By ANNE SIEGEL The American musical theater has been graced with another revival of Company, Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s 1970 musical about our basic human need for togetherness. In this 2021 Broadway rendering by Marianne Elliott, which won an Olivier Award in London in 2019 and a COVID-delayed Tony Award for Best Revival last […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) (NEW ORLEANS) – A Wonderful World, sub-titled “A New Musical About the life and Loves of Louis Armstrong,” made its bow in New Orleans during the first week in October at the historic Saenger Theater. Situated along famous Basin Street and Canal Street – two famous thoroughfares […]
By ROY BERKO The reconfigured The Wiz, as one of its major song’s states, is easing down the road on its way to Broadway. Previews for that show begin on March 29, 2024, with the Big Apple opening scheduled for April 17. Until it gets to New York City, it is touring the hinterlands in a […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out”) Aaron Sorkin and Bartlett Sher have made an impressive team. In fact, their partnership has resulted in the greatest box office for a Broadway play ever with the 2018 Sorkin adaption and Sher-directed production of Harper Lee’s most successful novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. The show premiered at […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) If Jersey Boys and Mamma Mia! are examples of “jukebox musicals,” then the national tour of Moulin Rouge! might be more accurately termed a “mashup musical” with snippets of songs stitched together to advance characters and plot. Where an entire song might do nicely for a jukebox musical, Moulin […]
By ANNE SIEGEL MILWAUKEE, WI – As England prepares for its royal coronation in May, Milwaukee audiences have gotten a glimpse of the upcoming festivities with the arrival of the Six national tour. As Six continues its dominance on Broadway, the West End and elsewhere, the U.S. tour is still attracting audiences around the country. […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) When it comes to an old chestnut like “Fiddler on the Roof,” the biggest challenge may be in keeping the Joseph Stein book fresh and the music and lyrics by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick vibrant and relevant. This Bartlett Sher-directed production, based on the successful 2016 […]
By ROY BERKO When Hadestown, opened on Broadway on April 17, 2019, it was met with critical acclaim. Reviews contained such terms as “inventive,” “gorgeous, “hypnotic,” “high energy,” “utterly fabulous” and “immersive.” The critics went gaga over the quality of the singing, the scenery, the special effects, the choreography and the fine acting. The Big […]
By ROY BERKO As the run of the awe-inspiring Hamilton draws to a close at the Playhouse Square’s State Theatre, Beetlejuice, the cult-followed farcical ghostly show appears next door at the Connor Palace. The opening is ironic since the curtain-up Cleveland production of the Eddie Perfect (music and lyrics)/Scott Brown and Anthony King (book) parallels […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) Taking their regal cues from the likes of pop music royalty Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Avril Lavigne and Jennifer Lopez, the “Six” queens of Henry VIII took up residence at the Saenger Theater on Tuesday night, beginning their reigns for a busy six days […]