Amor omnia vincit. Maybe in Hedwig’s case, Wink-it? Love conquers all. Not every day, or every time, or every situation. But in Uptown Players’ production of the revered 1998 rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, running through September 13 at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, love—in an honest, intense, human, revelatory, intimate, glorious, explosive way … Continue reading
Posted in August 2015 …
Truth in Black and White: A SOLDIER’S PLAY at African-American Repertory Theatre
Picture this: a military lawyer arrives at a base to investigate a crime. Considered an outsider, he finds himself deeply resented by those in charge. He presses on, however, determined to do his assigned job. Under his investigation’s gaze, the suspects in the case, the play’s characters, reveal complicated motives, sending first one and then … Continue reading
Get on the BUS: Fun House Theatre’s A SCHOOL BUS NAMED DESIRE
NEWSFLASH: A SCHOOL BUS NAMED DESIRE extended through Sunday 8/23 at 7pm. Go online to gets seats to this final, final performance! http://www.funhousetheatreandfilm.com Over the past few years it’s been highly entertaining to watch the clutch of young actors at Jeff Swearingen’s Fun House Theatre grow from tentative, aspiring thespians to bold, confident actors with … Continue reading
unMasqued Theatre’s WASTELAND tours Stage West August 20-23
Wasteland, Susan Felder’s searing prisoner of war play, opened at TimeLine Theatre in Chicago in 2012, and she wrote it like a veteran. It delivers unforgettable visceral impact in portraying the mind-warping suffering of two young American soldiers imprisoned and isolated from each other in Vietnam, while examining the universal themes of connection and isolation. … Continue reading
What lurks beneath? GOD OF CARNAGE at Our Productions
Have you ever been drawn into a Facebook argument and immediately wished you had stayed out of it? Or if you’ve ever been forced to endure a particularly awkward, lengthy parent-teacher conference, then you might understand what it feels like to be the characters in Yasmina Reza’s Tony Award-winning 2009 play, God of Carnage (translated … Continue reading
Fated into Existential Freefall: David Rabe’s STREAMERS at L.I.P.Service Productions
Tony Awards, 1977: Annie sweeps the musicals category. Michael Christopher’s Pulitzer Prize in Drama winner The Shadow Box, about death and survival, beats out the nominated Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf, Simon Gray’s Otherwise Engaged and David Rabe’s Streamers in the Best Drama category. The Shadow … Continue reading
Burnin’ for the Future at Stage West
Nobody would ever accuse Stage West of shying away from risk-taking in show programming. Over the years I have seen an enjoyably eclectic assortment of quirky, thought provoking, over the top and often intellectually rigorous work on their main stage. No apologies, full steam ahead. Some works turn out more memorable, more effective than others. … Continue reading
L.I.P. Service Productions: David Rabe’s STREAMERS, a model of artistic inspiration
When longtime stage actor/director and film professional Jason Leyva stepped into his current position as Technical Director and Production Manager for the Farmers Branch Firehouse Theatre in 2012, he hoped his diverse technical skills, imagination and people savvy could help support and upgrade the venue and its family programming. He also brought to the Firehouse … Continue reading
WaterTower Theatre’s Charity Case: Barely Semi-sweet
There was only one Gwen Verdon (1925 –2000). When Bob Fosse created the musical Sweet Charity and enlisted his colleagues Neil Simon (book), Cy Coleman (music) and Dorothy Fields (lyrics) to bring it to life, it was clearly a vehicle to celebrate the spectacular talent of his wife, Ms.Verdon. The musical received nine Tony award … Continue reading
Junior Players’ “Bollywood Spectacular”: Celebration of Love’s Mystical Power
How many hundreds, thousands, of modernizing stylistic adaptations has Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream suffered through in the name of accessibility or some director’s whim over the years? Some work well. Some bury the play. Some simply make me want to puke. With Dallas’ Junior Players’ production, billed as “A Bollywood Spectacular”, running through August … Continue reading
criticalrant.com Alexandra Bonifield 