When the average person thinks of Broadway musicals, they often envision the mega-musical: a feast for the senses with big, intricate sets and lavish costumes. Such shows are, above all else, spectacles. Even the most astute audiences can’t help but be floored by the sheer magnitude of the production, even if the writing is thin […]
Do you hear the people sing? It’s probably coming from PPAC, where the cast and crew of Les Miserables are preparing to kick off the national tour. Fresh off of its Broadway revival, the beloved musical joins the ranks of the many shows that have chosen Providence as the first stop on their tours over […]
So you’re considering diving into the world of Rhode Island theater. Whether you’re new to the area or just haven’t explored what’s on offer yet, it’s the perfect time to get initiated, with new seasons starting up and some changes on the horizon. As you might expect in such a small state, our theater community […]
Looking to experience the inside of a brain, have a drink with Jesus, hang out with an AI in a post-apocalyptic world, become trapped in Vogue magazine advertisement, attend a kid’s birthday party and see a metal opera, all in a period of five days? Probably not, as the possibility likely never crossed your mind. Such […]
Everyone thinks their family has a monopoly on weird. Maybe that explains our fascination with quirky families in fiction: They show us that however strange we think our families are, it can always be much worse. This is in no way a new phenomenon — quite likely, as long as there have been families, there […]
Sixty years ago, a little show called The Music Man opened on Broadway, charming audiences with its wholesome comedy and folksy feel. It was not a show that offered much in the way of profound social commentary or that challenged the form of the Broadway musical; it was just a classic, feel-good show celebrating the […]
Nineteenth century German Lutheran adolescents singing rock music might sound like an off-kilter premise for a musical, but throw in clever staging and universal, timeless themes, and Spring Awakening’s massive success since its opening on Broadway a decade ago is no wonder. Based on the 1891 German play of the same name by Frank Wedekind, […]
There are some shows that launch their performers into stardom. Then, there are shows that are themselves launched into stardom by their performers. If/Then is definitely an example of the latter. It ran on Broadway in 2014, and its primary draw was its star, Idina Menzel. Just coming off of her Frozen fame, it was the perfect […]
The day after the election, a post-apocalyptic silence fell upon my college campus. Hushed conversations could be heard around the dining hall with mentions of Florida and Ohio and fear. My only class of the day was cut short. That evening, I sought refuge in the feminist association’s weekly meeting. I wrote. I found comfort […]
There are times when the truth matters less than what shocks people — what plays into their fears and suspicions and spurs them on to outrage. This is particularly clear as of late in our Oxford Dictionary-declared post-truth era. A play about a compulsive liar who remorselessly ruins lives by playing on people’s paranoia is […]