by Lisa Jarisch Full Disclosure: After almost 2 years without the pleasure and privilege of being able to enjoy live theatre, I was becoming rather desperate for another opening, another show—anything to be taken out of the Stygian gloom of lock-downs, shut-downs, & mask-ups. So desperate was I that I…

(July 23, 2021–Chatham, NY) The Mac-Haydn Theatre kicks off its magical 2021 return season with the Stephen Schwartz musical, Pippin, opening July 29. There’s magic to do when a young man learns the true meaning of glory, love, and war in this iconic and unforgettable musical masterpiece. Presented for the first time ever…

by Roseann Cane The first musical written by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Oklahoma! opened on Broadway on March 31,1943. An box-office smash from the get-go, it ran for more than 2,000 performances. During the nearly 76 years since, it’s a fair bet that this deservedly…

by Lisa Jarisch In college I had an English professor who was fond of saying such and such a play, or this, that and the other literary work, or some particular personal hobby, were intended to be, and should be taken as, nothing more than “great good fun”. With its…

by Lisa Jarisch As a former librarian, I  am almost always wont to pronounce “the book was better” or “read the book” when presented with a film or stage adaptation of a printed or published work. And like thousands of readers, I devoured E.L. Doctrow’s best seller of 1975 and…

by Lisa Jarisch Since its arrival on Broadway in 1972, Grease has been the Word in more than 3300 Broadway performances, had 27 productions worldwide, made its way to the big screen as a feature film, been revived on Broadway twice, and has greased and graced the boards of high…

by Lisa Jarisch For theatre goers “of a certain age”, the mention of Sunset Boulevard may very well conjure up images of beloved comedienne Carol Burnett’s loving homage to this classic 1950 Billy Wilder film. Burnett’s entrance as the faded Hollywood film star Norma Desmond slowly –at first—descending the staircase…

by Roseann Cane There may be no American musical that comes close to the poignant resonance of Lerner and Lowe’s Camelot. A favorite play of President John F. Kennedy (who had been a classmate of Lerner’s at Harvard), the star-studded, award-winning show originally ran on Broadway from December 1960 through…