Category Archives: Theatre
‘Outré Island’ Is Not So Foreign a Destination
The word Outré is defined as “out of the common course or limits; extravagant; (2) bizarre; outlandish”; unfortunately the new solo show at Ars Nova, Outré Island, is not quite that far gone. At least, not yet! The workshop production, … Continue reading
Posted in Comedy, Theatre
Tagged Ars Nova, criticism, Outre Island, performance, works in progress
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‘Tis Pity She’s NOT a Whore?
So, in a piece published in the Telegraph, the writer is all chuffed that a stage adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany’s running in the West End — which is not the musical! Which long ago was the floppiest of flops! … Continue reading
Posted in Theatre
Tagged adaptations, ambiguities, American Geishas, Breakfast at Tiffany's, cranky Brits, thea-tuh, Truman Capote, whores
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I Had a Meme, a Meme About You, Baby
To truly succeed now, a thing, or “brand” — however the hell you commodify an entertainment property (or entertainer) — should find a way to infiltrate all avenues of popular culture. See, for instance, I Can Has Cheezburger: The MusicLOL … Continue reading
Sax & Dixon Offer Up Comedic Wedded Bliss
Two’s company, but John Dixon and Matt Sax create a crowd of thirty wedding revelers in their new show We Thee Wed, currently running Ars Nova. Wresting momentarily the nuptial craze from the purview of the reality show bridezillas, the … Continue reading
Mel & El: ‘It’s Like Laverne and Shirley with Curse Words’
The award-winning duo of Melanie Adelman and Ellie Dvorkin are back with Mel & El: Show and Tell, a new comedy with music starting in May. Amidst rehearsals, the pair was happy to answer questions about the new show via … Continue reading
The Future of American Theatre
So, American Theatre magazine has polled various practitioners to envision what will/might/should happen to the art form of theatre over the next twenty-five years. Fun! The resulting essays range from the practical to the imaginative to the vaguely dippy. Still! … Continue reading
Posted in Theatre, Trends
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Gimme Down to There Hair
Here is one of those wonderful items that publicists like to plant to create “buzz” for a show. It is to be taken with a grain of salt, but it does involve pubic wigs, so. IT’S the real thing when … Continue reading
King Leery: Some Viewers Happy That McKellen’s Royal Sceptre Didn’t Make It To Air
“Great Performances” on PBS recently aired Trevor Nunn’s acclaimed stage production of King Lear, starring Sir Ian McKellen. (Missed it? You can view it online.) But the show was performed with one excision: namely the elderly king’s dangling sceptre. The … Continue reading
Impressionism Is, Um…
Last night Impressionism — the December-December romance starring Jeremy Irons and Joan Allen — opened on Broadway. I was there. The show was…nice. (Saying something is nice, we all know, is really just a way to deflect one’s true feelings. … Continue reading
Hero of the Week: Steve Martin
When an Oregon high school put the kibosh on a production of Steve Martin’s play Picasso at the Lapin Agile, the author-slash-comedian-slash-renaissance man, upon reading about the controversy online, graciously stepped up and pledged to donate funds to produce the … Continue reading
‘The Wendigo’: A Hunting Trip Gone Terribly Awry
Quick, what’s the last “scary” play you’ve seen? Plays dealing with horror seem not to be afforded a prominent place under the big umbrella of theater, perhaps because they are “genre” pieces? The nerdy cousins to more “respectable” or “serious” … Continue reading
Posted in Theatre
Tagged adaptations, not necessarily theater criticism, plays, Vagabond Theatre Ensemble, Wendigo
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We’ve All Been Patti LuPWNed Now
You may have heard about Patti LuPone’s mid-show diva freakout during a performance of Gypsy, where she stopped the proceedings to have a picture-happy audience member booted from the theater (“Who do you think you are?!”), but have you heard … Continue reading
Posted in Music, Theatre
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