Review: THE DROWSY CHAPERONE at Bastrop Opera HouseMay 7, 2024The musicals of the 1920s-1940s are rich territory for parody since many imported the stylistic elements (vaudeville, dance hall style, revue, et al.) of popular entertainment of the era to carry the shows, often disadvantaging well-developed plot lines and complex characters.
Review: CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF at Gaslight-Baker TheatreMay 6, 2024Choosing to perform a Tennessee (Thomas Lanier) Williams (1911-1983) play means genuinely committing to some of theater’s most salient aspects: in this case, a plot that must capture and then hold the audience in unfolding layers of tragedy, characters that are complex and often display less-than-desirable human characteristics, believable delivery of modified language to portray a specific region or temperament, performance of disconcerting and sometimes virulent spectacle on a human scale, and production design that rises to the needs of the story.
Review: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY at Bass Concert HallApril 25, 2024As many students of history know, 1929 was the beginning of a chaotic, and often tragic, decade for the United States. Seven months after a small stock market crash and recovery on March 25, the bottom fell out.
Review: ABOVE THE FOLD at Factory On 5thApril 19, 2024Julie Zaffarano’s ABOVE THE FOLD, set in 1935, is a play about three investigative reporters and a photographer who are staying in the same hotel as they cover a grand jury. The work of this particular grand jury is to determine if there is sufficient evidence to conduct a trial for the murder of singer Evelyn Hoey by her lover, Henry Huddleston Rogers III, the son of one of the richest men in the world.
Review: PRELUDE TO A KISS at the The Bastrop Opera HouseApril 8, 2024What did our critic think of PRELUDE TO A KISS at The Bastrop Opera House? PRELUDE TO A KISS is the story of Peter and Rita, a couple who meet at a party at one of Rita’s neighbors and later, fall in love. Although there are some personal differences, they decide to get married after a few weeks.
Review: BARNEY CAREY GETS HIS WINGS at Austin Scottish Rite TheaterFebruary 22, 2024It is so delightful to walk into a theater and see chairs moved to the side so children can sit on the floor directly in front of the stage to see a show. Indeed, backing up a bit, it is even more delightful to walk into a theater and see children excited about seeing a show. Despite an increasing array of theater and performing arts camps for young people to attend, live theater meant for children is far less robust. Austin Scottish Rite Theater is one of the Austin theater companies that work diligently to provide consistent and quality theater directly intended for children, and their latest show, BARNEY CAREY GETS HIS WINGS, is a joyful, heartwarming addition.
Review: O. HENRY STORIESFebruary 18, 2024Written by O. Henry (William Sydney Porter 1862-1910) and adapted for stage by Ann Ciccolella, Austin Shakespeare’s O. HENRY STORIES is an evening of delight, laughter, and surprise.
Review: CRUZAR LA CARA DE LA LUNA at Austin OperaFebruary 4, 2024Music by José “Pepe” Martinez, Lyrics by José “Pepe” Martinez and Leonard Foglia, Book by Leonard Foglia, Orchestration by David Hanlon, CRUZAR offers a deeply moving and acutely transparent experience.