Quickies! And For Once, Success!
ALWAYS…PATSY CLINE, Media Theatre, State and Monroe, Media, Pa. through April 1 — Vocally, Jenny Lee Stern channels Patsy Cline. The clean, heartfelt sounds register. Physically, I kept seeing Judy … Continue reading
Lightning Rounds — The Cripple of Inishmaan, The Elixir of Love, Forever Plaid
April 2016 proved a cruel month in terms of time demands, so I am in a position of having to catch up with commenting a number of productions by screwing … Continue reading
Les Misérables — Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival
Regional theater productions of the perennial Broadway staple, “Les Misérables,” have confirmed how durable Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg, and Herbert Kretzmer’s musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s 19th century epic is. … Continue reading
Marry Me a Little — Montgomery Theater
Throwaway Sondheim is gold compared to most songs that pass for being of Broadway, or any other kind of, quality today. In 1980, Craig Lucas and Norman Rene compiled a … Continue reading
Ragtime — Bristol Riverside Theatre
In addition to telling a moving and compelling story, E.L. Doctorow scored two remarkable achievements when he published his novel, “Ragtime,” in 1975. He composed his novel in the rhythms … Continue reading
Fiddler on the Roof — Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival
“Fiddler on the Roof” celebrates the 50th anniversary of its original production this fall. The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival production at DeSales University demonstrates Joseph Stein, Jerry Bock, and Sheldon Harnick’s … Continue reading
The Musical of Musicals — Montgomery Theatre
Contemporary composers each have styles theater wags can identify immediately and can have fun parodying. I actually do a rather decent musical passage from “Waiting for Godot” as if written … Continue reading
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