Brett Cullum - Page 6

There are two local musical artists who will perform, and then there'll be the drag performer Blackberri in Houston. Then I'll do my set, and support Noise for Now. In Houston, it's the Heights Theater to buy tickets. We want people to come, enjoy a great uplifting insight into what is happening with education in Houston and how people can get involved and be hands-on in changing the narrative and really stopping things from descending into the point of no return. I think that's the most important thing.

But one thing I promise you, you have never seen it done like this before. And you probably won’t ever get another chance to see something quite this inventive in any given year of Houston theater. This is a thrill to witness, and unlike anything out there. It manages to be THE BLAIR WITCH of stage stories, something you almost can’t explain fully.

There is a distinct charm to GEORGIANA AND KITTY that makes the audience feel like they are invited for Christmas at Pemberly. You get a true sense these actors are welcoming you to their world, and it’s a place that is joyously cozy for the holidays.

THE TURN OF THE SCREW is an idea that I've been interested in presenting theatrically for quite some time. And I think it is actually very relevant right now, because we're having these huge cultural conversations about truth and alternate versions of truth. And how people create their own truth and the limits of their own truth.

Some of the things that were important in Laura's work were the foundations of her book - honesty, integrity, and doing the right thing when given the opportunity. Those never changed for my family. They still exist today. So telling stories that still have that foundation in them. The time period that my parents were brought up and brought their children into, and now in my lifetime as well held on to those values. I want that to be presented in these books as well.

I fell in love with it back in 2014 when I first had it in my hand. And I wanted to produce for a long period of time. Ultimately, because it's that element of surprise that I love most about theater, SWITZERLAND is all about surprise.

I was expecting a thriller along the lines of MISERY, but in the end the psychological aspects of SWITZERLAND are such that make it a chiller instead. Kenn McLaughlin, Sally Edmundson, and Ian James make a great team to bring it to life.

You are never going to see a more definitive version of this show in Houston, and CATASTROPHIC is the company to bring it to you.

They have a mix of genders, races, and experience levels to work with. The result is what community theater is all about, a perfect blend of people coming together for a common cause. You can feel their love of the piece and each other radiating from the stage. This is why people adore and do community theater.

Callina is always a smart actress, and she mines this mythical lady for something more than simple madness. No, she finds a way to make her choices as an ultimate strategist even if she is a woman scorned. She is torn at every step of the way by the evilness of her plan, yet she knows if the wrongs are to be given to justice it all has to happen. We believe every second of her conflict, and we mourn with her when the final moments arrive.

The thing about FAR EAST is the emotional stakes are never high. Unlike MADAME BUTTERFLY where we are faced with a scorned woman and an illegitimate child, here we never see the soldier’s Japanese lover. And contrasted with FROM HERE TO ETERNITY where an affair is consummated on a wildly active beach, the soldier and his captain’s wife merely brush against each other almost politely rather than passionately.

JAGGED LITTLE PILL is half brilliant and half hackneyed, but there are moments when it is dizzyingly great.  A clever but overstuffed book married with challenging pop rock songs keeps the cast and audience on their toes, but when it hits the high it is worth it.  “You Oughta Know” and “Uninvited” are two of the most amazing pieces of musical theater acting I have seen in years.

Just a reminder, the MATCH complex in Houston has some of the best air conditioning around. And this show is pretty hot and sultry, so it’s a perfect pairing.

I teasingly have been calling this 1776 - THE FOUNDING MOTHERS EDITION all week, and it is finally here at the Hobby Center brought in by Theatre Under the Stars. This is a New York cast hitting Houston for a three night stop of a national tour. My question is, does it really make that much of a statement? The script for the show remains what it has been since 1776 debuted on Broadway back in 1969.

PRESENT LAUGHTER gets a stunning revival at Main Street Theater with a returning director and leading man remounting the show with a power packed cast. The Noel Coward classic is always an “audience pleaser” from its inception in the early forties, and this new production is like great champagne and caviar on the side. You don’t get more “sophisticated comedy” than this one, and it all holds up gorgeously.

It fuses music, fashion shows, and simply fun lively scenes that turn THE HOUSE OF PATRICK into a … well… house party! The energy is high, and the show is a ton of fun.

You see this year is all about truth and honesty, and examining what that means to Tamarie and her squad. Onstage there is a lie detector, and throughout the evening truths are revealed as are lies. And somehow highlights include dancing poop, Aristotle, an 80s PSA star, Tinkerbell, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, the world’s oldest cactus, and an army of drag queens to name but a few.

Read Broadwayworld's interview with Denise O'Neal about Fade To Black.

This isn’t a play, it’s some sort of intergalactic space time hiccup that just happens at the MATCH complex to kick off your summer. It’s very hip, lively, and a great dose of WTF and OMG simultaneously. Like Janelle Monae says, “Girl, this is craziness. Let me tell you!”

Dirt Dogs’ current incarnation of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY is the finest work they have done in over eight years at the MATCH, and it is easily among the best things running this year in Houston theater. This show is cast immaculately, technical design nears flawless, and direction is tight and wrought. It is operatic, it is epic, and it is a must-see for fans of excellence in theatrical arts.