by Gail M. Burns, August 2006 As a critic, I can never leave a show early, nor do I often feel inclined to do so, but I have to admit that I contemplated making an early escape during the intermission of Auntie and Me. Playwright Morris Panych has created two thoroughly…
by Gail M. Burns, August 2006 Michael Wells, a history professor at the American University in Beirut, is being held hostage by Shiite Muslim extremists. Back at home, his wife Lainie, a naturalist, has stripped his home office bare and sits in it constantly, trying to stay connected to Michael…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, August 2006 About halfway through the very long first act of Rent I was beginning to panic. Why wasn’t I thrilled and excited by this show? It’s won Tonys and Pulitzers, for lord’s sake. It’s run for a decade on Broadway and has a huge cult following…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, August, 2006 When you say the name Gigi people usually have rapturous responses linked directly to their memories of the 1958 musical film starring Leslie Caron, Hermione Gingold, and Maurice Chevalier. The music is so lovely, the Parisian scenery is so beautiful, Leslie Caron is so charming,…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, August, 2006 This production is all about the Shook sisters – Karla and Kelly – who play Miss Sarah Brown and Miss Adelaide respectively. They are in the prime of their lives and are a joy to watch, alone and together, on the stage. The…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, August 2006 “Those who talk most about the blessings of marriage and the constancy of its vows are the very people who declare that if the chain were broken and the prisoners left free to choose, the whole social fabric would fly asunder. You cannot…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, August, 2006 I am linking this review of the 2006 production at Shakespeare & Company to the 2007 production at Stageworks/Hudson because, with the exception of the actor playing John Mitchell, it is substantially the same production – same leading lady, same director, same designers.…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, August, 2006 I wanted to be sure to separate my reviews of Martha Mitchell Calling and No Background Music because I knew from the get-go that even though they are being performed as a double bill, they would be very different shows. I was right. Martha Mitchell Calling is a play, No…
