Alice in Wonderland is so well known that it’s easy to forget the original two books—Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking-Glass—were written in 1865 in Queen Victoria’s England. This version reminds us of that, merging the best of both books so that we get to tangle with all of their classic, wild […]
Maria & Cecilia: Zarzuela a la Cubana from In Series (review)
In its latest offering, the In Series has pulled a twisty, two-for-one punch with aplomb, presenting two Cuban Zarzuelas, based on the same novel, as Act I and Act II in a single show. It’s kind of a gutsy move, and it works wonderfully. But first, some background.
Review: The Wiz at Ford’s Theatre
Much like its storied source material, (Frank L. Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), The Wiz is an American cultural institution. Seven Tony Awards in 1975. Numerous revivals. A 1978 film adaptation turned cult-classic. And a live staging on NBC in 2015. Yet, I’ve never seen it and chose, as I often do, to walk […]
Review: This Little Light at Venus Theatre
This Little Light, like so many Venus Theatre productions, is a gem that radiates the very joy it dares us to find in ourselves, and each other, when we fear we’ve lost it most.
Robbie Schaefer’s stage debut in Light Years is luminous (review)
Light Years celebrates the cornerstone to all human relationships, the first and most defining: child and parent. In this case, the focus is Robbie Schaefer and his father Konnie (Bobby Smith). Konnie is a successful economist who left his home in Romania after World War II for Cyprus and then Israel and then finally to America. In […]
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (review)
Adventure Theatre MTC’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is a laugh-out-loud journey through the worst calamities of childhood, and appealing to kids and adults alike.
Waxing West, a Romanian immigrant’s American dream (review)
Waxing West is a rich, moving story of immigration, culture clash, and revolution—the common political kind and a deeper, internal, personal kind. A little over a decade after the Romanian Revolution its aftermath has proved disappointing. The new government resembles the old, the economy languishes, and the people still suffer from the psychological horrors inflicted […]
Review: Nothing to Lose (But Our Chains) at Woolly Mammoth
Life: it’s not about good guys or bad guys. It’s about good choices and bad choices. And, Felonious Munk, a bearded comedian out of Chicago courtesy of Second City, is a solid, candid guy who’s made some questionable ones. In Nothing to Lose (But Our Chains) he lays it all out there.
Jacques Brel—Songs From His World (review)
Sometime in the not too distant past, an ornate street lamp, that you could easily imagine encircled by fog, glows at a dingy train depot early morning. Byron Jones, looking dapper in a suit and hat, enters and tenderly launches into “La Ville S’endormait” [The City Was Falling Asleep] surrounded by haphazardly strewn travel trunks […]
Assassins at NextStop Theatre (review)
In a time in American history where gun control, collusion, corporate taxes, labor issues, immigration, war, and threats of violence dominate the daily news, Assassins feels chillingly relevant, and fresh. With its rich, moving numbers, it offers no answers; it’s more a testimony that we reached today through the actions of citizens suffering under those […]
The Effect at Studio Theatre (review)
The Effect is a beautiful rumination on what love is—a combination of naturally occurring chemicals with which the brain floods the body. Or something altogether different. Something controllable. And, therefore, perhaps, less toxicating.
Night Train 57: A Sensory-Friendly Folk Opera review
Caravanning to the stars and beyond—to a planet of flowers somewhere at the edge of the universe—is a nice coda to a long week. Even if it is a journey designed for kids. Music, after all, is a magic meant for everyone, which is what Night Train 57: A Sensory-Friendly Folk Opera is all about.