Counter-Productions Theatre Company is presenting a haunting version of William Shakespeare’s Richard III at the AS220 Black Box Theatre in Providence. The show opened on May 8 and runs through May 17. Michael Puppi is always mesmerizing to watch as Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, who embarks on a murderous quest for power. Wily and scheming, […]
In my experience, all too often someone will put their best efforts toward a book of poems only to fall short. Even with the best of intentions, they may pave their own road to hell, taking along everyone they anxiously try to force feed their verse to. Even beyond mimes, poetry may still be the […]
Ocean State Theatre Company’s new production of Into the Woods is a delight for the eyes and ears. This mash-up of a few Brothers Grimm fairytales unites Cinderella (Sarah Pothier), Rapunzel (Caroline Bateson) and Little Red Riding Hood (Nicole Calkins) in the story of a childless baker (Tommy Labanaris) and his wife (Amanda Ryan Paige) […]
From the moment Amy Lee Connell enters the opening scene as the title character, Lysistrata keeps the audience laughing as each outrageous episode of farce is followed by an even more outrageous one. At the incongruously-named Contemporary Theatre Company, this thoroughly modern and creative adaptation by Meg Perry of a 2,500 year-old satire by the […]
Festival51, a Rhode Island-based play festival focused on developing plays by women writers, seeks submissions for inclusion in the Festival51 Women’s Playwriting Festival. In the void of what was Perishable Theatre’s International Women’s Playwriting Festival, artists Leann Heath, the brainchild behind the festival, and Terry Shea, local actor and director, are collaborating to produce this […]
It took me a bit of time to find a connection with Jeff Danielian’s first book of poetry, Seasonal Ramblings. As I read through the first section, “Through Time & Space,” I felt like I just was reading words on a page. There were a few interesting lines here and there (“Language is about the […]
In order for a musical to work, it needs a few key ingredients. An engaging story, terrific songs, lots of dancing and interesting characters. Dirty Dancing, which opened at Providence Performing Arts Center Tuesday, is deadly dull. Based on the smash 1987 movie starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, the show is hampered by a clichéd […]
2nd Story Theatre specializes in staging dysfunctional family dramas, and its latest offering, And Miss Reardon Drinks A Little, from playwright Paul Zindel, features plenty of pathos. The show opened in previews on Apr 17 and runs until May 17. Catherine (Lara Hakeem) the heavy-drinking “Miss Reardon” in the title, shares an apartment with her […]
Playwright Lenny Schwartz continues to make a name for himself authoring and directing his unique brand of plays for Daydream Theatre. Schwartz’s work is offbeat, yet sentimental and, especially in the last few years, biographical. We’ve seen explorations of Buster Keaton, Lucille Ball and Charles Schulz, but Daydream’s latest offering (and the first new production […]
Dramatic works based upon historical events sometimes twist reality into an unrecognizable opposite well beyond what can be justified by legitimate theatrical license. No one expects what transpires on stage to be a strictly faithful account, but it is going too far to have George Washington support monarchy or Abraham Lincoln support slavery. Playwright William […]