I’m a political junkie. So when I had the opportunity to see The Gamm’s production of Grizzly Mama by George Brant, I jumped at the opportunity. I mean, a black comedy that seems to invoke the image of Sarah Palin? Sign me up! Walking into The Gamm’s intimate theater, you are immediately enveloped into the […]
2nd Story Theatre’s artistic director, Ed Shea, likes to take audiences places they have never been before, and his latest opus, Hysteria, is no exception. This is a very odd play, a cross between a zany farce and a chilling drama. What’s remarkable is that under Shea’s capable direction, it all works so brilliantly. Shea […]
The new production of Roundabout Theatre Company’s Cabaret is first-rate, with showstopping choreography and a heartfelt story beneath all the glitz and glamour. Andrea Goss stars as the sultry and seductive chanteuse Sally Bowles, who is the main attraction of the Kit Kat Klub in Berlin. The Emcee (Randy Harrison) describes this decadent environment as a […]
BalletBoyz, the all-male dance troupe from London, dazzled a sold-out crowd at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence on Sunday, January 31. The performance was part of the FirstWorks Artistic Icons series. The group, which won the National Dance Award for Best Independent Company in 2013, was founded in 2001 by Michael Nunn and Billy […]
“Break a leg” is a phrase actors use to wish each other luck before taking the stage. But, in Ocean State Theatre Company’s production of Tom Dulack’s dark comedy Breaking Legs, it takes on a whole new meaning when a playwright turns to members of organized crime to fund his new play. Directed by RI […]
Ah, the adaptation. Sarah Ruhl’s practically made a career out of them and lately, everyone from Suzan Lori Parks to Ben Jolivet is getting in on the action. Aaron Posner’s Stupid Fucking Bird, the latest from The Wilbury Theatre Group, is touted as a ‘sort of’ adaptation of Chekov’s The Seagull. It dances between the […]
The Binding Room, now being presented by the Players at Barker Playhouse, features charming performances and an intriguing story about the lives of librarians. The main theme letting go of the past in order to guarantee a brighter future. Susannah (Linda Monchik) and Margo (Carole Collins) work in the binding room of a library in […]
Into the Woods not only features a giant, but is one. However, Little Theater of Fall River’s production at the Firebarn co-directed by Aaron Gendreau-Visco and Deborah Sadler, takes this giant and places it into a small “black box” theater. These co-directors are successful in this feat through their sensible use of space and staging. One […]
How do you review a conversation? It ebbs and flows, but really does not exist for someone to decide if it is good. However, this is the task I’ve been given after seeing Epic Theatre’s newest selection, Let Me Down Easy, by Anna Deveare-Smith. This Rhode Island premiere is just that; a conversation. And in […]
Despite its Homeric inspiration, Happy Birthday, Wanda June is not a play that wallows in subtlety, as emphasized in its opening lines: “This is a simple-minded play about men who enjoy killing – and those who don’t.” In the hands of Burbage Theatre Company, it’s a well-acted, viciously funny comedy, a dark satire that shows […]