The Wilbury Group has produced a powerhouse performance of the 2009 Tony Award and 2010 Pulitzer Prize winning musical Next to Normal, now playing at the Southside Cultural Arts Center in Providence. Next to Normal is a rock musical, yes, but this is not Grease. No, ladies and gentlemen, this is modern, grown-up musical theater piece […]
Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein has been given a modern and intriguing make-over by Mixed Magic Theatre. The show opened May 15 and runs through May 31. The story begins in the Arctic when the crew of an exploration vessel discovers Victor Frankenstein. He shares his tragic life story with Captain Walton. When he was a boy, Victor’s […]
Walking into Barker Playhouse is like visiting an old friend. As the oldest theater in Rhode Island (and arguably the country), you can’t throw a stone in Rhode Island’s theatrical pool and not find someone who hasn’t been a member of this theater club, or seen one of their shows in their 106 seasons. Their […]
Epic Theatre Company’s production of Absalom, from playwright Zoe Kazan, features a batch of first-rate performances. The show opened May 1 and runs until the 17th. In 1986, the Weber family has gathered at the country estate of patriarch Saul (Eric Behr), who is celebrating the publication of his tell-all book. Adam (Rudy Sanda) is the […]
It’s ironic that 2nd Story Theatre chose Mother’s Day weekend, of all holidays, as their press opening night for Joe Orton’s Entertaining Mr. Sloane, a darkly comic puzzle-box of a familial drama that has more than its share of “Mommy” issues. Part psychological thriller, part ferocious family drama, yet often laugh-out-loud funny, Orton’s rarely produced […]
Our recent review of Lenny Schwartz’s Co-Creator posited that the biographical history formula may have run its course at Daydream Theatre, but after seeing the wildly entertaining Marie Antoinette at The Gamm, it seems that all Schwartz and Co. may require is a larger budget. Marie Antoinette’s story, in the hands of playwright David Adjmi […]
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 […]