Theatre Reviews

Lifeboat is a tragic story with an uplifting resolve. The production’s playful nature and captivating characters make it best suited for a younger audience (8-12). With its ability to entertain, the play serves as an opportunity to introduce children to some WWII history. I recommend taking your children to see this show, at your discretion. Be sure to give them some context before viewing and be prepared to answer questions afterward. I do not recommend the play to someone seeking a deep and more involved WWII drama.

After all, it is titled One Hit Wonders because it contains a fine assortment of past hits that includes blues ballads, catchy R & B with strong anthems. The tunes are the stars here with some terrific voices. Songs like “I Will Survive,” the haunting “Get Here,” “it’s Raining Men,” ‘To be Real,” “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” ‘What would You do For Love?” and “Hey There Lonely Girl” were featured by a terrific cast.

At only 75 minute long, the play is short and sweet, which gives you little excuse to miss this joyful production. Joy is an element that is often times absent from art, choosing instead to smother us with pretension, spectacle, or cynicism. The director made the theatre our humble home, leaving us with new ideas and warmth in our hearts. I recommend taking the time to bring some joy into your life and walk away with a better understanding of yourself and others.

The Redtwist Theatre space allowed the audience to become guests in the already cramped apartment, beautifully designed by Joe Schermoly. I can’t imagine this play being nearly as effective in a proscenium auditorium. If you’ve ever wanted to see this show, now is the time to do so. To sincerely experience the brutal realism, it needs to be seen in a small theatre.

David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly, is gem of a play. It is a layered love story that covers themes like East verses West culture, men verses women and fantasy love verses reality. Loosely following Madama Butterfly and an actual French case of a diplomat being convicted of falling in love with a Chinese opera star who was a spy, M. Butterfly is a stunning piece of dramatic theatre that has elements of spectacle and sprinklings comedy.

Vieux Carre is a memory play narrated by The Writer (Ty Olwin), the Tennessee Williams character. He is a young writer from St.Louis who arrives in New Orleans in search of writing material. He has writer’s block since he has little to write about until his new life experiences give him material. His ongoing battle with survival as he becomes destitute affects his writing