KeyBank Broadway Series production of ‘The Great Gatsby’ will razzle some dazzle others
Sometimes reading a book or seeing a movie adaptation or two can hurt one’s perception of a Broadway musical. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel “The Great Gatsby” captured the roaring twenties in sharp detail (warts and all). Fitzgerald went to great lengths in capturing the razzle dazzle that varnished over the truth of deep pain, relentless social climbing, loss of ethics, post-war psychosis (exhibited in both civilians and veterans alike) and jazz-jazz-jazz which translated
Convergence-Continuum’s ‘Plano’ is a blink and you will miss it kind of show
At 9:00 p.m. Saturday evening I found myself back in my car and heading home. As I was cruising the streets of Tremont, I turned to radio WTAM 1100 AM to see what the final score of the Cleveland Guardian’s game was. Instead the show “Coast to Coast AM with George Noory” was on the air. On this particular evening George was talking with “the world’s most renowned ufologist” (whose name I did not catch) who mainly griped that the world leaders and the United Nations refused to
LatinUS production of ‘La Malasangre’ (‘Bad Blood’) lives up to its name
While attending church this morning the speaker made a Freudian slip during his talk referring to “family and pestilence” rather than “famine and pestilence” in some cases this is not far from the truth. I then attended the Sunday afternoon matinee of “La Malasangre” (“Bad Blood”) which further emphasized this theme. La Malasangre is a dark tale of violence, intolerance, discrimination, disrespect, abuse of power, brutal control and fear in an 1840 Latin country. On a wet fre
Cleveland Play House’s ‘Freak The Mighty’ sings
“I never had a brain until Freak came along and let me borrow his for a while, and that’s the truth, the whole truth. The Unvanquished truth, is how Freak would say it.” With this opening teaser we are hooked for the next two hours as we witness a brilliant musical, Cleveland Play House’s production of “Freak The Mighty” with book and lyrics by Anthony Drewe and music by Ryan Fielding Garrett. The show is based on a novel by Rodman Philbrick. Maxwell Kane (Netza Jimenez) is a
Weathervane Playhouse’s ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’ is a killer
If you ask anyone for a list of their all time favorite classic movies, high on the list will most probably be the 1944 classic screwball black comedy and crime film “Arsenic and Old Lace” starring Cary Grant. Directed by Frank Capra with screenplay by Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein. It was based on Joseph Kesselring’s 1939 play of the same name. Due to contract stipulations the film was held from release during the Broadway play’s run. Unfortunately for the movie th
Playhouse Square’s Touring ‘The Outsiders’ defines the word ‘intense’
It is 1967 in Tulsa, Oklahoma and trouble is brewing. Just like the Montagues and Capulets of R & J fame and the Jets and Sharks from West Side Story, tensions have reached a boiling point. The Greasers from the poorer section east across the railroad tracks and the Socs (Socialites) who inhabit the affluent west side of the city have been battling it out for years. The Socs as a group have been repeatedly attacking lone members of the Greasers beating them senseless. Thus th
Ohio Shakespeare Festival’s ‘Into The Breeches’ brings history to life
On the surface, “Into The Breeches” is a comedy but in the hands of Ohio Shakespeare Festival it is much more than that. It is a time capsule of what it was like living in “the home front” where no one was positive that a total victory could be had against a seemingly unstoppable enemy. Along the way the play covers the subjects of gender profiling, racial prejudice and gay bias that was wrongfully prevalent during those times. It is 1942 and America is deep into World War II
Dobama’s ‘Sanctuary City’ is a hodge podge of words with purpose
The first part of the play’s action takes place on a bare raised platform stage that reflects the bleakness of the subject matter. B (Lloyd Wayne Taylor) lives with his mother in Newark, New Jersey. She has overstayed her visa for years. She has grown increasingly weary of the constant threat from immigration officials whose job is to ferret out illegals. B’s mom is making plans to return back to her own country. G (Diwi Augustin-Glave) is B’s best friend at school. They have
GLT’s ‘Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson’ is more whydunit than whodunit
I have a great deal of respect for Great Lakes Theater. Over the years I have witnessed truly inspiring works of Shakespeare as well as non-Shakespearean works. Every so often (not very often mind you) there appears on the Hanna Theatre stage productions that I question. Such a work is the current staging of Kate Hamill’s “Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson”. Billed as “Cheerfully Desecrating The Stories Of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle” it does manage to do that but not in a good way. The m
Playhouse Square’s touring production of ‘The Sound of Music’ will be your favorite thing
Who does not love the Rodgers and Hammerstein movie “The Sound of Music”? It is the movie that most of us grew up with. It’s an engaging true story that has romance, singing, comedy and danger with songs that everyone has memorized completely. As for stage productions they seem to meet with various success. In order to pull off a successful production you need an exceptional cast (including seven cute kids), a wonderful orchestra, dazzling costumes and phenomenal stage sets.
