By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out”) For three and a half years, Joseph Kesselring was the toast of Broadway with his dark comedy Arsenic & Old Lace. The play, which opened at the Fulton Theatre in January of 1941, transferred to the Hudson Theatre in the fall of 1943 and closed in July […]
By ALAN SMASON, Special to Theatrecriticism.com For the past two decades, Stogie Kenyatta has researched, performed and perfected his one-man show The World Is My Home – The Life of Paul Robeson on stages across the globe. With a running time of nearly three hours including a 15-minute intermission, the two-act vehicle permits Kenyatta to perform […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) It might be easy to dismiss Estella Scrooge: A Christmas Carol with a Twist as another in a continuing procession of holiday fare we’ve gotten used to seeing each December. With dozens of new movies and specials streaming or broadcasting on various platforms, discerning viewers might be […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) The third entry in the Williamstown Theatre Festival’s season using the Aubible platform was released in late December. This world premiere of Animals by Stacy Osei-Kuffour is an ear-opening, gut-wrenching and comedic examination of the pitfalls of today’s interracial dating experience and identity. Directed by Obie Award […]
By ALAN SMASON Ever since the words “novel coronavirus” began to make the news circuits and theaters began what was hoped to be a relatively short downtime, the ingenuity of resourceful and creative producers and protective unions began to put on their thinking caps. With an eye towards safety, but a tentative and calculated fiduciary […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) Due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions limiting crowd sizes at public gatherings, local theatre companies have found themselves in a quandary. Unable to offer more than a few comedy and cabaret offerings, a fully-produced show has been out of the question due to the viability of paying […]
By ALAN SMASON With the current COVID-19 pandemic creating new and interesting virtual meeting places, university campuses have been marked by responsiveness and ingenuity. Last spring’s virtual classes at colleges and universities across the nation and around the world, for example, sprang up within weeks of the initial shutdowns. Today, with networking and infrastructure now […]
By AARON KRAUSE Certainly, six years ago, “This too shall pass” carried the same meaning as it does today. But oh, how we yearn to believe a speaker of those words in this age of COVID-19. And so, when a character from Stephen Karam’s award-winning play, The Humans, utters the aforementioned phrase in a reassuring tone, the […]
By HARRY DUKE, originally published in NORTH BAY BOHEMIAN What is the point of reviewing theatre? If you had asked me that question 90 days ago, my answer would be to provide potential audience members some information with which they could make informed decisions on which of the numerous North Bay productions they might choose […]
BOCA RATON, FL. — Hopefully, sooner rather than later, Coronavirus will disappear. Then, the media may choose to highlight “unsung heroes” in the battle against the virus. Specifically, these are people who, as part of their jobs, had to potentially expose themselves to the bug in order to protect the public’s health. However, these folks […]