answer would have been ‘nothing’. The soon-to-be artistic director of the Old Vic returns to the Royal Shakespeare Company after 14 years to offer a blockbuster Hamlet. Elsinore becomes a royal battleship and everything happens in less than one night in April 1912. Goold makes some daring choices, placing a lot of faith in his public and letting them interpret and assume certain twists in his vision.

Rhapsody Theater invites families to celebrate the Father’s Day weekend.

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the best TV episodes from the 1950's to 2020; see if your favorites made the list!

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the greatest theatrical works (non-musical) from 1920-2020; see if your favorites made the list!

George M. Cohan has been attributed to being the father of the American Musical, whose works are the very roots of Broadway and musical theater that we know today. Without his numerous contributions to the American theater, Broadway as we all know it probably wouldn't even exist. This is the idea that's drummed rather loudly and patriotically by the ending of YANKEE DOODLE DANDY, the 2004 stage musical now in the midst of its Southern California regional premiere via Musical Theatre West. A fairly entertaining, if inescapably old-fashioned jukebox musical that paints rather broad strokes rather than giving a deep dive into Cohan's life story, this new production continues performances at the Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts in Long Beach through July 22, 2018.

Rubicon Theatre Company celebrates Black History Month with THE DEVIL'S MUSIC: THE LIFE AND BLUES OF BESSIE SMITH, starring singer and actress Miche Braden of the original Off-Broadway production (named one of the 10 Best Off-Broadway productions of the year by the N.Y. Daily Times). Described by CBC as a, "bawdy, bluesy, boozy rollicking night out at the theatre," the show follows the life, loves and career of blues and jazz singer Bessie Smith, called the "Empress of the Blues."

Ned Averill-Snell as Hickey brilliantly leads a strong cast in bringing this mammoth show to life.

We have four exciting new plays drawn from a national search, four Oregon playwrights' work to explore and spanking new works from adventurous local companies filling every nook and cranny of the Armory (even the men's room!).

Penguin Rep Theatre (Joe Brancato, Artistic Director, and Andrew M. Horn, Executive Director) and Edmund Gaynes, in association with Don and Lizanne Mitchell, will present The Devil's Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith, a musical by Angelo Parra, conceived and directed by Joe Brancato.

Penguin Rep Theatre (Joe Brancato, Artistic Director, and Andrew M. Horn, Executive Director) and Edmund Gaynes, in association with Don and Lizanne Mitchell, will present The Devil's Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith, a musical by Angelo Parra, conceived and directed by Joe Brancato.

Michael Feinstein tells the Hartford Courant today that he's working on two new musicals for the stage, one based on the 1968 film 'The Thomas Crown Affair' and the other 'The Gold Room'.