Brett Cullum - Page 4

It is Shakespeare's classic tragedy. Othello Retold through a hip-hop lens and so it is constant beats being spun by DJ who is present the entire time. And and the rhyme being done on top of that consistently in rhythm, just like all of Shakespeare's work was in that iambic pentameter.

It is not a flashy musical with special effects and huge dance numbers, but rather a somber meditation on Depression Era America and deep cuts of Bob Dylan’s songbook. It’s brilliant, and it will make you think. It’s akin to watching ghosts sing Americana arias, something you will never quite shake. 

I live in Florida, and I love Florida; Florida has amazing people and an amazing LGBTQ community, but, as you know, the government really isn't on our side there. When the drag bans started to happen, it really freaked you out because it happened like suddenly you weren't allowed to perform outside in Florida. People didn't know this happened, but many of the Pride Celebrations in Florida were canceled.

I initially started working on this show, and now I am the biggest Dylan fan. He's so ubiquitous. He's out there in the culture. So, of course, I knew Dylan and Dylan's songs, but this has made me a huge fan of his.

I am unsure if I know of any other music diva who needs three different actresses to play her, but Cher seems to have required that. We have not one, not two, but three Chers in this show. And do they trot on, do their part of life, and leave? Heck no! They all talk to each other, advise each other, and sing together all night long. It’s like the three musketCHERs or something!

Should you avoid seeing the show? For God’s sake, no. You will miss what is surely going to be one of the most talked about pieces of work in Houston’s theatrical history. Go see it, and make your own call whether you love or hate it. But don’t let them brainwash you into thinking this is only about love because it is also about repulsion, and that is okay. It is very much as if David Cronenberg and David Lynch made a movie, and Jim Henson designed the sex scenes.

I don’t think you are going to find a funnier TAMING OF THE SHREW easily. Director Dana Bowman has lucked out to get the cast and crew that could pull this off, and she had extreme insight into how to handle the problems the show represents to women today. You will laugh, and you will find it a delight. Sitting through TAMING OF THE SHREW was never a chore, and I was enchanted from start to finish.

STAGOLEE AND THE FUNERAL OF A DANGEROUS WORD is a wonderful meditation on the power of words, folklore, and the human condition. It soars and becomes electric any time actors TiMOThY ERiC and Seth Carter Ramsey confront each other. It has a power and heft you do not see in most theater. It goes to an uncomfortable place and will stick with you for days later. It’s one of those pieces that you can’t shake off, no matter who you are or how you use your words.

What drew me to the show was what drew me to the work that Catastrophic Theatre does in general. They do work that nobody else does. Work that's largely unexplored in our region, or in our country, or whatever. I'm drawn to that kind of stuff, and Sarah Kane has a unique view of love and human relationships. And I share some of those ideas.

Part of the genius of THE OUTSIDER is it is pure farce. Characters and plots are played larger than life, and doors constantly swing open with new surprises behind them. We’re not in the sturm and drang of THE WEST WING, but rather the territory of a silly sitcom like VEEP. Physical comedy, verbal banter, and just plain stupid stuff happens, and this cast is up to the challenge of delivering all of it. The director has found some of Houston's funniest, most likable actors.

I think the biggest thing I wanted to focus on was not making it like a character and not making it like some tasteless impression. Because I don't know. It's not necessarily what the show is about, and the three of us do a really good job of “a hint of Cher.” But there's still us!

Patti Lupone has always known how to merge pop culture with her theatrical training, and she can craft a story around any song she chooses. And that is why we come, to hear the storyteller tell her tale.

Any production of a show has to do with relationships. These actors are here because they believe in Tracy and Kara. Most of them have worked with me last year, so hopefully they believe in me, too. It is a little bit of sacrifice all the way around, and that's sort of how a lot of theater gets made.

It’s fun, a bit quirky, and has a Fellini-sized cast that should make your head spin in all the right ways. Apparently, it takes an army to make a diva, but then again, is that a surprise?

Malinda L. Beckham has always been a master of directing testosterone-fueled plays where men fight and abuse each other. She and her cast bravely take on Martin McDonagh’s script and make wise decisions. The pace is breakneck, never allowing the viewer to wallow much in the muck. She brings out the black comedy and never seems to fear that aspect.

THE NERD is frankly still THE NERD, and the director, Brandon Weinbrenner, doesn’t reinvent much of anything. There’s nothing new or fresh, and the script is presented almost as if it would have run back in 1981. There is no discernable reason to remount this show save for the idea that it was fun back in the day.

I just am so grateful. Stages really produced this one for me. So I'm super excited about that. That I could give this to this theater community, and for the rest of the world to know forever and always. That Irish Catechism originated here in Houston, and it will be developed here over the next six weeks, judging from my last preview performances and opening last night. This one is next level, next level!

IT IS MAGIC is far from false advertising because this play, this cast, and this team make some pretty strong magic from Mickle Maher’s latest play. Just sit back, relax, and let it all wash over you is my advice. It’s funny, it’s quirky, and it is unlike anything else you are likely to see anytime soon. CATASTROPHIC THEATRE has always promised to destroy us, and they seem to be inching closer and closer… and closer. This is the next step in their nefarious plan.

We've got a really big show planned. We've got a cool set. We have an amazing light design. We have all kinds of cool costumes. I've got backup dancers and my friend Andrew, who I wrote music with over the past eight years he's come on as my musical accompanist and sort of sidekick foil in the show. So it's a one Queen show, but it's actually four of us in the show, counting two dancers, Me. And my friend Andrew and we've written all the music, and I sing all the music and wrote all the lyrics with Andrew.

It's me, and I have a band. I sing songs and tell stories all under the theme or the umbrella of getting older, and what is age appropriateness, and things I've noticed about getting older. Mostly, it’s about why is it that we, as a culture, have decided that getting older is the worst possible thing that can happen to us when, of course, it's the only thing that is inevitable in our lives apart from death. And I just I'm really curious about that.