THEATRE REVIEWS
‘New York’ Wonderfully Honors a Musical Genius
Though Leonard Bernstein passed away in 1990, his music continues to be celebrated. Not only was Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of West Side Story, composed by Bernstein, released last year, but a biographical film directed by and starring Bradley Cooper about the conductor/composer/pianist, “Maestro,” will be streaming on Netflix in 2023.
Read MoreDiversionary’s Emotional ‘Eighty-Sixed’ Embraces Hope
Stories from the past are often relevant to modern times. That is very much on display in Diversionary Theatre’s strong world premiere staging of the musical, Eighty-Sixed.
Read MoreThe Shrewdness of “The Taming of the Shrew” at the Old Globe
The Old Globe’s “Taming of the Shrew” is a roaring romantic good time – with actors, able comic actors all, amplifying whatever ribaldry and comedy Shakespeare left open in the text, but serving a sincere and moving portrait of the genuine joining of two souls.
Read More“I Hate Hamlet”: Of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy!
Love Shakespeare’s Hamlet? Hate it? Never seen or read it? If you enjoy live theater, go see “I Hate Hamlet”, prepare to laugh and maybe reflect a little on life.
Read MoreA Relatable and Unique Family in Moxie’s Impactful ‘Mother…’
Some shows and films benefit by dramatically depicting true stories from a fresh perspective. While Moxie Theatre’s fantastic production of Mother of the Maid features Joan of Arc (Mikaela Rae Macias), the drama focuses on her mom, Isabelle (Executive Artistic Director, Jennifer Eve Thorn).
Read MoreDance Rules in “Bob Fosse’s Dancin'”
Not entirely plotless, “Bob Fosse’s Dancin'” proceeds via light story lines created by Cilento and writer Kirsten Childs. They’re a mixed bag. A scene in a swanky night club—to “Sing, Sing, Sing,” played exuberantly by the 14-member orchestra—is a delight. Costumers Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung put the women in sparkly flapper dresses for Fosse’s signature Erté moves. Other sections, like “Big City Mime,” about a hick encountering the temptations of big bad New York, feel like jokes that go on and on, and they weren’t very funny to begin with.
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