Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett is one of the notoriously polarizing plays of the 20th century: People either love it or hate it. Personally, it is one of my favorite plays because it is the epitome of theatrical form: It cannot be explained, but only experienced. It is impossible to get any sense of […]
Most musicals cover lofty themes central to the human experience – the likes of revolution, forbidden love, revenge, defying societal expectations and fantasy worlds. Then there are shows like The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which is about, well, a spelling bee. Unless you’re really into competitive spelling, it probably doesn’t sound like a […]
Newport Playhouse & Cabaret Restaurant’s newest offering is The Crazy Time, a laugh-filled look at men struggling to understand why the women they find so desirable don’t actually want to stick with them for very long. Being a Sam Bobrick comedy, the odds are that the lessons learned will be few, the jokes will be […]
One wants to like Eclipsed: it is about a naturally sympathetic subject and it is well acted by The Players at the Barker Playhouse, but ultimately the script was poorly written. It is the first and only significant play by Patricia Burke Brogan, who is primarily known in her native Ireland for her painting and […]
Rhode Island has the highest population of persons living with disabilities in New England according to U.S. Census data. It makes sense that Tom Griffin’s 1988 play, The Boys Next Door, which is about four adults with various diagnoses living in a shared apartment, resonates with Rhode Island audiences. The script in turns humanizes the […]
Some people love to be scared and are willing to pay for the experience, accounting for the popularity of haunted attractions ranging from the tiny involving only a few people to the nationally known with a cast of hundreds. Traditionally tied in with the Halloween season, most are open Thursday through Sunday in October. Known […]
Modern dance company Fusionworks is celebrating their 30th anniversary with a special concert on November 5. Artistic director Deb Meunier, who founded the company and serves as its primary choreographer, promises a lot of variety in the performances. “It will be a wonderful rollercoaster ride,” Meunier said. “I wanted to create a new piece […]
Richard Griffin has directed 24 feature films in the last 14 years through Rhode Island-based Scorpio Film Releasing, which he runs with his husband and producer, Ted Marr. This article combines excerpts from a single interview. Current projects On November 5 we’re premiering a film called Strapped for Danger, which is a comedy, kind of […]
Society has long been fascinated by serial killers. Macabre though it may be, we are drawn to these stories of people who represent the extremes of derangement and the gory details of their deeds. Hence their prevalence in the media: in documentaries, television shows, films, books and, yes, a musical. Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber […]
Some shows are meant for audiences to sit back and enjoy. The story is packaged neatly and delivered to the listener without making them do much work. This is not to say there is anything wrong with that; it has its place. Shows like Dreamlandia, however, require more from the viewer. It can be easy […]