Mamma Mia! The tone was set at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) Tuesday when the Mighty Wurlitzer rose stage right to treat early arrivals to a mini concert even before the anticipated Abba tunes filled the air. The 25th anniversary tour of the Broadway musical “Mamma Mia!” followed, bringing a light-hearted love story crafted […]
Such lavish pomposity and tomfoolery abound throughout Amadeus that any preconceptions of a stuffy 17th-century Classical music scene are dashed in shards of champagne-tinged crystal. Peter Shaffer’s creation, on stage at Gamm Theatre, is almost three hours of fast-paced wackiness as prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart comes of age in the brutally competitive Austrian emperor’s court, […]
Humans know precious little about brain function, something that doesn’t change – and might actually worsen – in viewing “The Effect.” British playwright Lucy Prebble’s work, on stage at The Gamm Theatre, centers on two scientists and two volunteers in a sequestered medication study of the effect different doses have on depression. As doses increase, […]
All it took was one glance at the audience for Nick Fradiani to settle into his character the first time he stepped onstage for the Broadway production, A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical. The Connecticut native proved that it’s a myth that actors are so blinded by the footlights they can’t see the audience, […]
Five days into Pride Month and Trinity Repertory Company launched a larger-than-a-teased-beehive celebration of love that leaves its audience crowing with laughter and welling with emotion. Trinity’s 60th season ends with a feisty production of Harvey Fierstein’s 1983 Broadway musical La Cage aux Folles, examining the concept of loving who you want romantically and within […]
Beach tunes, island music, yacht rock — whatever you call it, there’s a unique sound to summertime music. This summer, there’s no need to leave the city to catch the sunshiny vibes of the season because the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) is delivering a trio of concerts that will have you swaying and singing […]
It’s only when Jeanine Kane sprawls, spent, downstage, having wrung out every ounce of emotion, voice barely above a whisper, that the audience exhales, realizing the three-hour psychological pummeling of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? has ended. The acclaimed, Tony Award-winning Edward Albee piece, on stage at The Gamm, ferociously dissects the American dream and […]
What is England’s second-best hangman to do when the punishment is abolished and questions of innocence clouding his last execution leave him reluctant to chat with reporters? In Harry Wade’s case, it’s layering demurred protestations, drinking and occasional angry outbursts. With twists perhaps only British playwright Martin McDonagh could conjure, Hangmen – onstage now at […]
God only knows how many puns Mike Love can conjure to describe his 60+ year reign fronting the Beach Boys, but wouldn’t it be nice to see him try? Fresh off his morning transcendental meditation session and ready to travel to another stop on the tour, as the band’s annual 150-show blitz nears an end, […]
‘Tis the season to ponder spirits and sorcery, and Trinity Repertory plays into that Halloween feel by opening its 60th season with a reimagining of the Salem witch trials. While anyone in New England knows how young girls’ antics led to the deaths of accused witches in the 17-century village, The Good John Proctor is […]