THE MOUSETRAP: A DELIGHTFUL CONTRAPTION
To me, this production of The Mousetrap feels like one of those fantastically diverting mechanical toys I used to get on Christmas mornings — and that I still sometimes give on Christmas mornings. The play isn’t deeply meaningful, but there’s joy in the mechanics —...
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY: DARK, FUNNY, FULLY REALIZED
Peter Jorgensen’s directorial vision is crystal clear in this production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, he has assembled a stellar team to realize that vision, and his sure hand makes for a luxurious evening at the theatre. Based on a novel by Roald Dahl, the...
LEGALLY BLONDE — WITH HIGHLIGHTS
I’m going to hold off on my assessment for a little bit and give you some context. I love a good bimbo and the character Elle Woods in the musical Legally Blonde is one of the best. A Malibu princess who has a 4.0 grade average — in fashion merchandising — Elle is...
WAITRESS: WILL MORE THAN SERVE
The material isn’t immortal, but it’s substantial enough and the production is perfect. Yep, that’s what I said: perfect. Jessie Nelson’s book for the musical is based on the movie, which was written by Adrienne Shelly. In the story, a waitress and piemaker named...
THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA: A STAR IS BORN
The play is slight. Director Dean Paul Gibson’s production is inconsistent. And young actor Jacob Leonard is a star. If The Two Gentlemen of Verona hadn’t been written by Shakespeare, I can’t imagine it would still be getting produced today. In the simple and...
THE DARK LADY: MURKY
Playwright Jessica B. Hill’s The Dark Lady kept me listening for the most part, but I was never fully or consistently engaged. The Dark Lady imagines a relationship between William Shakespeare and Emilia Bassano, the first woman in England to claim the status of...
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING: SHOULD BE ABOUT SOMETHING
This Bard on the Beach production of Much Ado About Nothing explains ideas that don't need explaining and misses ideas that should be obvious. The script is about the cruelty of patriarchal gender dynamics. In the central story, Beatrice and Benedick, who are clearly...
HAUS OF YOLO: NO FOMO IF YOU DON’T GO
Mediocre skills and a terrible concept do not make for a fun night at the circus. In HAUS of YOLO, which was created by a New Zealand company called The Dust Palace, four acrobats venture into the world of fast fashion — very fast: the acrobats launch the show in...
AN IDEAL HUSBAND: I’D MARRY IT
Because theatre has so many moving parts, several of which are moving actors, who come complete with independent sensibilities, stylistic adventure in the theatre is a dangerous game: if you don’t get all those moving parts coordinated, the show will crash in...
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