Brett Cullum - Page 3

Well, I have no idea where Sherry came from. I just remember my roommate at the time was doing my wig. He did the makeup; he styled me. He did everything. I did nothing, and I just looked in the mirror. I was like. Oh, she looks like a “Sherry.”

It’s an amazingly intimate and unforgettable experience that covers topics such as racism, women’s issues, and artists’ rights. And did I mention it’s a whole lot of funky fun that will have you clapping and cheering along the way?

What did our critic think of FUNNY GIRL at BROADWAY AT THE HOBBY CENTER?

You know, I think what really worked for me is that I didn't have much knowledge of FUNNY GIRL. I saw the movie once when I was a teenager, and funny enough, my boyfriend and I were on vacation with his family when his mom told me that I would play Fanny Brice!

Occasionally, you see a show that renews your faith in what the arts do, like seeing The Color Purple in a field. It’s a show that reminds you why people love musicals. THE COLOR PURPLE from The Garden Theatre and the Sankofa Collective is just such a thing. It has heart, soul, and some of the best local talent you will ever see.

MELVILLE AND HAWTHORNE makes for an intriguing evening of theater that made me want to run back home and pull out MOBY DICK and perhaps THE BLITHEDALE ROMANCE and start my summer reading. As a student, I never knew of this possible affair between two literary giants.

The play follows the year and a half that authors Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne spent living only a mile away from each other in the Berkshires. At the same time, Melville wrote and developed the novel MOBY DICK (which he dedicated to Hawthorne). The show is based on historical facts and will play from August 1st through August 10th.

As soon as those credits were rolling, I texted him and said, “Hey, let's have a meeting next week. What if we did COLOR PURPLE this summer?” And lo and behold, he was texted back, “That's the show that I wanted to speak to you about!” It's a perfect gel for THE GARDEN THEATRE artists and Sankofa artists.

It’s about the power of imagination and fear. Main Street Theater in Rice Village has resurrected this gothic ghost story just in time to chill down a rather hot and humid summer.

The stage does not bind the performers, and the show remains an immersive experience like no other. It is akin to climbing into a cart at the Disney amusement park and turning in an E-ticket for an all-out assault on your senses. Kids will love it, and the adults will marvel at the elegant design.

I do a lot of things. I always knew that I wanted to put myself in a position where anything that I wanted to accomplish creatively. I never wanted to feel stifled by a financial burden.

And actually, our director, Keith Bennett, was Banzai for about twenty years before I arrived, and was so great! I was intimidated coming in because I had heard so much about the great Keith Bennett, but as soon as I came in, he made me feel so relaxed and said, “You know everybody's Banzai is different. You make this your own.”

This company is just really strong at putting on funny-as-hell musical sketch comedies. It’s as if SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE were written by Kander and Ebb.

Houston has several summer traditions that make this time of year even more fun, such as a homegrown musical and one of Agatha Christie’s chilliest thrillers. So let’s rundown some of the highlights coming up as the dog days of summer descend on all of us here in H-Town. Here is your Summer Theater Guide from BROADWAY WORLD!

The playwriting talent on display here is awe-inspiring, and I found myself sucked in shortly after each set change and new scenario. What fascinates me most about this year is that the subject material has shifted a bit overall. FADE TO BLACK has always addressed racial issues, but now the works are taking aim at gender roles, fantasy scenarios, and even horror tropes.

BETRAYAL is everything you want from a REC ROOM production. It is thoughtful, well-acted, and designed especially for a small space. Sophia Watt and her company drive home the conflicts and the feelings of confusion and loss when an affair falls apart messily and mercilessly.

The audience I saw DIAL M FOR MURDER with roared to their feet after all was said and done. This is a charming production with plenty of technical eye candy and sublime campy takes on characters. These kinds of shows fit what THE ALLEY THEATRE does best: entertain and thrill us with a summer mystery. Everyone is set to have a marvelously good time.

There's this obvious fantasy of the character in that we're in mid-century pinks and blues and teals and aquamarines and this whole color palette and it's a musical, and it's songs, and it's a man dressed up as a woman. But the thing the reality is that Edna turns out as a woman, and you're playing a mom, and she's and that's what she is.

Get ready to have your socks knocked off and your heart racing with The Barricade Boys! These four dazzling performers are taking the world by storm with their electrifying show that will have you tapping your feet, belting out your favourite tunes, and grinning from ear to ear.

Intimacy is one of STAGES THEATRE’s core values. And they should point to this anytime they want to proclaim proof of it. You can’t do this in a larger space. Nobody else in town could pull this off. It is a prime example of what this company does best.