Brett Cullum - Page 9

This tricky character-driven piece requires an amazing cast, and that is just what 4th WALL THEATRE COMPANY has managed to assemble. Byron Jacquet plays Pops, and he carries the story ably on broad shoulders. Every moment of his performance has a world weary marinade that rings true.

How far should we hold someone responsible for abuse decades ago? Can we factor in that maybe they grew and changed over the years? Is it fair to seek social justice in the age of the Internet when someone can instantly be fired or destroyed by allegations that were never prosecuted or examined by any impartial judge or jury?

Every generation seems to have their Florence Ballard - ultra talented singers who get tossed aside because they don't fit a look or a concept of what a record label wants in its catalog.

Narratively ELLIOT, A SOLDIER'S FUGUE simply combines three soldiers in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq.  They represent a grandfather, a father, and a son who all go through similar experiences in the wars of their respective eras.

Most people know the music pretty well, but few knew the band had a colorful history full of crimes and mob connections that were against the clean cut tradition of their era. They seemed to be more than a boy band and bordered on a gang in many ways. Forget BTS, One Direction, or even the New Kids on the Block a??. these guys were hanging tough for real!

THE BAND'S VISIT reminds audiences what musical theater can be when we remove garish production values and jukebox hits. It takes us somewhere unfamiliar, and by the end we realize that it's not nearly as far as we thought. The human heart is well mapped no matter where you go, and people have universal longings and needs.

This is HAMLET like you have never seen before - performed by a handsome stranger who is hellbent on turning Shakespeare's longest work into a 90 minute aria. In concept it sounds dicey, but in execution it works surprisingly well. 

Vincent Victoria has made a name for himself by recreating black female icons that loom large over our cultural imagination. Eartha Kitt like Lena Horne defied the beauty standards of her time to create her own definition of what a leading lady should look and act like.

It was amazing to see DEAR EVAN HANSEN with an enthusiastic audience. Many of the teens sang along with the show or at least mouthed the words as the performance played out. People were visibly touched by the situations and reduced to tears at several points. And yet I felt oddly removed from the experience, and kept wondering why.

4th Wall Theatre Company's production shows a lot of love for Tennessee Williams, and they have thrown a ton of resources behind it. The result is a strikingly handsome production with surprising interpretations of the characters and plenty of eye candy.

Director Julie Kramer and choreographer Jessica Hartman have stayed true to the 1975 vision, but also managed to make it more energetic and faster paced. The dancers often seem to defy gravity and levitate during numbers, and it's all gorgeously staged and executed.

To the delight of the audience she covers horror movies, several ghastly tales of the saints, and even unleashes a fashion show where you can dress up as an unlucky martyr to go trick or treating.  It's fast, it's funny, and also has a gentle soul that should find even the most diehard Catholics embracing the ways of Sister. 

This one has everything you could want - broadly drawn characters, exotic settings, and a spectacular murder with no shortage of suspects. It's a great thriller to chill you off this summer. 

The director has decided to look at the more giggle-worthy elements of PRIVATE LIVES, and has avoided some of the darker implications of this Noel Coward classic. Audiences should eat this one up like a buttered brioche with coffee the morning after a sordid affair.

Some people will love this one, but I found it theatrically stunted and a bit offensive in that it would be funnier if I were far more conservative. It will play best with people who unapologetically sport their MAGA hats and follow certain Twitter accounts without remorse.

We struggle as humans to fit in and be enough at any given moment, and that's the lesson Lena Horne offered the world and herself.  Even though she made history and became a champion of the Civil Rights movement, she struggled every step of the way with the identity created by her appearance and demeanor.

You have ten plays with ten sets, ten casts, ten directors, and ten different playwrights. All of them run only ten minutes at most. It's easy enough to assert that if you don't like something, just wait ten minutes and something new is in front of you!

Dequina Moore is a marvel as the titular role of Josephine Baker. She plays this wide eyed and breathless, a girl who knows she is on the verge of something more and impatient to get there. She dances with abandon and sings like an angel.

It feels curatorial now, a gorgeous museum exhibit that we are intrigued by decades later. Society for the Performing Arts opens the hall for musical theater fans to gaze for just six days here in Houston.

JEROME ROBBINS' BROADWAY pays tribute to a brilliant choreographer and becomes a testament to the enduring history of great Broadway shows. If you love musical theater this one will be right up your alley, and if you love dance it is even better.