Regional Roundup: Top 10 Stories This Week Around the Broadway World - 4/8; PROOF in DC, THE CRUCIBLE in Maine; ELLA ENCHANTED in Milwaukee and More!

This week, we go around our Broadway World to feature stories in Washington, DC, Maine, Milwaukee and more. Check out our top 10 stories around our Broadway World below, which include PROOF in Washington, DC, THE CRUCIBLE at Portland Players, and the world premiere of ELLA ENCHANTED in Milwaukee, just to name a few.

East/Northeast

1. Washington, DC: Editor David Tittermary reviews PROOF at 1st Stage in Tysons. He says, "Artistic Director Alex Levy helms this production and has made very calculated decisions in all aspects and each is successful in the overall "proof" of PROOF. As the gifted young woman, Katrina Clark is almost too perfect for the role. Out of the very expert cast, Ms. Clark was the only actress I was unfamiliar with and was enthralled by her intricately designed portrayal. Her physical insecurity and her attention to the text made the complex character simultaneously frustrating and sympathetic." Read more here.

2. Maine: Editor Carla Maria Verdino-Sullwold reviews THE CRUCIBLE at Portland Players. She says, "The large cast performs with a deep commitment that even surmounts the last minute substitution of Alex Pratt, who was forced to go on with book, in the role of Judge Danforth. Cullen Burke makes John Proctor's plainspoken honesty palpable, and he gives the character just the right blend of self-possession and doubt, ironic skepticism and inner moral strength, vulnerability and simple courage. Kristen Riley, as his wife, gives a towering and touching performance of Elizabeth's restrained feelings and rigorous inner strivings, but she also evokes the character's compassion and warmth." Read more here.

3. Boston, MA: Editor Nancy Grossman reviews SWEET CHARITY at Stoneham Theatre. She says, "Meet Charity Hope Valentine, the dance hall hostess who wants to be loved, and I'm quite sure you will love her as portrayed by Vanessa Dunleavy. She has a 1000-watt smile, a bubbly stage persona, fluid dance moves, and the ability to tug on the heartstrings as she perseveres through all of the little dramas in Charity's life. Robbins struck gold when she mined this triple threat performer to lead the stellar company, a mix of Stoneham Theatre veterans and newcomers." Read more here.

Midwest

4. Milwaukee, WI: Editor Peggy Sue Dunigan reviews First Stage's World Premiere of ELLA ENCHANTED. She says, "Alison Pogerelc. an actor of Young Company awards and status, mesmerized the audience with her professional class, confidence and royal chutzpah together with a lyrical voice to charm the entire production. This character, and Pogerelc's talents, underpin the entire premise for the fairy tale. Cursed with a gift to obey any command given to her when she was born, Ella of Frell strives to be her own person and say 'no"--speak her own mind--as she sings, "Words are like magic, revealing and transforming, comic and tragic." Read more here.

South/Southeast

5. Houston, TX: New Editor Mai Le reviews Landing Theatre Company's FOOL FOR LOVE. She says, "From the moment Eddie uttered the first word, the show took off like a racehorse, quick and unyielding. The actors sustained an undulating amount of energy throughout the entire show. The cast was superbly complimentary, and the flow of the story telling was never once dropped or interrupted. Shepard's scripts are always heavy with subtext, and under the direction of Brandon Weinbrenner, the actors displayed beautifully smooth emotional transitions. Ganner and Weir were exceptional in sustaining a constant bubbling of emotion behind every word." Read more here.

West Coast

6. Phoenix, AZ: Editor Herbert Paine reviews OF MICE AND MEN at Arizona Theatre Company. He says, "To wit, as soon as Wainwright settles into his role and modulates (Act II), George's angst about Lennie takes on a more existential poignancy and his final solution is more devastatingly felt. James Pickering and Chike Johnson are outstanding in their portrayals of two ranch hands of different ages and life experiences who nevertheless share the internal struggle between good and evil that is common among all Steinbeck's characters." Read more here.

7. Portland, OR: Editor Krista Garver reviews THE FEW at CoHo Productions. She says, "The cast is tops. This is the best performance I've ever seen from Michael O'Connell -- his Brian is alternately so frustrating and so heart-breaking and so frustrating and...well, you get it. Val Landrum is excellent as always, in particular in the emotion she infuses between the lines. Caleb Sohigian is also great as Matthew, who for reasons of his own is obsessed about things being just right." Read more here.

8. Thousand Oaks, CA: Editor Cary Ginell reviews NUNSENSE at Camarillo Skyway Playhosue. He says, "As we've shown here, a great show can be fatally damaged by faulty casting, but in CSP's case, producer Kaelia Franklin and director Dean Johnsonhave chosen an ideally suited cast. Goggin endowed each nun with a specific and endearing personality and this quintet captures each perfectly - Broadway quality, in fact." Read more here.

International

9. UK/West End: Editor Verity Wilde reviews KING LEAR at Royal and Derngate. She says, "Lear's descent into madness is fuelled by anger and confusion as he fails to get his way and is powerful and affecting to watch. His later scenes with Pip Donaghy's Gloucester work particularly well - two white-haired, bearded men; one sick in mind, the other in body; struggling to find a place in a shifting, changing world they can no longer control." Read more here.

National Tour Highlight:

10. Appleton, Wisconsin Editor Meredith Kreisa reviews MOTOWN THE MUSICAL at Appleton PAC. She says, "The cast delivered spot-on performances as a variety of memorable historical figures and musicians. It was often easy to forget they were acting at all. The singing was equally impressive, and the cast had exceptional dynamics and range." Read more here.

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