PAPA BLACK BOX

by Jackie Camborde - September 05, 2024

This year, which marks 100th burning of Zozobra, the Santa Fe Playhouse takes the melodrama and turns it upside down. There is still commentary on government officials, local attractions and events, but the playwrights are taking ownership of their words, in four short form pieces and several inters...

by Jackie Camborde - July 02, 2024

Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George opened at Santa Fe Playhouse on Saturday and all I can say is wow. The 1984 musical features music and lyrics by Sondheim and book by James Lapin.  Inspired by the French pointillist  painter Georges Seurat’s painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Isla...

by Jackie Camborde - June 20, 2024

Here we go – another summer of fun, frothy musicals all over northern New Mexico. This week alone you can choose from Kinky Boots, Head Over Heels or this one, Legally Blonde. Tri-M’s latest offering is playing now through June 23 at the Santa Fe High Theater. I know what you’re thinking – do we nee...

by Jackie Camborde - June 12, 2024

Head Over Heels is a jukebox musical with music and lyrics from the catalog of 1980s girl band The Go-Go’s. With a book by Jeff Whitty, adapted by James Magruder, the plot is derived from the 16th century play The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia by Sir Philip Sidney. Head Over Heels opened on Broadwa...

by Jackie Camborde - May 29, 2024

“Most theater companies choose their plays. Grottesco’s reveal themselves.” Thus begins the director’s notes for Theater Grottesco’s Two Artists in Prison, now playing at Teatro Paraguas’ Second Stage space. The play, co-directed by Grottesco Founder John Flax and Apollo Garcia Orellana, takes plac...

by Jackie Camborde - May 17, 2024

Santa Fe Playhouse in coming into its own as the theater company most likely to succeed in Santa Fe. The past two seasons have showcased new talent, new and provocative works and productions that have both wide appeal and thought-provoking messages. Their latest offering, What the Constitution Means...

by Jackie Camborde - March 28, 2024

Ever wonder what happened when two rivals, in this case, rising star of the theatrical world William Shakespeare and biggest playwright of the age thus far Christopher Marlowe, collaborated on the writing of Henry VI? Marlowe was officially credited as co-author of the three-play cycle in 2016. Born...

by Jackie Camborde - March 11, 2024

Sondheim is everywhere. Since the start of 2024, I have seen two on Broadway (Merrily We Roll Along; Sweeney Todd), one Off-Broadway (Here We Are, the play he was working on when he passed away in 2021) one just last week in Albuquerque (Into the Woods) and last night in Santa Fe, A Little Night Mus...

by Jackie Camborde - March 11, 2024

It’s amazing that the current production of Or, a play directed by Zoe Burke at Santa Fe Playhouse, was a second choice to the playwright’s Born With Teeth, playing in repertory right now (review to follow in a few weeks). I have yet to see Born With Teeth, but was thrilled to see Or, this week....

by Jackie Camborde - March 06, 2024

When I heard that MTS was doing Into the Woods, my first thought was “Wow – that’s ……ambitious.” Sondheim is always ambitious, but MTS was able to hit Sweeney Todd out of the park last year, so why did Into the Woods feel like such a giant leap forward for this creative and stalwart community theate...