BRAVURA BELTING, BONDING, AND BONHOMIE A double dose of old-school star power, show biz history, and charisma radiated through the showroom at 54 Below, fondly received and encouraged by a cheering, packed audience. The ladies have played the venue before with their solo acts, but when Lorna Luft and Andrea McArdle share the bill and […]
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DONNA MCKECHNIE TAKES US INTO SONDHEIM’S WORLD It may be impossible NOT to be charmed by the mega-vivacious, sunny-spirited, endearing veteran Donna McKechnie. Her smile and talent light up the room and the mood at 54 Below where Take Me to the World, her show devoted solely to Stephen Sondheim material, continues for two more […]
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LOVE AND CHANGE, SONOMA STYLE Dating and mating get fully examined and fully skewered in I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change at Sonoma Arts Live in downtown Sonoma, through May 4. Ably helmed by North Bay veteran Carl Jordan in Andrews Hall at the Sonoma Community Center, the production is a series of musical […]
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GRACE, GRIOTS AND GOODIE BAGS The Baobab tree is an imposing, if unconventional, tree that grows in Africa along the Zambesi River. Also known as The Tree of Life, it seems to rise from the ground upside down, with root-like branches facing the sky. Legend has it that the once magnificent tree grew arrogant and […]
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Joy, love, passion and some heartbreak overflowed at Revolution Stage Company this past Monday as Broadway veterans and best friends Craig Ramsay and Catherine Wreford kicked off a multi-city tour of their cabaret, Behind the Curtain: Untold Stories from Canada’s Team Broadway. This critically acclaimed song and dance show is a heartfelt and entertaining show […]
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A NIGHT TO REMEMBER Walking into the New York Irish Center in Long Island City for the first time to see a show feels a bit like stumbling into a well-kept secret; it’s an intimate gathering place and an unassuming, cozy, cultural enclave. You hear snippets of conversation in lilting accents, laughter echoing from the […]
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SWEETLY PLAYFUL TREATMENT OF A COMPLICATED PLOT The prolific author Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was the creator of 66 novels, 14 volumes of short stories and 20 plays, ten of which have been published. Half of her novels involved a quirky, fussy little Belgian private detective named Hercule Poirot solving mysteries of murder. Ironically, Christie hated […]
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HORRORS IN THE ROUND Little Shop of Horrors, based on the 1960 science-fiction film by Roger Corman, opened off-Broadway at the Orpheum Theatre in Manhattan’s East Village on July 27, 1982. The production, directed by lyricist Howard Ashman, was so popular that David Geffen and team swooped in to buy the rights. The music, composed by […]
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The Inmates are Easy to Like in Palm Canyon’s Cuckoo’s Nest Upon entering Palm Canyon Theatre, one first sees the onstage set for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Designer J. W. Layne has created a very naturalistic dayroom of a mental hospital. Especially effective are ceiling beams which extend almost to the front row […]
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JUDGING THE BOOK OF GRACE BY ITS (VERY IMPRESSIVE) COVER The Chicago Premiere of The Book of Grace at Steppenwolf Theatre is an expertly executed production of an underwhelming family drama. I’m a long-time fan of Steppenwolf, and every aspect of this production demonstrated the artistic excellence that I’ve come to expect, but the itself […]
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