By ANNE SIEGEL War is hell, they say. But the months leading up to war can also be a kind of hell, as demonstrated by the characters in From Here to Eternity, a new musical that opened recently at Skylight Music Theatre in Milwaukee. The mundane reality of military life in the Hawaiian Islands before…
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) The latest production of Jesus Christ Superstar bowed this weekend, presented by the Jefferson Performing Arts Society (JPAS) at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center on Airline Drive in Metairie and there is a lot to like about it including a brilliant final scene intended to suggest the…
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) There is probably no more magnificent opening number in Broadway history than “Circle of Life/ Nants Ingonyama” found in Disney’s The Lion King. This Julle Taymor-inspired depiction recreates the opening of the 1994 Walt Disney animated classic showing the creatures of the African savannah journeying to witness…
The Tony and Drama Desk Award-nominated director and choreographer for the original Broadway production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has died. Tony Tanner died on Sept. 8 in his Los Angeles home, Deadline reported. He was 88. Tanner’s website confirmed the theater artist’s death. Tanner succumbed to cancer,…
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 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 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 AARON KRAUSE FT. LAUDERDALE — “Love Transcends Death” is a poem by Naoimh Spence, but it’s also a powerful premise in several theatrical shows, including Elton John and Tim Rice’s “Aida,” a heartfelt, touching tale of honor, loyalty and forbidden love which is receiving a remarkable production by the Carbonell Award-winning, Ft. Lauderdale-based Slow…
