BWW Review: CONSTELLATIONS moved hearts at TheatreWorks New MilfordMarch 12, 2020Love knows no bounds; not distance, nor hardship, nor time. In a story where time is not linear and each scene is a different timeline of the same events it can be hard to follow, but when you trust the script to tell the story and trust your audience to pick up on these concepts, you can focus on making each scene feel real and organic.
BWW Review: ONE HIT WONDER at Landmark Community TheatreFebruary 10, 2020With a title like a?oeOne Hit Wonder,a?? you might think you know what to expect: a series of well-known one hit wonders strung together with a loose story that feels more like a musical revue than a musical, but my experience seeing Landmark Community Theatre's production of One Hit Wonder flipped those expectations on their head and left this reviewer bopping in his seat to songs he hasn't heard since he was a child.
BWW Review: HEATHERS rocks at TRINITY-ON-MAINJanuary 20, 2020While you may not need a proscenium stage, proper stage rigging, and high end equipment, performing in a space not intended for theater certainly introduces some challenges. Director Michael Ricciardone gathered a team of designers to overcome the limitations of a non-traditional venue. When a talented cast meets a dedicated crew, it doesn't matter what kind of building you perform in, as long as everyone puts in their heart and soul; and you could feel that passion in Getup Stage Company's production of Heathers at Trinity-On-Main.
BWW Review: A CHRISTMAS STORY at Landmark Community TheatreDecember 14, 2019There's arguably no better classic Christmas tale than that of A Christmas Story. Adapted from the movie of the same name, A Christmas Story, the play, is among the plays that have a unique challenge in which their source material is so well known that any given production has to balance making the story their own, but also paying homage to the movie that everyone already knows so well. The way that Landmark Community Theatre decided to walk that line made this Christmas story feel truly nostalgic.
BWW Review: WRECK THE HALLS 'Sleighs' At TheatreWorks New MilfordDecember 9, 2019Nothing kicks off the holiday season better than laughter, music, anda?? Innuendo? Bradford Blake's Wreck the Halls flips the holiday season on its derriere and brings a raucous start to the holiday season. From the opening disclaimer to the endless dick jokes, Wreck the Halls at TheatreWorks New Milford had the audience in stitches from beginning to end.
BWW Review: IN THE HEIGHTS soars high at Landmark Community TheatreSeptember 24, 2019Lin-Manuel Miranda writes energetic and challenging musicals that require a dedicated and talented cast. Not only does Landmark Community Theatre have an exquisite cast for this production of Into the Heights, but their set is well-designed and the choreography is stunning, culminating in an energy-filled spectacle for the entire audience!
BWW Review: WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION at TheatreWorks New MilfordSeptember 24, 2019To many, the idea of a courtroom drama is boring and uneventful. But to others, the idea of a court case being presented on stage is intellectually thrilling as you get to follow the conversations and watch information get teased and extracted over time. The key to a successful courtroom drama is to keep it intellectually thrilling while highlighting the moments of action to keep the distracted focused.
BWW Review: MACBETH slays at Brookfield Theater Of The ArtsSeptember 16, 2019Language is essential in Shakespeare and that puts a large burden on the actors to translate that language and portray it in a way that the audience can understand. Combining strong vocal performances, simple, minimalist designs, and stunning projections, Brookfield Theatre rose up to the challenge and put on an excellent production of Shakespeare's deadliest tale.
BWW Review: An Emotional PROOF at Cue Zero Theatre CompanyMay 3, 2019Despite being a play about math, one doesn't need to speak math to understand the words, one doesn't need to find x in order to discover the meaning behind action, nor does one need to measure the pounds per square inch to feel the emotion behind David Auburn's, Proof. The cast of Cue Zero Theatre's production managed to discover, isolate, and emphasize the deeper connections being explored in Auburn's emotional work.
BWW Review: Raising the curtain with NUSPACE at Cue Zero Theatre CompanyFebruary 28, 2019The worst things imaginable have been done with the best intentions. You either die a hero or you live long enough to become a villain. When NuSpace was founded, its intentions were pure: To help alleviated the world's 'Data Crisis.' But when politics get involved and money starts flying, it can be hard to see who is on which side.
BWW Review: LIGHT TO DARK at Nashua Theatre GuildFebruary 1, 2019What does a treehouse, radio, angels and demons, secret corporations, and a school lockdown have in common? They were the subjects of a series of one act plays presented through the Nashua Theatre Guild's "Light To Dark: A Night of One Acts."
BWW Review: PIPPIN at Actorsingers Turns Real Life into a Fantasy!November 13, 2018There's nothing more magical than the colorful, fantastic world of your dreams, and the Actorsingers' production of Pippin brought the world of your dreams on the stage! Hirson and Schwartz's Pippin is a fantastical dive into the world of imagination and potential trap of dreaming. When faced with the ambition of wanting an extraordinary life that completely fulfills his soul, Pippin finds himself feeling nothing but discontentment.
BWW Review: SPAMALOT Rolls in the Laughter at Palace TheatreOctober 23, 2018Not every show is going to have an introspective look on political climate like Ibsen, or open up difficult topics such as the AIDS epidemic like Kushner, but not every show has to: Some shows are just there to make you laugh and sing and have a merry time doing it!
BWW Review: INVASION FROM MARS at Hatbox TheaterOctober 22, 2018Exploring the live broadcasting of a radio adaptation of H.G Wells' War of the Worlds and the phenomenon of isolated cases of panic caused by the distressing nature of the story, Invasion from Mars forces the company to handle the largest theatrical question of all stage adapted radio plays: How do you keep an audience entertained in a show that focuses on words and not actions?