By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) New Orleans is finally in the room where it happens. The groundbreaking work of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton: An American Musical, currently on its second national tour at the historic Saenger Theater, offers theatre lovers an opportunity to expand their minds and break free from the past in […]
By AARON KRAUSE MIAMI — The woman of the moment rises. She approaches us with purpose, flashes a welcoming smile and waves warmly and enthusiastically to us. Perhaps the suddenly-skyrocketed wattage resulting from her warmth and brightness tempts us to silently hum the opening lyrics to the iconic title song. Of course, that number is “Hello, Dolly!,” […]
By ROY BERKO It was apparent on reviewer’s night of Hello, Dolly!, which is starting its national tour in Cleveland, that many of the audience, which was awash in red clothing, had heard of the “wear David Merrick red” to productions of this script. David Merrick red? Merrick was often referred to as the “Abominable Showman.” One […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) For those mired in the mundane machinations of partisan politics as acted out on TV screens, here’s a simple suggestion. Move on over to the Saenger Theater and get a seat to see Disney’s Aladdin. Directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, this national tour should be all […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) The national tour of Waitress, the Sara Bareilles musical that established her as a viable Broadway figure in 2016 (the year that Hamilton swept the Tony Awards), has finally made it to a local stage. Now running at the Saenger Theater through Sunday, the musical with a […]
By ROY BERKO Disney, whether it’s their theme parks, cruises or Broadway-style shows, has a special approach that excites kids as well as adults. Disney’s Aladdin, which is now on stage at the Key Bank State Theatre, is no exception. The two tweens sitting next to me gushed after the show that they “loved it” […]
By ROY BERKO The history of American musical theater is laced with firsts and trendsetters. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma” introduced the well-made book musical in which a story was told, with music, lyrics and dance all integrated and setting the pattern of the first act ending with a conflict that would be solved in the […]
By ALAN SMASON Melissa Errico continues to take her concert tour to the people as the star of Passion and Amour, fresh off a recent “Playbill” cruise, brought her Sondheim show to a London cabaret for several nights before crossing the pond and landing in the Big Easy for a special night where she was joined briefly […]
By ALAN SMASON, Theatre Critic, WYES-TV (“Steppin’ Out”) When ballet stars Robert Fairchild and Leanne Cope began their roles as expatriate American artist Jerry Mulligan and native Parisian ballerina Lise Dassin, they had no way of knowing their performances would last for most of three years as they opened first in Paris in 2014, transferred to […]
By ALAN SMASON, Theatre Critic, WYES-TV (“Steppin’ Out“) Now that Chanukah has ended and Christmas is nearly here, there’s time to reflect on the amazing happenstance that Jewish composers and lyricists have contributed mightily to the Christmas musical landscape in ways that seem somewhat at odds with their religious upbringing. No American alive or dead […]