Regional Roundup: Top 10 Stories This Week Around the Broadway World - 2/19; THE FLICK at Steppenwolf, BARCELONA at Geffen, FENCES in Houston and More!
By: BWW Special Coverage Feb. 19, 2016
What a great week around our Broadway World! We're featuring the top 10 stories in Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston and more. Check out our featured list, which includes THE FLICK at Steppenwolf, BARCELONA at Geffen, and FENCES in Houston, just to name a few. Are you a fan of THE BOOK OF MORMON? You won't want to miss the latest news in Sweden! Read below for more!
East/Northeast
1. Washington, DC: Editor Roger Catlin reviews CONSTELLATIONS at Studio. He says, "And while the Studio production doesn't offer either the former star of Brokeback Mountain or the Golden Globe winning actress from The Affair, New York imports Lily Balatincz and Tom Patterson are do terrific work as the couple (or couples) so bound up in the other, like planets in the orbit of a constellation." Read more here.
Midwest
2. St. Louis, MO: Editor Chris Gibson reviews Mustard Seed Theatre's "extraordinary" ELEEMOSYNARY. He says, "Austen Danielle Bohmer is superb as Echo, and she adroitly handles the task of playing the character at various stages in her life, even when she is portraying her as an infant. This distinct ability allows us to see how she is affected throughout by the conflicts between her birth mother and the grandmother who raised her. We can't help but empathize with her frustration with her mother's inability to be a proper parent, and we're stunned by the brilliance she displays when it comes to not only spelling words, but understanding what they mean." Read more here.
3. Omaha, NE: Editor Christine Swerczek reviews CAROLINE, OR CHANGE at the Omaha Community Playhouse. She says, "Incredibly talented young Danny Denenberg wrestles with the death of his mother and acceptance of his gentle hearted stepmother Rose (Kimberly McGreevy), while not finding consolation in his withdrawn father (Scott Van Den Top). He finds refuge in Caroline, even believing that she would be a suitable next president when JFK is shot. His range of expression from wonderment to outrage is impressive." Read more here.
4. Chicago, IL: Editor Elee Schrock reviews THE FLICK at Steppenwolf. She says, "We Chicagoans should feel lucky to have such a good, solid production of "The Flick" to experience for ourselves. For those interested in theatre or who are regular theatre-goers, it feels extra significant to attend this production, not only because the play snagged the Pulitzer Prize, but also being one that inspired so much heated debate. To this theatre lover, Steppenwolf's production puts up a solid defense for why "The Flick" has earned the accolades it has." Read more here.
5. Minneapolis, MN: Editor Jill Shafer reviews Illusion Theater's ONLY ONE SOPHIE. She says, "ONLY ONE SOPHIE a beautiful, funny, poignant, inspiring story brought to life through lovely original music (by Roberta Carlson) and a terrific eight-person cast. If you're interested in sweet, simple, heartfelt stories told musically, head down (or rather, up) to Illusion Theater's 8th floor stage in the Hennepin Center for the Arts between now and March 5." Read more here.
South/Southeast
6. Nashville, TN: Editor Jeffrey Ellis reviews Nashville Rep's GOOD MONSTERS. He says, "Make no mistake: Nate Eppler is far too good a playwright to remain Nashville theater's best-kept secret for much longer. If you need further proof of his brilliance (a word I don't use to describe people very often), even after witnessing it first-hand in his earlier plays - like the noirish Rear Widow, the imaginative Larries or the compelling Long Way Down - then get yourself as quickly as humanly possible down to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center'sAndrew Johnson Theatre and allow yourself to be immersed in his latest work of stage wizardry: the challenging, enlightening and provocative GOOD MONSTERS." Read more here.
7. Houston, TX: Editor Bryan Keyth-Wilson reviews FENCES at The Ensemble Theatre. He says, "I had a hard time approaching this review because I didn't want to give details of the story away. I highly urge you to take the time and go down to The Ensemble and witness the literary prowess of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize / Tony Award winning play FENCES now until February 28th." Read more here.
West Coast
8. Los Angeles, CA: Editor Don Grigware reviews a "fascinating" BARCELONA at the Geffen. He says, "I cannot remember when a play has touched me as strongly as the West Coast premiere of Barcelona by Bess Wohl, currently onstage at the Geffen through March 13. From the moment I entered the Gil Cates Theater and looked onstage at the attic apartment in Barcelona, with its dark, haunting, discombobulated appearance, I was thrillingly manipulated to examine it more fully... and I couldn't wait for the action of the play to begin." Read more here.
International
9. Sweden: Editor Isa Ponduro reports on THE BOOK OF MORMON coming to Stockholm, Sweden in January, 2017. She says, "The Swedish premiere at Chinateatern in Stockholm will be the first non-English version of the show. Auditions will be held in Stockholm March 14-17 2016." Read more here.
National Tour Highlight:
10. Arizona editor Herbert Paine reviews THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY National Tour, now playing at ASU Gammage in Tempe through February 21st. He says, "Elizabeth Stanley and Andrew Samonsky are electrifying as the star-crossed lovers, Francesca and Robert, who challenge the boundaries of fidelity in this magnificent and moving musical." Read more here.
STUDENT BLOGGERS! We'd like to feature a few of our student bloggers below!
College: Tara Folio of Auburn University shares what it's like for cast members to be sick while on stage. She says, "So how does a cast with an abundance of sneezing and coughing still manage to project their voices to the last row and sing high notes until their ears ring? (That was a real question; sometimes I really don't know how we keep going.) Somehow, thanks to steamers, tea, cough drops, Dayquil, and shots of olive oil, we have all managed to power through rehearsals, but our ability to keep going comes from more than just our mass amount of pharmaceutical products; it comes from our ability to work as a team." Read more here.
High School: High School Student, Parker Hughes, talks about advice she receives. She says, "Right off the bat, Mrs. Davis shows her wise and caring side when a caller named Houston requests some advice for people just starting out in drag. She tells them, "Number one: there's a lot of gals out there that have paved the way - watch them, get some ideas, pull from those. Number two: practice, practice, practice! And number three -just own it! Whatever it is you're going to do, own it and love it and everyone will too!" Read more here.
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This week, we'd like to welcome Ted Clement, who will be our featured Guest Blogger in Rhode Island, Tom Cox who has joined our West End/UK team, Christina Hoth in Dallas, and Patrick Rybarczyk in Chicago.
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