With many anxiously awaiting the spring thaw, area ballet companies are gearing up for the home stretch before closing their curtains for a well-deserved summer break. Leading the way, following a critically acclaimed and groundbreaking world premiere of Romeo and Juliet that combined dance with the spoken word, is Festival Ballet Providence. They get things […]
The United States is home to only 5% of the world’s population, yet houses 25% of the world’s prisoners. Why do we lock up so many of our own citizens? That question came to mind during Brown/Trinity Rep.’s production of Our Country’s Good, which is set in an Australian penal colony in 1788. The prisoners […]
Around the World in 80 Days is a stage version of what is very likely the most popular novel by Jules Verne, the prolific 19th century grandfather of technological fiction, by which I mean fiction dependent upon and heavily influenced by then-current or just slightly futuristic technology as distinguished from science-fiction that is more speculative. The […]
I love seeing Shakespeare, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream is by far my favorite of all of the Bard’s pieces. If there’s a production of it nearby, I have to attend — including 20 years ago when Trinity Rep performed it. As with most Shakespeare I’ve caught at Trinity Rep, the production stayed with me. Fast […]
Murder at the Howard Johnson’s tries to be a nostalgic look back to the late 1970s when leisure suits, the sexual revolution and proto-New Age gurus were the thing, but as a relic actually written in 1979 and set in 1978 it never achieves the necessary distance needed for genuine reflection. People did a lot of […]
On February 25, The Naked Magicians come to The Vets in Providence, bringing with them the only R-rated magic show in the world, which is a sexy combination of comedy, mind blowing magic and of course, some nudity. I was lucky enough to have a one-on-one with the charismatic duo Christopher Wayne and Mike Tyler […]
The Wizard of Oz is a beloved classic for a very good reason. This tale of a Kansas farm girl who ends up in the glorious world of Oz has a lot of heart. Stadium Theatre’s production of the show boasts some charming performances and impressive special effects. Alex Duprey is an appealing Dorothy, […]
I have an immense love for theater. I also have another love: education. As a teacher, I love everything about education (okay, maybe not grading): the students, the literature, that amazing light bulb moment. However, one of the things that drew me to education was a man — William Shakespeare to be exact. Imagine my […]
In these unsettling times, it’s appropriate for Burbage Theatre Company to present a look at barbaric and cold-blooded human beings. Bennett Fisher’s Don’t Be Evil explores the world of “enhanced interrogation,” government surveillance and modern technology. This is a disturbing and provocative show, well directed by Jeff Church. William Webster (Dillon Medina), a brilliant […]
With all the angst and distress the recent presidential election has caused some, perhaps a good political comedy is in order. Ocean State Theatre Company’s current production, Born Yesterday, may be just enough to, at least temporarily, ease the suffering. Playwright, musician, comedian, actor, writer, raconteur and all-around renaissance man Garson Kanin’s witty look at […]