by Macey Levin Ralph Albert Blakelock is one of the least famous artists of the Hudson River School overshadowed by Thomas Cole and Frederic Church amongst others. In 1916, however, his “Brook By Moonlight” (below) was bought for $20,000, the highest price ever paid for a painting by a living…
by Dan Mayer In storytelling, insightful political commentary can sometimes come at the cost of fully realizing the characters as people. In Casa Valentina, playwright Harvey Fierstein manages to do both, delivering a cast of likable human characters with realistic ideological differences. Schenectady Civic Players bring the characters to life…
by Macey Levin David Zellnik’s musical entitled “Yank” about gay soldiers during World War Two ran off-Broadway in 2005; it had several workshops in New York, but no Broadway producer or company took an option to produce it. In 2017 a production in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, sent Zellnik to…
The second play in Bridge Street Theatre’s “Solofest” is the world premiere of “Help! I’m Trapped In A One-Woman Show” featuring Broadway actress Kate Skinner. As the audience enters one of the songs we hear is Aretha Franklin’s “Natural Woman,” an obvious teaser as to what is coming. This play…
by Sierra Pasquale “Peter and the Starcatcher”, currently playing at SLOC Musical Theater, is an ambitious production that brings to life the whimsical backstory of Peter Pan. A mix of slapstick humor, heartfelt moments, and theatrical ingenuity, the play has its moments of charm but ultimately feels uneven in execution.…
by Paula Kaplan-Reiss The Lehman Trilogy by Stefano Massini takes us through the 164-year history of Lehman Brothers, one of the largest and most influential banks in the world, until its collapse in the recession of 2008. The talented Kevin McGuire, William Oliver Watkins, and Oliver Wadsworth have the arduous…
by Macey Levin Bridge Street Theatre in Catskill, New York has begun its third “Solofest” with “Bent Compass” by Neil Brookshire and Colin Sesek. The creation of this play is a story unto itself. Brookshire and Sesek met in 2004 while working at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. When Sesek, an…
by Mark G. Auerbach The Wiz, currently at The Bushnell, sizzles on every level. Hannah Beachler’s psychedelic sets and Daniel Brodie’s incredible video and projections are mind-blowing. Ryan J. O’Gara’s lighting bedazzles, and Sharen Davis’ costumes are bright, bold and sassy. This high tech opulence makes this half-century old musical…
