By ROY BERKO In the late 1950’s through the 1980s The Theatre of the Absurd theatrical movement was the intellectual rage. Based on the concept of Existentialism which asks, “what happens when human existence lacks meaning or purpose and communication breaks down.” The structure of the plays often centered on the finishing point, being the same as the […]
By ANNE SIEGEL MILWAUKEE, WI – This Midwest state is currently swept up in a slate of new plays, all part of a project called World Premiere Wisconsin. The project, with multiple sources of funding, is designed to showcase new work in theaters across the state. The first “World Premiere” production to open is Milwaukee […]
By ANNE SIEGEL MILWAUKEE, WI. – January temperatures rarely rise above 30 degrees here, so indoor activities are welcomed. Local theatergoers can watch a foot-stompin,’ whooping and hollering Texas hoedown in the 1970s musical, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, courtesy of Bombshell Theatre Co. This theater company is devoted to bringing little-seen musicals to […]
By ROY BERKO Since 1959, Dobama Theatre has been dedicated to premiering important new plays by established and emerging playwrights in professional productions of the highest quality. The Land of Oz, is a good selection for them to undertake. Dobama’s multi-talented artistic director Nathan Motta has incorporated his training as a music composer with his […]
By ANNE SIEGEL MILWAUKEE, WI – Some funny anecdotes were once relayed by playwright Catherine Trieschmann to Milwaukee Repertory Theater Artistic Director Mark Clements. They initially led to a few laughs between friends. At the time, Trieschmann was writing some humorous essays about her experiences with other theater groups. Inspired by these stories, Clements urged […]
By ROY BERKO Describe the Night, which is now on stage at Ensemble Theatre, is Cleveland Heights native Rajiv Joseph’s 2018 Obie Award winner for Best New American Play. Joseph was named a finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Bengal Tiger at Baghdad Zoo, which starred the late Robin Williams in […]
By ANNE SIEGEL MILWAUKEE, WI – With the mid-term political elections just weeks away, one of Milwaukee’s newer theater companies uses that timing to open The Totalitarians, a 2015 political satire written by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb. The play is simultaneously horrific and hilarious as it dissects the daily activities surrounding a political campaign gone amok. […]
By ROY BERKO The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, now on stage in the Senney Theater in the Beck Center complex, is a play by Simon Stephens which is based on British writer Mark Haddon’s book of the same name, which, in turn was based on the 1892 short story ‘The Adventure […]
By ANNE SIEGEL MILWAUKEE, WI. – Race-based violence – especially against young Black men – is not unknown in this Midwest city, although most of the conflicts seen on the local TV news seem confined to certain parts of the inner city. When George Floyd died in 2020, Milwaukee was at the forefront of social […]
By ANNE SIEGEL CHICAGO – It’s no secret that the recent opening of The Devil Wears Prada is a mere precursor to its 2023 Broadway run. Although no dates, theater or cast has been announced for the New York run, it’s a given that this new musical version of the hit 2006 film that starred […]