Posted in December 2011 …

The King Rides On: Country Swing’s Bob Wills @ The Eisemann

“Deep within my heart lies a melody….”  The lyrics from Texas Swing icon Bob Will’s famous 1940 song “San Antonio Rose” sum up the essence of the tribute musical “A Ride With Bob”, now playing at Richardson’s Eisemann Center through New Year’s Eve. As much as the two-act show portrays key events in the West … Continue reading →

Best of 2011: On Stage in North Texas

Reflecting on North Texas’ stage performance in 2011, I take pride in recognizing the region’s senior directors. They bring immense creative vision and studied, practiced, pragmatic understanding of their craft to the arts community. They inspire performers, critics, advocates and patrons, alike, to “keep after it”, even as we have less than a 9% share … Continue reading →

Teresa Wash: TeCo Theatre’s Village Visionary

I submitted this short article to examiner.com, nominating TeCo Theatre’s Artistic Director Teresa Wash for their national “America Inspired” contest in honor of her dedication to theatre for disadvantaged youth. If the article receives enough “hits”, Teresa and Teco Theatrical Productions could win up to $40,000 to expand and support programming. Please visit the link … Continue reading →

Black Nativity: TeCo’s Christmas Essence Celebration

My seeking has been to explain and illuminate the Negro condition in America and obliquely that of all human kind.” Langston Hughes (1902-1967) Christmastime at TeCo Theatrical Productions means a rich, unique performance experience, based in a yearly, expressive tradition. Adjacent to the Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff, TeCo entertains, educates and serves over … Continue reading →

Dysfunctional Booty Hole Blues: Second City

The Second City Dysfunctional Holiday Revue sure puts the big fat D for disappointment in dysfunctional. I hated improvisation acting classes in college with a nauseating passion. I felt the song “Nothing” from A Chorus Line summed it up pretty well when it first came out (yes, I went to college back then – I … Continue reading →

Deus ex Machina: ZACH Theatre’s “God of Carnage”

The God of Carnage: live in Austin! Farce on a Molière scale with projectile vomiting and passive aggression of Wagnerian proportion. It’s a vulgar, non-PC comedy with overly civilized ACLU card-carrying bluebloods, “nice people”. Tony-winning French playwright Yasmina Reza (Art, 1998) spells it out simple enough for Tea Party hoi polloi to comprehend. For all … Continue reading →

Rockin’ Your Holiday Groove: WaterTower’s Show of Shows

There was always a muddle of cheesy/glitzy in the television Holiday Music Extravaganzas from the 60’s and 70’s: kind of like Hamburger Helper – maybe not all that classy but very satisfying and filling. That’s how WaterTower Theatre’s Christmas season stage offering, the ebullient Rockin’ Christmas Party, by Austin’s Dave Steakley, feels. It will take … Continue reading →

Beyond a Blank Stare: Reza’s Art @ QLive!

A blank canvas. Isn’t that where life begins? But an obscenely–priced, unframed “blank” canvas with a few ghostly hints of lines traced on a wash of white? Is that disturbing enough to cause a close friendship of fifteen years between three upper class big city gents to deconstruct, as in total meltdown? Yasmina Reza’s masterful, … Continue reading →