Jones uses the technique of having Grimm speak as the chimpanzee that only us audience members can understand-and- Trevor, the chimpanzee can’t understand the humans, But, of course, we can understand both. This ingredient garners much humor as we hear Trevor verbalize his thoughts, dreams and desires. We also see his loving mother figure, Sandra (Mierka Girten) as she struggles to maintain Trevor as her housemate rather than a caged animal.
During the 90 minute production, we witness how some boys can go wild and play to their most base instincts. We see how a contemporary flash mob or football game rivalries can elicit the group savage instincts in youths like these English boys did. That potential wildness impulse is explored vividly that hopefully the youths who see this timely production will begin to understand. They learn that such violence is not just a game as these English boys proclaim upon being rescued.
Celtic Thunder offers a brand new show “Mythology”, which tells the history of the Celtic People, their legends, culture and stories. Mythology recounts the heritage of modern-day Celts and the influences from their Celtic past which make them who they are today
John Guare’s 1982 play Lydie Breeze is the third play in his Nantucket cycle. Guare seems to be channeling Eugene O’Neill here with the long flowery speeches and the ghost references hint at Ibsen. This is not one of Guare’s better works.
Directed by Anne Kauffman At the Goodman Theatre’s Owen Stage A drama of life and love ponders the question is life worth living? Playwright Noah Haidle’s Smokefall is a tedious affair that is structured like Thornton Wilder’s Our Town with a surreal absurdist tone similar to Samuel Beckett’s work. Set in Grand Rapids, Michigan, … Read more
There are few better ways to get in a chuckle on hump day, but Wednesdays at the UP Comedy Club are offering a delightful improvisational event that’s never the same take twice. Offer up a song, cast your vote, and marvel as a lovable cast (and pianist) do their musical revue just for you.
Both playwright Rinne Groff and Meyer Levin each shared a strong connection to Anne Frank’s story. Groff took Levin’s passion for getting the Frank diary published in the USA and his determination to write the definitive stage adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank. The long battles inspired Groff to write Compulsion. Meyer Levin (1905-1981) was the model for Sid Silver (Mick Webber).
What a unique and charming expedience to enjoy this one-man — no really one-puppet — show, purportedly covering the last 12 hours in the life of Moses (in real time). The task is no more outrageous than the clever cavorting of the crotchety puppet narrator who — although he has been told he looks Jewish — assures us that he is not made of kosher cardboard. One puppet plus one bare table creates an entire dramatic world.
But, Master Class is essentially Maria Callas’ biography as well as her thoughts about the essence of performing art. Kelli Harrington commands the stage as the fickle diva whose mere presence strikes terror into her students. She delivers Callas biting sarcasm, her vivid facial expressions as well as her glowing love of the beauty in bell canto singing when her students do it correctly – with feeling and respect for the music. Harrington’s performance justifies seeing Master Class- she , indeed, gives her own ‘master class’ on acting.
Verdi’s masterful scoring was for the most part beautifully served in the Lyric Opera’s current production. The Lyric orchestra often makes up with warmth and style what it may lack in absolute virtuosity, and it is generally at its most impressive in the later Romantic repertoire, where color is so important. While more incisive articulation may perhaps have been welcome at points, there was little to complain about, and much to commend, in its performance of Otello under French conductor Bertrand de Billy, who is making his Lyric debut with these performances