A Rock ’N’ Roll Fantasy

Sunny Afternoon

During the 1960’s, the United Kingdom became the breeding ground for an international music industry. Except for  some specific details, the story of how The Kinks became one of the defining sounds of the 1960’s, sounds vaguely familiar. Almost every musical group from that time period, especially those who were labeled as part of the “British Invasion,” had similar background stories. Musical collectives, like The Kinks, The Beatles, The Animals and The Rolling Stones, primarily hailed from everyday, working class backgrounds. And more often than not, the young musicians began as members of one or more smaller groups. However, as these bands became more and more popular, a professional producer would soon join their ranks, helping promote the group and making the band more refined, rebranded and ultimately renamed.

An Emotional Whiplash

The Winter’s Tale

An audience member who’s already familiar with William Shakespeare’s Romance, THE WINTER’S TALE, will find a lot to like in Invictus Theatre’s new, powerful production. However, a theatergoer attending this play for first time may experience something akin to an emotional whiplash. That reaction comes from the common perception that this theatrical piece, often labeled as a Problem Play, feels like two very different presentations staged as one production. Just remember, though, that Time heals everything and can often lead to happily ever after.  

a play about final girls

it’s been ten years since everyone died

The press materials for this play, currently having its first full-length production at Open Space Arts, explained a few things that were new to me. First, there is apparently a cinematic term called the “final girl.” It refers to a trope that’s very common in almost every modern day slasher film. In movies such as “Scream,” “Halloween,” “Nightmare on Elm Street,” and countless others, these horror thrillers center around a group of young people being hunted down, brutally attacked and mercilessly slaughtered by a homicidal maniac. By the final reel, only one character has survived to confront the killer and thus tell the story. That individual is usually female and is referred to as the “final girl.”

Absolutely Delightful!

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Your word is Delightful.

May I have a definition?

Certainly. “Giving great pleasure or enjoyment; highly pleasing.”

Can you use it in a sentence?

Paramount’s new production of THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE is absolutely Delightful!

In a junior high school gym, set in a fictional small town in America’s heartland, a group of 6 sharp middle school students battle for the regional Spelling Bee Championship. The event is overseen by a trio of quirky adults, including the Spelling Bee’s head moderator, Rona Lisa Perretti, a successful realtor and local celebrity for having once won the Spelling Bee several years ago, when she was a student. Because the musical has its roots in improvisational theatre, 4 eager audience members are selected to compete with the cast at every performance, thus no two shows are ever the same. The result is always hilarious, often unexpected and delightfully wise and wacky. 

Dreams Never Run On Time

Tell Me on a Sunday

Meet Emma, a recent immigrant to the United States. She’s a pretty, perky young English woman who’s arrived in New York City late one night, planning to move in with her new American boyfriend, Joe. That relationship suddenly sours when she discovers that she’s being used. Then Emma meets Sheldon, a famous film producer, who lures her off to the plastic existence of Hollywood. Bored and ignored in LaLa Land, Emma decides to return to the Big Apple. Back in NYC she meets a younger man who travels for a living. But no surprise, he also proves to be unfaithful to her. Emma’s final affair is a frivolous fling with Paul, a married man with two children. When Paul confesses that he intends to leave his wife for her, Emma suddenly realizes that the tables have been turned. Now it’s she who’s using men the way they’ve used her. Emma’s epiphany strengthens her drive to get her Green Card and leads her toward a new life of independence. Emma acknowledges this new attitude in an eleventh hour number entitled “Dreams Never Run Out of Time.” The audience leaves the theatre knowing that our heroine has learned an important life lesson and will survive.

To Be or Not to Be

Teatro La Plaza’s Hamlet

Ask anyone for the title of a play that everybody knows and it’ll most likely be HAMLET. And especially when narrowing the choices down to Shakespearean dramas, comedies and histories, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who has not at least heard of this tragedy. From the time you’re in high school, most everyone will have read, studied and probably seen at least one production of the play. This is, after all, Shakespeare’s most popular tragedy, and it offers a challenging role that every actor worth his salt aspires to play. That makes this production all the more noteworthy. Elegantly written and directed by the founder of Teatro La Plaza, Peruvian theatre artist Chela De Ferrari has created a most unique and unusual retelling of the Bard’s classic that’ll be remembered for a long time to come.

The Same But Different

Elvis Presley Was a Black Man Named Joe

Jackie Taylor tells her audience that she loves Elvis Presley but not as much as she loves her little brother Joe. The multitalented Ms. Taylor, the founder and CEO of Black Ensemble Theater, looks back at the lives of her family with affection and nostalgia in this new revue. Thinking about her adoration of “Elvis the Pelvis,” Ms. Taylor notes a lot of similarities between her younger brother, Joe Taylor, and the King of Rock ’n’ Roll. During the 1950’s and 60’s both siblings were huge fans of the actor and international singing sensation, while growing up in urban Chicago. They saw all his movies and bought all his records. The two young people recognized that the sexy singer’s music wasn’t just infectious but offered an unusual mix of influences across color lines. And in this pleasant, sometimes touching, musical revue, we’re shown how Elvis Presley and Joe Taylor were, in many ways, the same but different.

More I Cannot Wish You

Guys and Dolls

The true sign of a great musical classic is how long the show’s been around since it first opened on Broadway. GUYS AND DOLLS, which features a fantastic score by Frank Loesser and an excellent script cowritten by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, is a one-of-a-kind musical. From the very start it was a smash hit, and it ranks among the most frequently revived and produced shows from the Golden Age of Musicals. The story’s set in Manhattan’s sordid and disreputable Times Square area during the mid-twentieth century. It’s populated with colorful characters who are gamblers, gangsters, showgirls and a ministry of Salvation Army soldiers. Based upon a couple of short stories by American journalist and author Damon Runyon, the musical opened on Broadway in 1950. The show proved to be very popular with post WWII audiences who were looking for an entertainment to help them forget the past. It went on to win five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. And, honestly, “More I cannot Wish You” for a charming and superbly produced and highly entertaining musical comedy.

Lost in the Solar System

The Magic School Bus

Ms. Frizzle’s class is in session again and, as everyone knows, she loves teaching science and social studies with a very hands-on approach. Instead of sitting in the classroom and reading textbooks, The Friz, as she’s called, enjoys taking her students out of the school and off on field trips to explore their subjects firsthand. Today’s lesson is about the Solar System, so Ms. Frizzle’s class eagerly boards the Magic School Bus and heads toward the planetarium. However, on the way, this dedicated instructor finds she’s become lost. But never fear: Ms. Frizzle just presses a button to rev up the engine and the bus turns into a rocket ship. Suddenly the class is blasting off into outer space for a real intergalactic experience!

Any Dream Will Do

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Wow! If you think you know this delicious, delightful, family friendly musical, you’re in for a wonderful surprise. I am continually impressed with Amber Mak’s creative genius. With each show, Amber always surprises theatergoers with her remarkably fresh, new and imaginative interpretation. This gifted Director/Choreographer never fails to find an exciting and novel way to present a familiar musical that we think we already know. Which brings me to Amber Mak’s unique vision for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s popular, family friendly musical comedy.