Theatre Reviews Archives - Page 104 of 232

Pullman Porter Blues

The Pullman Porter Blues is a “play with music” that contain the best of each element. It is a toe-tapping blues oriented show with 13 – 30’s blues numbers played with gusto by the onstage band and sung with deeply felt emotions by Marshall, Derricks , and Morohumfola. When the drunken feisty Sister Juba (E. Faya Butler) sings the blues, the emotional level gets intense. As a blues songfest, Pullman Porter Blues delivers; as a dramatic play, it works effectively as it presents the work ethic and plight of the Pullman porters.

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Tom Williams

The Story of Curtis Mayfield

But the best way to pay tribute to this genius composer is to hear his music. That is what Taylor’s tribute is check full of: from his early tunes – “Gypsy Woman” to “It’s All-Right” to “Mama Didn’t Lie,” the smoothly warm Soul style of Mayfield emerges. Cecil Jones was terrific as the ‘Young Curtis.’ As Mayfield’s works progressed his social and political consciousness, with a distinct peaceful message, gave hope to the struggles of African-Americans during their Civil Rights struggle

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Tom Williams

The Wheel

Scottish playwright Zinnie Harris’ 2011 commissioned work (by the National Theatre of Scotland), The Wheel reminds me of Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage. The Wheel uses magic realism to send us on a journey with Beattriz (Joan Allen) as she attempts to return The Girl (Emma Gordon) to her banished father at the start of a war when France invades Spain in the 19th Century. Beatriz was preparing for the wedding of her sister Rosa (Chaon Cross) when the local militia disrupts the affair.

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Tom Williams

The Last Hand

This update adds some necessary refinement to this tale of the faceless cards in a deck trying to outwit a king.

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Tom Williams

Evita – 2013 National Tour

Caroline Bowman and Josh Young lead a stellar cast in a new production of the 1979 Evita. the results is a most enjoyable, well danced and nicely enunciated pop opera: Evita. I can’t remember liking Evita as much as I did this smart, tightly-flowing production. Evita still rouses audiences with its pop opera panache. This is an Equity tour.

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Tom Williams

To Master the Art at the Broadway Playhouse

Featuring the glorious smells of French cuisine, To Master The Art is the story of Julia Child, the famed advocate of French cooking, print and TV star of cooking shows, the remount of the hit premiere at TimeLine Theatre once more unites Karen Janes Woditsch, as Julia and Craig Spidle, as Paul.

art111 400×266 To Master the Art at the Broadway Playhouse

The first full production commissioned by TimeLine Theatre in 2010, To Master the Art by William Brown and Doug Frew was delightful.

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Tom Williams

The Killer Angels

It is quite difficult to mount a play that depicts a major 3 day battle but adapter Karen Tarjan and director Matt Miller have created a stylish theatrical piece that captures the essence of the horror of the battle while giving us enough of the motivations and strategies to give the piece coherence.

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Tom Williams

The Mountaintop

Filled with humor, raw humanity The Mountaintop unfolds as two-hander that becomes a powerful meditation on morality, destiny and fate. We see through clever scenes Camae calling God (who here is a she) on a cellphone to report that Dr. King is vehemently resisting leaving earth. King eventually talks then argues with God who ends up hanging up on King.

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Tom Williams

“In the Heights” – Paramount Theatre

“In the Heights” creates an atmosphere…a colorful dynamic world with mixed but primarily the Latino culture, filled with life, death, dreams and wakeups. On opening night the lobby of the theater buzzed with excitement, and this exuberance carried through the whole performance. You travel to a passionate street of struggle, various lifestyles, disappointments and triumphs…a colorful world that you may not know very well, but will understand better by the end of the show.

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Tom Williams

The Old Man and the Old Moon

The seven reunited with Stuart Carden at Writers Theatre after a successful 2012 run of The Old Man and the Old Moon in New York. They have revised the work for the Midwest premiere at Writers Theatre. The result is a magnificent wholly imaginative work. Pigpen Theatre Co. reminds me of the work of Redmoon Theater, Blair Thomas & Company and House Theatre but Pigpen is more sophisticated musically.