Tom Williams

REVIEWSREVIEWS BYTheatre ReviewsTom Williams

Pippin

Pippin, with Stephen Schwartz’s music and lyrics, is a musical fable about the son of Charlemagne set in 780 A.D. Pippin (Andrew Keltz) is the young prince in search of happiness and personal fulfillment. We meet a troupe of actors channeling the style of Bertolt Brecht led by the Leading Player (the charismatic Joey Stone)

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Theatre ReviewsTom Williams

Fela! A New Musical

At first, I was enchanted with the pulsating rhythms of Fela’s music but after several extremely long songs, the music sounded to me like the same song being played over and over again. They used super titles to show the lyrics of these songs – a good idea. But, when Sahr Ngaujah spoke with his fast-talking heavy Nigerian accent, I could not understand much of what he was saying. That is a major flaw for my appreciation of the show.

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MUST SEEREVIEWSREVIEWS BYTheatre ReviewsTom Williams

Freud’s Last Session

Freud called Lewis to his London apartment’s study (splendid set deigned by Brian Prather) on September 3, 1939. Lewis believes the meeting is to chastise him for satirizing Freud in a recent book but Freud has a much larger agenda. Freud wants to know how a scholar such as Lewis could embrace such myths as the existence of God. Lewis holds that God exists from reasoning and faith. The two debate throughout the 85 minute play.

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MUST SEEREVIEWSREVIEWS BYTheatre ReviewsTom Williams

A Moon For The Misbegotten

This funny yet emotionally wrenching work vividly demonstrates the evil effects of isolation, alcohol, and denied passion on real people. First you’ll laugh at the foibles of the Hogan’s, then you’ll empathize with the pain for Joise and James. But ultimately, you’ll enjoy your journey with O’Neill’s real folks. Klein, Armacost and Pickering give the most electrifying performances you’ll see on stage. They were simply overpowering with truth

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MUST SEEREVIEWSREVIEWS BYTheatre ReviewsTom Williams

The Sea

With giving away too much, let me say that The Sea is a cleverly written and expertly performed whimsical yet dark comedy that works on several levels. The quirkiness underscores the fear of the unknown, the fear of change, and the fear of those different from us that the villagers struggle with. Will Hatch or Mrs. Rafi win out? Will the classes ever work together and who is the real leader of the village?

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REVIEWSREVIEWS BYTheatre ReviewsTom Williams

Tom Jones

The comic tone was played so over-the-top from the start with too much shouting and screaming that the production made me cover my ears often. The manic presentation was forced giving the production a hyper, almost cheesy tone. This killed some comic moments. Most entrances were ripe with characters screaming their way on stage; then the women softly mumbled and spoke so fast that I had trouble understanding them.

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MUST SEEREVIEWSREVIEWS BYTheatre ReviewsTom Williams

Tea and Sympathy

Tom is sexually naive and comes across to his mates as effeminate. He is a lonely boy estranged from his father, Herb Lee (Kevin Gladish). He eagerly loves his ‘tea & sympathy’ sessions with Laura Reynolds (Kate Tummelson), the wife of the house master. The culture of male bravado that dominates the New England prep school is manifest in Al (Nick Horst), Tom’s roommate. Al tries to protect Tom from hazing by the boys who call Tom “Grace” after he played a women in a school play.

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