BWW Reviews: BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK Reveals A Stark RealityAugust 25, 2014In By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, acclaimed dramatist Lynn Nottage (winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Ruined), has illuminated the irony and hurtful absurdity of the Black struggle in Depression-era Hollywood to break the chains of racial stereotyping and to land good roles with good lines. iTheatre Collaborative, a gem of a company in the heart of Phoenix boldly stages this play under the direction of Charles St. Clair and with a cast that artfully commands the stage. Nicole Belit is exquisite, endowing Vera with elegance, grace, and the self-assurance that was required to leap from handmaiden to film star.
BWW Reviews: Valley Youth Theatre's WEST SIDE STORY Is Brilliant In Every WayAugust 15, 2014Think about the combined genius of Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, and Jerome Robbins and the driving inspiration of William Shakespeare that created West Side Story. Then realize how awesome a dare it is to mount this classic musical, to be true to its artistry, its complexity, and its messages ~ especially for an ensemble of teenage actors. And then, stand up and give a hearty hurrah for the cast of Valley Youth Theatre which has aced the challenge. Directed by Bobb Cooper, VYT's Producing Artistic Director, the Jets and the Sharks explode onto the stage of the Herberger Theater with verve and muscularity.
BWW Reviews: …AND THE CHIHUAHUA II Sates the Palate at Lunch Time TheaterAugust 8, 2014Karen Burns and Debra Rich deliver a pumped up and punchy portrayal of a dynamic duo of complementary if not competing spirits in a short play (of which they are as well the authors) that wonders out loud if the path to self-improvement and self-realization ever ends. They are a delightful team of actresses who ply their stagecraft with finesse and breathe life and relevance into their characters, Carly Stanley (Burns) and Dina Klein (Rich), who, after meeting in Limbo in …and the chihuahua I, manage the Living Legacy Detective Agency.
BWW Reviews: Desert Stages Theatre Sings the BILOXI BLUESAugust 4, 2014On a simple stage, set with rough-hewn foot lockers and makeshift bunk beds, Mark-Alan Clemente has assembled an able cast of actors who sing Biloxi Blues the way Neil Simon might have appreciated. It is in the angst and defiance of Arnold Epstein, compellingly portrayed by Todd Michael Isaac and Sgt. Toomey, whose disciplinarian zeal is masterfully captured by Rick Davis, that the powerhouse moments of the play occur.
BWW Reviews: JERSEY BOYS is Sensational!July 24, 2014Jersey Boys is far more than a jukebox musical. It is deeper and richer in story line, texture, and technique than most~ a tale of invention, of the creative work-in-progress, the sometimes perilous and sometimes glorious alchemy that, in the case of four young men from the gritty streets of Newark, transforms them into one of America's iconic rock and pop groups.
And their story is brilliantly conveyed in perfect harmony by Hayden Milanes (whose tenor falsetto is spot-on Valli), Nicolas Dromard, Quinn VanAntwerp, and Adam Zelasko.
BWW Reviews: Desert Stages Theatre's CABARET Lacks OomphJuly 21, 2014The one good thing to be said about Desert Stages Theatre's production of Cabaret is Terry Gadaire. As the racy and suggestive Emcee of 1929 Berlin's Kit Kat Klub, he personifies the decadence and ultimately the pathos of a Germany descending through the gates of Hitlerian hell. Gadaire has been a consistently brilliant performer in Valley theatre, most recently delivering a tour de force reprise of his role as King Arthur in Fountain Hills Theater's Spamalot. Once again, he reveals his exemplary singing and acting chops.
BWW Reviews: Anything Goes at Actors Theatre's THE COTTAGEJuly 11, 2014Actor's Theatre's The Cottage is light and enjoyable fare for a hot summer's night. It's silly and predictable stuff, based on a premise that could have as easily come from the mind of Noel Coward but that to be truly great and live up to its hype would have required his writing prowess.
BWW Reviews: Applause for Actors Theatre's THE BOOK CLUB PLAYJune 23, 2014No doubt about it. The Book Club Play, written by Karen Zacarias and masterfully directed by Matthew Weiner, is an audience's delight and a tribute to the latter's commitment to socially relevant and provocative theatre. The ensemble is as good as it gets ~ a dream cast of dynamic and energetic actors who give fine definition to their roles. However, if there is a fault, it lies not in the stars but in the playwright whose message about culture and relationships gets diluted in this comedy of manners and cross-cutting themes.
BWW Reviews: PETER PAN is Flying High at Valley Youth TheatreJune 16, 2014Valley Youth Theatre rounds out its 25th Anniversary with a spirited and hugely entertaining production of Peter Pan. From the robust overture to the rousing finale, these young actors from six to sixteen give their energetic all in a Broadway-worthy show about the boy who never grows up.
BWW Reviews: Humanity Exposed in Theatre Artists Studio's NEW SUMMER SHORTSJune 14, 2014Imagine a world without music or dance. Walk in the shoes of war veterans who cope in singular ways with their demons. Feel for the husband who can't get a word in edge-wise between two prototypical controllers, his wife and a doctor. Contemplate government-regulated dinners. Feel for the wife who fears for her life and takes necessary measures. Occupy the assassin's psyche before the lethal act. It's this thread of foibles, follies, fears, and fancies that weaves through the eight ten-minute plays currently featured in Theatre Artists Studio's 7th Annual New Summer Shorts Festival.
BWW Reviews: STEEL MAGNOLIAS Bloom at Stagebrush TheatreJune 9, 2014Steel Magnolias is at heart a play about beauty, not the cosmetic kind that stylists manufacture with gels and lotions and sprays but the kind that tells in the truth lines on a woman's face, in the soul that she bares in private and safe moments with friends. The telling of the tale requires skilled and authentic performances by actresses that can reveal the shades and textures of joy and pain and faith and the will to endure no matter what hand life deals. In Stagebrush Theatre's current production of Robert Harling's play, directed by Judy Rollings, six remarkable actresses grace the stage and deliver the goods.
BWW Reviews: THE FULL MONTY Lifts the Spirits at Mesa Encore TheatreJune 2, 2014Men of steel, stripped of their power, can regain their mettle when they dare to drop their fears and self-doubt. The Full Monty affirms this truth and reveals more than bare bottoms in Mesa Encore Theatre's final production of its 76th season. Director Chris Hamby, despite some technical glitches that should be easily fixed and some inconsistent casting that can't, captures both the heart and humor of a story that has as much relevance today as when it premiered in 2000.