By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) When Jersey Boys opened on Broadway in 2005, it presented the public with a jukebox musical significantly different from many of the others that preceded it. This was the the true story of the formation of the group of four New Jersey male singers who had achieved…
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) Most audience members who attended the recent Broadway in New Orleans production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory didn’t know what they were missing. It was like sampling a chocolate bar with a smidgen of cacoa as opposed to one chocked full of rich and dark flavor. Unless…
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) The horror of war is made tragic on a small scale in Miss Saigon, as an interracial couple caught up in the maelstrom of the Vietnam War reach out to comfort one another with tragic consequences. If the work seems familiar it’s because it is based on…
By AARON KRAUSE FT. LAUDERDALE — The musical Aladdin might transport us to a “whole new world,” but the show also presents a familiar one to modern-day audiences. Certainly, MeToo advocates applaud loudly when Princess Jasmine proclaims, “I am not a prize to be won! I will not be auctioned off to some self-centered show-off.” And in…
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) There are apparently some people who have never seen the 1983 MGM Christmas classic “A Christmas Story” on TV. Regularly shown since the late 1980s on a 24-hour bender by Ted Turner, there are 12 opportunities every year from Christmas Eve night to Christmas night to see…
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) The cautionary tale of a lie spun out of control, teenage angst, suicide and the impact of the Internet is at the heart of Dear Evan Hansen, the 2017 Tony Award winner for Best Musical. This past week, local audiences were able to witness for themselves the…
By ANNE SIEGEL It has been a long wait, but the people of southeast Wisconsin finally get to be in the room where it happens. Hamilton has arrived. And what a reception it’s getting. The mostly sold-out performances in this three-week run offer a top-ranked professional tour, which is also visiting two other Wisconsin cities…
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out”) Imagine Alice Walker’s book “The Color Purple” in which the story of Celie would be a happy tale. Walker would write of an idyllic, happy childhood in which Celie’s mother and father unconditionally love him and his brother Nettie. Later, when the siblings attend college together, they…
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) The partial collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel under construction in New Orleans on Saturday, October 12, sent tons of debris and a crane across the street impacting the historic Saenger Theater building, where the national tour of Wicked was being housed. With street closures around the…
By ROY BERKO There is an old adage in the theater that an audience should not leave a musical theater production whistling sets and costumes. In other words, it should be the music and story-line that are most important. Obviously, the person who dreamt up that line hadn’t been exposed to Julie Traymor’s costumes and…
By ROY BERKO When I saw Come From Away on Broadway I was totally blown away! As the lights faded on the last scene, I shot out of my seat to give a standing, yelling salute. Yes, me, the person who doesn’t believe in standing ovations unless the show is an A+ was totally “in” on awarding this…
By AARON KRAUSE MIAMI — Do yourself a favor: Do not think about Come From Away as just another show “about 9/11.” To be sure, this remarkable true story would not exist had the terrorist attacks on one of the world’s darkest days not occurred. But Come From Away, which is hardly depressing, is about so much more…
