“What do you see?” More of a probing, raw demand than a question, the opening line in John Logan’s 2009 two actor bio-drama about American abstract painter Mark Rothko, delivered by the artist at lights up, his back to audience, demands full attention. It should rivet an audience’s eyes to the huge blank canvas upstage … Continue reading
Posted in February 2013 …
Fun House Theatre’s HAMLET: An Unquestionable Triumph
That infamous Dane may dilly-dally around in Shakespeare’s play, but there’s nothing indecisive about Fun House Theatre’s production of “Hamlet”, nor with the production’s 15 year old lead Chris Rodenbaugh, plotting and fretting on barely contained “simmer”, waiting for the perfect moment to exact revenge yet unable to move from contemplation to consummation. Respectful and … Continue reading
A Fine, Fresh Approach: “Hamlet” at Fun House Theatre
William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” as youth theatre? Not a concept one might ordinarily envision. The prospect of young thespians undertaking and understanding so complex and “adult” a play, much less memorizing all those lines in Elizabethan English, boggles the mind. Step back a moment and consider Jeff Swearingen’s Fun House Theatre and Film in Plano. If … Continue reading
Sammons Springs into Cabaret 2013: Awesome!
“What good is sitting alone in your room? Come hear the music play. Life is a cabaret, old chum: Come to the cabaret…” Kander and Ebb’s lyrics from the 1966 Broadway hit musical ”Cabaret” reflect a unique truth at Dallas’ Sammons Center for the Arts. Kicking off the second year of their monthly New York … Continue reading
Sit a Strange Spell: Kitchen Dog Theater’s “The Chairs”
When Clint Eastwood appeared at the Republican National Convention in 2012, he baffled everyone watching its broadcast with his rambling, absurd, somewhat crude conversation with an empty chair next to the podium. Having now seen Eugene Ionesco’s “The Chairs” (“Les Chaises”), as staged by Kitchen Dog Theater in the MAC’s black box space, I may … Continue reading
Get Ye Olde Laugh-In On: Echo Theatre’s “The Lucky Chance”
And you thought Beyonce was the Queen of Lip-Sync? She has nothing on the cast of “The Lucky Chance, or The Alderman’s Bargain”, playing through February 23rd at The Bath House Cultural Center, courtesy of Echo Theatre. Get your laugh-in on. Echo’s production consists of a longish farce, employing lip “synchage” by all involved of … Continue reading
A Fine Time: RAGTIME at Dallas’ City Performance Hall
RAGTIME: A Musical Collaboration at Dallas City Performance Hall, offers two more concert-style performances today, February 9, 2013 at 2:30pm and 8pm. Don’t miss your chance to experience one of the finest performances on stage NOW in the region. Do you want to witness a seamlessly executed collaboration between two of the region’s most outstanding … Continue reading
Lithgow Dazzles in National Theatre Live’s “The Magistrate”
Guest review by Jason Kane: Urban legend holds that a famous actor’s last words were “Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.” Did anyone attending those sage last words respond with “Have you tried farce?” While comedy can succeed in a fluid, malleable presentation, the slightest error in timing can ruin good farce. That distinction makes … Continue reading
criticalrant.com Alexandra Bonifield 