The surprise of the original cast album “Music from Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark” is that it is better than its show, which, as everyone even marginally aware of musical theater knows, is reported to be the most expensive Broadway musical ever.
Archives for April 3, 2012
Side Man at 1st Stage
Michael Dove’s direction and nearly flawless casting of Side Man makes for a terrific production at 1st Stage. Playwright Warren Leight captures the flair and style of the jazzy big band era as seen through the experiences of the “side man,” a jazz term for a freelance musician who can just as easily solo as […]
The Belle of Amherst
When most actors walk on to a stage, an audience sees just that: an actor. A charismatic actor, maybe, or a compelling actor. Comically gifted, or sullen, possibly sympathetic. It is a demand of the craft to take this title off the table completely, and out of the mind of the audience. A good actor […]
Synetic’s untamed Taming of the Shrew
When Synetic cooks up Shakespeare, know that under Paata Tsikurishvili’s fired-up direction, the team will tackle something bold and often delicious. However, is it any wonder that in Synetic’s repeated attempts to re-concoct the bard, placing the ingredients of each play in a new mold, there might prove one production that, like a soufflé, doesn’t […]
A Girl Named Destiny
We have all had the experience of passing an attractive person on the street. While you or I might let the memory go after a minute or two, for Joe, she was the girl of his dreams and he becomes obsessed with finding her. Playwright Rand Higbee takes the idea to comic extremes in this […]
4,000 Miles
Don’t let the title of Amy Herzog’s play 4000 Miles put you off. My first impression after hearing it was that it was probably another play about the war in Iraq or Afghanistan. But no, happily it refers to the bicycle journey young Leo (Gabriel Ebert) has made in order to visit his grandmother Vera […]