By AARON KRAUSE Young, visionary director Giancarlo Rodaz’s winning approach in Area Stage Company’s (ASC) current unorthodox, yet triumphant production of the classic musical Annie features eight actors playing all roles. That compares to a 25-person cast in the original Broadway production. Also, the ASC production, set in an early 1930’s New York City speakeasy…
By AARON KRAUSE While watching Drew Droege’s delightfully comic, single-character play, Bright Colors and Bold Patterns, one might wonder: Is the horizontally big fellow at the piece’s center always so boisterous? Further, how much are alcohol and drugs responsible for Gerry’s tirade? And when it comes to the dress code at a gay wedding he plans…
By AARON KRAUSE When it comes to musicals, A Bronx Tale is not one of the great ones. Still, it’s a crowd-pleasing, familiar tale populated by characters we care about. Surely, you don’t have to be Italian or African-American to feel a kinship with folks such as Calogero, Sonny, Lorenzo, Jane, and a host of other colorful…
By AARON KRAUSE “What are you doing to promote equality?” a black college student demands of her white professor in Eleanor Burgess’s taut, intense, timely drama The Niceties. The professional, non-profit Island City Stage (ICS) is giving the piece a mostly commendable production now through April 25. Those who wish to see the play live and…
By AARON KRAUSE A problem with online theater, especially a taped production, is that performers cannot take bows. In addition, the actors cannot bask in bravos, cheers, and sustained applause. Certainly, cast members of New Normal Rep’s inaugural production of the dramedy Jericho deserve high praise. They are offering impressively natural, nuanced performances. And New Normal…
By AARON KRAUSE While we still do not know when the 2020 virtual Tony Awards broadcast will take place, we at least now know the nominees. The Tony Awards’ presenters, The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, announced the nominees on Thursday. Alanis Morissette’s musical, Jagged Little Pill, leads the way with 15 nominations. In…
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 AARON KRAUSE What are some “gifts” that you’ve brought to dark, anxiety-inducing times, places, or situations? Perhaps you smiled brightly while visiting a lonely, scared person forced to spend quarantine alone because she has no family or friends. Maybe another gift was your warm, re-assuring voice. Or, perhaps your gift was as simple as…
By ALAN SMASON A theatre reviewer in a pandemic? Sounds crazy, no? But here in New Orleans with no shows to see, I’ve become more than that. I’ve assumed new roles as a director, a stage manager and in the grand tradition of Bialystock and Bloom, a producer. How all of this intersected with the…
By AARON KRAUSE, Special to Theatrecriticism.com (SARASOTA, FL.) — Five-time Tony Award recipient Terrence McNally, the world-renowned playwright who also received the Tony Awards’ Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre honor last year, died March 24 in Sarasota. He was 81 . McNally succumbed to complications from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. He was…
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…
By AARON KRAUSE FT. LAUDERDALE — A man with much physical difficulty tries to reach the love of his life. Naturally, she seems overjoyed that hubby is approaching. And so, she cheers him on. Surely, he wants to make love to her. Or, at the very least, share a long, passionate kiss. And so, with…
