When Nancy Patiño and Francis Parra opened Teatro ECAS in 1997, they did so because they knew there were stories that were not being told and audiences that were not being reached. Parra, who is the company’s artistic and creative director, studied theater in Dominican Republic and was disappointed by the lack of options for […]
When I was in my teens and still amassing a music collection, I was eager to catch up on the classic rock and pop acts that had made their mark just prior to my getting seriously into music. To that end, I was gobbling up greatest hits collections by powerhouse acts from the ’60s and […]
There are better people than me who could be writing this. I acted in far fewer shows at 2nd Story Theatre than a lot of actors in this area, and directed only two. In its illustrious history, I was a participant for only a decade. The first show I acted in there was in the […]
Sam Bobrick’s Remember Me? (described alternately as “wacky” or “elegant,” depending on your source) is Newport Playhouse’s current offering, providing several easy chuckles for their always appreciative audiences. Running through July 1, Bobrick’s familiar tale of unhappy marriage and playful infidelity slots in well with Newport’s programming (last year’s Self-Help comes to mind) – bawdy, […]
As Bill Hanney’s Theatre By The Sea picks up speed in its 85th Season, all the buzz is concerning their second offering, the ABBA-inspired jukebox musical, Mamma Mia!. Hanney’s excitement about securing the rights to one of the more popular pop-infused Broadway gems was palpable even last year when he told Motif that he was […]
For their last show at the 117 Washington St location in West Warwick, The Arctic Playhouse is taking audiences down the rabbit hole for the classic Lewis Carroll tale, Alice in Wonderland. Adapted by Brainerd Duffield, this version takes 14 episodes from “Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass” and knits them into a […]
Who knew that the valley of the shadow of death was a ball pit? Escape is a “world premiere movement piece” (there are no words) with five actors centered on an enclosing ball pit that is white with white balls, suggesting the cushioning of a casket, all surrounded by black. As original music by Stephen […]
Woonsocket is home to one the state’s coolest local venues for community theater, The RISE Playhouse. I’ve been to the theater to see a few traveling shows and even to audition for a local film (if you are a performer, I recommend checking out their audition schedule). This was the first show I’ve seen from […]
On Wednesday, June 13, two comedians will bring their unique brand of humor to The Comedy Connection in East Providence. Your headliner for the evening, Barry Rothbart, has performed his stand-up on “The Tonight Show,” “Conan,” “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” and his own Comedy Central Presents Special. Currently, he can be seen […]
Last year I interviewed comedian Kathy Griffin in advance of her show at Veterans Memorial Auditorium. At that time she was just a funny female on the “D” list. In the course of a year she has become an extremely controversial figure. I spoke with her last month about her life now and her upcoming […]