David Rice’s adaptation of The Castle of Otranto is an ambitious play filled with stock Gothic characters each verbalizing the story with apt descriptions of the curse and the ghosts. Rice has concisely honed the dense novel to a brisk, well-paced 2 hour drama filled with action, some eerie moments, and plausible plot twists.
This crew is part Shakespearean common folk and part Monte Pythonesque performed with raw humor and wild physicality including a mud fight!. Pepper’s script is a hilarious, preposterous in-your-face anti-war fable filled with colorful characters too stupid to understand their plight as pawns in an imperialistic world.
Neil LaBute and Profiles Theatre make for a fine artistic match. Their latest collaboration is LaBute’s brilliant two-hander, The Mercy Seat. Who else but controversial playwright Neil LaBute could get away with framing the 911 national tragedy into a narcissistic drama of two unlikeable characters?
We are enticed by Action’s sly performance as Richard even when he outlines his evil plan in a monologue that gets us to almost like this charming but purely evil villain. His asides to the audiences with their wink and sour faces keep us intoxicated with Richard’s manipulations..
Based on the 1988 John Waters camp film designed for Devine, Hairspray takes place in 1962 – the 50’s are out and change is in the air but innocence still abounds. Baltimore’s Tracy Tumblad (Marissa Perry), a big girl with big hair (and lot’s of hairspray) and an even larger heart…
Besides all excellent tunes and the fine dancing (on Robin Vest’s impressive set), Animal Crackers is indeed one super funny show featuring the amazingly talented Marx Brothers.
The recording session becomes a battle of wills with Ma Rainey and her agent and the recording engineer. Ma Rainey demands things her way out of respect for her status as a major blues artist and as an independent African-American woman.
The songs are terrific and enhanced by clever choreography as the four move across the stage in ever-varying configurations. They belt out 50’s and 60’s favorites including such well-known tunes as “It’s My Party,” “Mr. Sandman,” “Lollypop,”
For me the use of a pounding hypnotic rock score and the scream-singing was too much. I believe that lyrics and music should work together to enhance and further the story in a manner to be appreciated and understood. Rock music makes that difficult at best.
Treasure Island is about seamen, mutineers and treasure hunters each determined to get wealthy from the buried gold. Heroism, personal integrity and a boy’s actions are present in this classic legendary tale.