I had a professor in college who loved the term “gesamtkunswerk.” It’s a big German word that means “comprehensive work of art,” and it’s something all art is supposed to strive for — sort of the ideal piece of creativity. Creating it is one thing, but in some ways, you could argue that it would be even […]
If you’ve never heard of the Academy Players’ latest production, Imaginary, you’re not alone. A venture commissioned and produced by National Youth Music Theatre, the musical first made its debut in London in 2017. Its history is not a long one — short enough that posters still declare it “a new musical” – and it […]
The Community Players recently kicked off their 99th season with Romantic Comedy – their 369th production. TCP Advisory Board member (and publicity chair) Christopher Margadonna says, “I’m excited we moved our season opener to September to be in line with the Pawtucket Arts Festival. I really think that helped to be a part of the […]
I really didn’t want to write this review. That’s become a common phrase for me, and it might be because I find it daunting to approach a production with as much baggage as a Hamilton tour or restoration comedy or Trinity Rep’s current offering, The Prince of Providence. But before the play even began on […]
In 1991, tensions between the African-American and Hasidic Jewish populations of Crown Heights, Brooklyn erupted into riots following the death of a 7-year-old Caribbean-American boy when a car driven by a Jewish man veered onto the sidewalk and the subsequent stabbing of a young Jewish scholar. Enter Anna Deavere Smith — playwright, author, actress and […]
Arthur Miller’s All My Sons is a classic piece of theater. This play showcases what Miller did best — bring sweeping epic dramas to American theater that dealt with “the regular guy.” Sons is a play about family, war and doing the right thing. In more recent years, the play has become a footnote in pop […]
Everybody (in Rhode Island) of a certain age has a Buddy Cianci story. For me, Buddy threw out the first pitch at my Little League Opening Day games and posed for a pic with us when we won the championship in 1982. I have clear memories of scrawling “Cianci Sucks” in the wet cement that […]
It’s a bright Sunday afternoon when I arrive at The Granite Theatre, unclouded blue sky and soft September breeze giving no indication of the delicious darkness that waits within the playhouse. On stage, a lavish scene is set: artwork scattered on the walls, deep red drapes wrapping two sets of French doors, a sparkling bar […]
Hercule Poirot fans looking to see their favorite detective onstage in the dramatic interpretation of Agatha Christie’s The Hollow may be disappointed. Christie removed the character from the stage adaptation, having tired of him (she felt his appearance “ruined” the 1946 novel). The leadup to the play’s 1951 opening was circuitous, but the eventual success […]
If you’re a student arriving in PVD for the first time, or one who’s grown up here but wants to make theater a part of their college life, you’ve come to the right place. And by the right place, I mean Motif, and this article in particular, because I’m going to give you the rundown […]