Regional Roundup: Top 10 Stories This Week Around the Broadway World - 1/29; Pre-Broadway EMPIRE in L.A., VIOLET in Denver and More!

This week, we go around our Broadway World to feature stories in Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Denver, and more. Check out our top 10 stories around our Broadway World below, which include OF MICE AND MEN at Milwaukee Rep, the pre-Broadway engagement of EMPIRE in Los Angeles, and VIOLET in Denver, just to name a few.

East/Northeast

1. Maine: Editor Carla Maria Verdino-Sullwold reviews SWEENEY TODD at Lyric Music Theater. She says, "Musical Director Evan Cuddy on piano, conducts the seven other offstage musicians in a haunting account of Sondheim's brilliant score, with especially fine cello playing of Cameron Prescott, and he has coached the excellent singers of the cast with élan. Grace Fosler supplies the Victorian costumes and Alison Bogannan's wigs and makeup add the grotesque where needed. Don Smith's lighting with its dramatic shadows and lurid effects goes a long way in creating the ambiance, though occasionally the cross fades - necessary to the blocking - are slower or more uneven than might be desirable." Read more here.

2. Rhode Island: Editor Robert Barossi reviews Wilbury Group's STUPID F#%*ING BIRD. He says, "While Posner's adaption does an excellent job of really focusing on and digging deeply into the characters and themes at its heart, it also does something else really well. It fully and absolutely commits to the world it creates and the conventions that are part of that world. Posner is not wishy-washy about what he wants this play to do, how he wants it to be and what he wants the audience to experience. He has a vision and he absolutely goes for it, one hundred and ten percent, from start to finish. And that's a good thing. From the play's very first moment, the audience knows exactly what kind of play they are seeing and what they can expect, and Posner doesn't back away from it for a moment." Read more here.

Midwest

3. Cleveland, OH: Editor Roy Berko reviews THE REALISTIC JONESES at Dobama. He says, "Director Shannon Sindelar, who directed Dobama's much acclaimed OR, KIN and THE NORWEIGIANS, has again created an audience-appealing, well paced and staged show.... Chris Richards (BFA-Kent State) displays charm and wit as John, a twenty-something, who has a secret to hide. He nicely textures the characterization and displays a fine sense of comic timing and a mobile face that both telegraphs and hides thoughts and emotions." Read more here.

4. Milwaukee, MN: Editor Peggy Sue Dunigan reviews a "beautiful, breathtaking" OF MICE AND MEN at Milwaukee Rep. She says, "James Pickering's brilliant stage presence solidifies the main trio in the role of the aged, one-handed worker named Candy, almost as useless as the old sheep dog he lovingly walks with a rope, While radiating Candy's frustration with their fate, his and his dog's, Pickering's profound command of his character comes alive when he's included in George and Lenny's vision of "living off the fat of the land," or their elusive American Dream. When these three realize their little plot of land where they can each have a room of their own, wash dishes, and sit by the fire at night might become a reality, Pickering mesmerizes the audience." Read more here.

South/Southeast

5. St. Petersburg, FL: Editor Peter Nason reviews August Wilson's JITNEY at American Stage. He says, "JITNEY is the first of the cycle plays that Wilson wrote and, taking place in 1977, the only one scribed in the decade in which it is set. Although it may not carry the overall greatness of Wilson's finest work (which also happen to be some of the finest plays of the past half century--Fences, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, and The Piano Lesson), it is still one of the finest plays you will ever see. It's on par with last year's Radio Golf in excellence, but one moment of the show transcends even that. It's the scene that ends Act 1, and in sheer power, it may be one of the high water marks of the theatre season and also of Wilson's career." Read more here.

West Coast

7. Los Angeles, CA: Editors Michael L. Quintos and Ellen Dostal review the pre-Broadway engagement of EMPIRE THE MUSICAL at La Mirada. Quintos says, "In perhaps the musical's most clever, eye-popping attribute, the multi-tiered sets (designed by David Gallo and Brad Peterson) utilized to illustrate the grandness of this musical extend and retract in multiple configurations while computer image backdrop projections morph in and out to depict settings, buildings, and, most remarkable of all, the high-flying steel beams and skyline above Manhattan. Visually, EMPIRE is a marvel of astoundingly choreographed tech innovations that will dazzle audiences here and beyond (one particular sequence, which culminates into one of the most memorable photographs in American history, earned a much-deserved prolonged applause on opening night and is one of many cleverly conceived highlights in the show)." Read more here.

Dostal says, "The crowning glory of the musical is, of course, the method by which the cast builds the building on stage. Co-projection designers Brad Peterson and David Gallo (who also designed the striking set) give life to the towering construction process, and New York itself, by using vintage black and white moving images that are both breathtaking and a marvel of shifting perspectives." Read her review here.

Want to review what other critics had to say? Read our review roundup here.

8. Denver, CO: Editor Chris Arneson reviews VIOLET at Town Hall Arts Center. He says, "From even the smallest roles, the vocals are so good in this production it's nearly exhausting. Chalmers' voice is buttery smooth and will melt you just the same. Anna High leads a gospel choir that will quite literally take you to church and make an atheist want to hang around for more. Even Hyde's Young Violet has a fierce presence that boosts her to the forefront among seasoned pros. Not a single cast member goes unnoticed as they tackle a score rich with bluegrass, gospel and the kind of music that makes you feel a mixture of determination and warmth." Read more here.

International

9. Japan: Editor "Backstage Bunny" previews WUTHERING HEIGHTS will open in Kyoto on February 2nd. Check out the article here, which features a video sneak peek!

National Tour Highlight:

10. Regional Managing Editor Christina Mancuso reviews THE SOUND OF MUSIC, which is currently playing at The Ohio Theatre through January 31st. She says, "Capturing Maria's infectious energy is newcomer Kerstin Anderson, who fits the role with a naive, natural grace and youthful, relatable appeal. Her voice is equally impressive as it soars with a lovely soprano that captures the hearts of all.... Ben Davis is dynamic and charismatic in his role as Captain Von Trapp. Although a younger casting choice (which makes him perfectly matched with his counterpart) he still maintains the stern, disciplinary father figure. We appreciate his struggle as he tries to connect with his children and in turn pulls at our heartstrings. His rendition of "Edelweiss" is gut-wrenching as his rich, baritone voice fills the theatre with raw emotion." Read more here.

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