Jennifer Ricci has been with Festival Ballet Providence for nearly 25 years. But none have been more challenging than this past year. It began with the devastating loss of her dancing soul mate and sister Jaclyn; she was one of FBP’s star dancers until her retirement in 2003. Then, following her sister’s passing, Ms. Ricci […]
If the smash 1990s sitcom “Seinfeld” can be considered a show about nothing, then Middletown, by playwright Will Eno, is a show about everything. Life, death, relationships, miracles, history, medicine, communication, pregnancy, books and a whole batch of subjects are pontificated upon by a group of quirky oddballs in Trinity Repertory Company’s production, which opened […]
Donald Margulies’ Collected Stories, now playing at 2nd Story Theatre in Warren, is a must-see play for many reasons: the writing, the acting, the set, and the fact that two strong women characters drive the show. Lynne Collinson, as Ruth Steiner, is a professor of writing and a published short story writer. Her graduate student, […]
This, presented by Epic Theatre Company, is a haunting meditation on human frailty. Playwright Melissa James Gibson created a story about the intertwined lives of a group of middle-aged New Yorkers who have a variety of unfulfilled needs. Jane (Emily Lewis) is recovering from the death of her husband. She is a teacher and has a […]
Goth magician Dan Sperry is one of the performers in The Illusionists, a showcase for dazzling modern displays of mind-reading, levitation, disappearances and grand illusion. The show, which has been touring North America, will be at the Providence Performing Arts Center from Jan 16 through 18. “In the most basic, straightforward sense it’s a magic […]
The responsibility of an artist to society and how art reflects life are the major themes in Morality Play, a riveting drama that opened at The Gamm on Jan 1 and runs through Feb 1. This play is based on a novel by Barry Unsworth and was adapted for the stage by Tony Estrella. The setting is […]
The classic tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is told in Camelot, which opened Dec 9 at Providence Performing Arts Center and runs through Dec 14. However, the production, which was directed by Michael McFadden, is plagued by a lack of energy and mostly forgettable songs by famed composers Alan Jay […]
With holiday merriment abounding at local theaters, Ocean State Theatre Company chimes in with the musical Meet Me in St. Louis. And, while Christmas may not be the focal point, there is enough caroling, gift giving and illuminated trees to fill one with a good dose of Christmas cheer. Highlighted by several strong performances and […]
2nd Story Theatre’s presentation of The Trip to Bountiful, from playwright Horton Foote, asks the age-old question: Can you go home again? The time is the 1950s. Carrie Watts (Paula Faber) is an elderly woman who lives in a cramped Houston apartment with her son Ludie (Nathanael Lee) and daughter-in-law Jessie Mae (Lara Hakeem). Carrie […]
“What if (mother) *is* dead? Think how pathetic I’ll be then!” – Tiny Tim, Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge Playwright Christopher Durang’s absurdly irreverent take on A Christmas Carol wears its cynical, hardened heart on its sleeve, ensuring that the titular Mrs. Cratchit negatively invokes the word “pathos” repeatedly in order to drive home […]