BWW Review: CABARET at Altria TheatreFebruary 24, 2018I believe that I can safely attest that this particular revival of CABARET, which met its incipience with the Donmar Warehouse production in London way back in 1993, bears the graces of a masterwork that has stood the test of time.
BWW Previews: BRIGHT HALF LIFE at TheatreLAB: A Behind-the-Scenes CommentaryFebruary 15, 2018Amid the ever-random fronts of varying warm and cold weather patterns, I was fortunate enough one recent, blustery evening to be invited by director Mess Rayford and her small but dexterous team of performers and technical aides to a preview-performance of the Cellar Series' latest theatrical outing, BRIGHT HALF LIFE.
BWW Review: MURDER BALLAD at 5th Wall TheatreNovember 10, 2017True to their slogan 'Theatre Beyond Boundaries,' director Lucian Restivo and the personnel at 5th Wall have executed (pun intended) a distinctly immersive theatrical gambit with pulverizing marks. By staging Murder Ballad entirely within the confines of the main room at Club Infuzion in Scott's Addition (as per the original Off-Broadway production's cue to venue selection), the audience is treated to a 360 degree display of four spellbinding actors belting out booming rock tunes whilst weaving around and about the respective patrons' tables and sitting areas.
BWW Review: Eugene O'Neill's DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS at Firehouse Theatre: Simple, Brutal BrillianceNovember 3, 2017For those unfamiliar with Eugene O'Neill's stark allegory of a poor family's struggle against the stagnant days of the Great Depression: don't let anyone (the internet included) spoil it for you! Not even me; and I'll keep things brief here, too. Yes, go in to see Desire Under The Elms with a clean slate! For such a warranted and temporary implementation of a kind of na vet is certain to make this haunting experience all the more visceral and captivating.
BWW Review: TheatreLAB And Yes, And's THE LAST FIVE YEARS Stays With YouOctober 2, 2017It is this reviewer's exultant onus to relay that in the case of TheatreLAB and YES, AND's production of THE LAST FIVE YEARS, director Chelsea Burke and her team have pulled out all of the stops to give the audience an unforgettable experience, with the technical follow-through and musical polish to rival any production that has ever been mounted. And these generous qualities are symbiotically aligned with the equally powerful presence of actors Christie Jackson and Alexander Sapp. It's just that freaking good.