Every so often, a show comes along that makes me wish I had been more sensitive with the hyperboles about productions I’ve seen. “Suchandsuch was GENIUS,” “A brilliant production,” “Expert timing/skill/concept.” Such a show is Silence! The Musical, currently running at Studio Theatre 2ndstage.
About John Dellaporta
Girl Versus Corinth at Capital Fringe
In the back of one of my little notebooks where I jot down random little ideas that hit me during various points in the day, I have an entry marked “Fringe Bingo.” Once upon a time I was thinking of writing a show that would parody the various tropes of Fringe plays of all shapes […]
BOND: An Unauthorised Parody at Capital Fringe
As the lights in the Artspace Loft Studio dimmed, a (vaguely) familiar orchestra string is heard and a (vaguely) familiar silhouette walks across the stage, turns, and fires his (finger) gun. His name? Bond…just Bond (lest any Eon Productions reps happen to swing by the Brookland venue). The performer? Robertson, Gavin Robertson. The show? BOND: […]
No Rules’ Sketch show, totally absurd (review)
Sketch show is funny when No Rules does it. The most admirable thing about sketch comedy as an art form is this – it just gets itself out there. You have an idea? Write it down, punch up the jokes, and get it on stage or on film. Take too much time to polish it […]
Movie review: The Last Five Years
Once upon a time, in 2001, there was a musical. Beloved by dozens, this teeny-tiny song cycle told the story of an ordinary, five year relationship in a highly unusual way – from the woman’s point of view, we would be traveling backwards through time, from the end to the beginning, while from the man’s, […]
Movie review: Into the Woods: Disney gets it right. Almost
My God…they’re actually getting this right! There is no more terrifying emotion to experience than hope, and, within the opening moments of Disney’s long-awaited film version of Into the Woods, hope was gushing through me faster than in any viewing experience I can remember to date.
Megan Hilty spreads holiday cheer at The Kennedy Center
Holiday concerts…what do we want? My expectations for a holiday gig are certainly quite different than the usual fare in the Barbara Cook Spotlight Series. If a Broadway star is going to be singing “Jingle Bells”, I don’t guess I’ll be commenting, “wow, look at that emotional connection” or “S/he really landed all the jokes […]
Peter Pan Live!, did NBC delight the musical’s fans?
When The Sound of Music Live! aired on NBC last year, reactions were, you could say, mixed. And yet, despite the devil’s advocates, the optimists, the doomsdayers and naysayers, one thing was pretty consistently said: “YES. Please try again!” And so we’re back, one year later. This time the musical is Peter Pan, and the […]
Peter Pan Live! tonight on NBC – first look at Christopher Walken’s Hook
Last year, beyond anyone’s wildest expectations, NBC’s broadcast of The Sound of Music Live!, starring Carrie Underwood, managed to shatter ratings records and break the Internet in ways Kim Kardashian could only dream. (For my complete thoughts on both the broadcast and the social media firestorm, click here.)
Brave Spirits in rep: Two Noble Kinsmen and Midsummer Night’s Dream
Down at the Anacostia Arts Center, Brave Spirits Theatre is undertaking a little experiment, or “Shakespeariment”, if you’re as into silly made-up words as I am (which, if you’re a Shakespeare fan, you very well may be.) They’ve taken A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of the Bard’s single most popular, outright comedic plays, and placed […]
Faith Prince in Barbara Cook’s Spotlight
Memory is a powerful thing in music. When I was young, one of my first exposures to musical theatre was the 1993 Broadway revival cast recording of Guys and Dolls. Mostly known for introducing an unsuspecting world to the force of nature that is Nathan Lane, its highly colorful, stylish take on the Damon Runyon […]
Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris
At heart, Jacques Brel is a stand-up comedian. Now hear me out a second. True, it’s not exactly the first thing you think of when listening to music from Brel’s catalog. And one could easily argue that generating laughter is a distant secondary pursuit for Brel, after exposing his audience to dark truths of the […]
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