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…
by Beverly Dane August Wilson’s “Fences” at the Majestic Theater is a joy. Some of the subject matter is difficult to comprehend because times have changed since Wilson wrote his masterpiece in the early ’80s. For example, the “N” word is used liberally, and the first time it is uttered…
by Jessica Hoffman I’ve said many times and must say yet again: I love theater about theater. Confetti Stage’s current offering, a murder mystery about thespians, seemed like a promising production to me. The show concerns a bereft playwright who has gathered five former colleagues to read scenes of his…
by Paula Kaplan-Reiss The beauty of ten ten-minute plays is the variety of stories and genres capturing the audience’s attention, the chance to see the work of diverse playwrights, and the quick resolution of conflicts and dramas. The challenge is one cast portraying wildly different characters in limited time with…
