by Jess Hoffman I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to let go of what Disney did to Hans Christian Anderson’s tragic and beautiful fairy tale, The Little Mermaid. When I read the 1837 short story for a literary analysis class I was livid about the liberties that Disney…
by Jess Hoffman Two years ago, I reviewed Harbinger Theatre’s The Motherf**ker with the Hat by Stephen Adly Guirgis and was delighted with the heartfelt dark comedy. This weekend, I saw Harbinger’s production of another Stephen Adly Guirgis play titled Between Riverside and Crazy. I can’t say I was quite…
by Jess Hoffman Musicals about musicians are almost as common as plays about thespians, and they tend to offer the same opportunities and be prone to the same pitfalls. They can be playfully and thoughtfully metatheatrical when done well; when done poorly they can be so tediously self- referential that…
by Jess Hoffman I have to admit I have no love for Rodgers and Hammerstein. I find their musicals boring and overly sentimental. My introduction to Rodgers and Hammerstein was, in fact, the 1955 film version of Oklahoma!, with which I was wholly unimpressed. That said, I am a big…
by Jess Hoffman I have said previously in writing for Berkshire On Stage that A Midsummer Night’s Dream is my all-time favorite play. Whenever I see it produced I go into the show with high hopes and high expectations. I’ll admit I had some trepidation going into The Rooted Voyageurs‘…
by Jess Hoffman Pippin is a musical theater classic, and it’s hard to explain why. Don’t get me wrong, I love it–I find the score irresistible, the main character lovable, and the entire concept quite charming–but it’s hard to say exactly why. The plot is nonsensical and the titular character…
by Jess Hoffman I was unfamiliar with Fairview when I went to see Confetti Stage’s production of Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Pulitzer-winning dramedy. Confetti’s website touts “This play explores themes of race, identity, and cultural appropriation through the lens of a black family’s birthday celebration” and the Pulitzer committee that awarded…
by Jess Hoffman Sand Lake Center for the Arts is currently offering a truly local production: a musical, titled A Fine Family, written and directed by local theater’s own Susan Frost and James Holmes. The play concerns a family, as the title indicates, one that is fraying at the seams…
