Jeff Davis - Page 12

BroadwayWorld is pleased to share this clip, featuring ONE NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN's Kacee Clanton singing Joplin's hit, 'Piece of My Heart.'

The City Theatre continues its summer season with the Tennessee Williams American classic, A Streetcar Named Desire, which revolutionized modern drama and is still an undisputed masterpiece from one of the great voices of the American theatre. Directed by Jeff Hinkle and starring Rachel McGinnis Meissner and Tim Brown, the production runs July 25 - August 18, 2013.

Theatrical shows for children are a dime a dozen, but children's theater productions that can also please adults are as rare and unique as the musically inclined animals in The Bremen Town Musicians. The exuberant musical-one of SummerStock Austin's three offerings currently playing in repertory at The Long Center-is a fantastic, enjoyable production for kids and adults. This is as good as children's theater gets.

If Thomas Paine is the author of Common Sense, then Thom Pain must be the author of Common Nonsense. Thom Pain (based on nothing)-a rambling, absurd, existential monologue now playing at Hyde Park Theatre-is an enthralling and joyously quirky piece of theater that is meant to be experienced and enjoyed but is never intended to make complete sense. But honestly, does life ever make sense in the first place?

Given the reputation and respect that the play has earned in the 60 plus years since its debut, any theater company producing A Streetcar Named Desire should go into it with some trepidation, but there's no sign of any in the City Theatre's exceptional production.

Late in A Chorus Line, the brassy Sheila states, 'God, when it's over do I need a drink!' I hear ya, girl. Judging by the guy to my left who spent the show playing on his phone, the woman to my right who was more interested in her bracelet and the musician in the pit who I saw reading a book, I'm guessing the bar will be crowded.

The Pillowman is one of those theatrical events that seldom comes along. It's sinister, sadistic, haunting, and while it may not be pleasant, it is entirely unforgettable.

As Georgetown Palace's production of The Will Rogers Follies proves, a few rope tricks, corny jokes, and leggy showgirls wearing next to nothing will always please a crowd.

"Texas is okay if you want to settle down and do your thing quietly," Janis Joplin once said, "but it's not for outrageous people, and I was always outrageous." Janis must have forgotten about Austin, because One Night with Janis Joplin, the Broadway-bound Janis Joplin musical now playing at the Zach Theatre, seems tailor made for our music-loving city.

Different Stages continues its 2012 - 2013 season with Emlyn Williams's classic mystery Night Must Fall. BroadwayWorld is pleased to share the following video preview of this thrilling new production.

While regional theatres often lean towards staging Tony winning, crowd pleasing musicals, occasionally one may boldly look towards a show that is off the beaten path and lacks a trophy cabinet full of awards. Austin Playhouse has done exactly that with their current production of Triumph of Love and has unearthed a hidden gem of a show in the process. Still, even the most sparkling of diamonds could benefit from a little bit of polishing.

One person shows are a notoriously hard sell, unlike Tupperware's famous airtight bowls. I doubt anyone ever thought of combining the two with the notable exception of Kris Andersson, the writer and star of Dixie's Tupperware Party, now playing at the Long Center for the Performing Arts. Though at times the touring show may not be as sturdy as the nearly indestructible Tupperware products, overall it's a laugh riot.

Megan Hilty took the stage at the ZACH's Topfer Theatre in Austin on Tuesday, June 18th in the first of many one night only concerts featuring Broadway stars, and the blonde bombshell kicked off the series with a smash.

It's no secret that Shakespeare's plays are among the most challenging for actors and directors to tackle. The language is dense and the plot is often complex, making it difficult for modern audiences to connect with the play. While some productions easily rise to the occasion, there's something amiss in The City Theatre's current production of Much Ado About Nothing. While the two leads are delightful to watch, the rest of the production is fairly middle of the road. It certainly won't be among the worst production of Shakespeare that you're bound to see, but it won't be among the best either.

The last few times I've seen a production at St. Edwards University's Mary Moody Northern Theatre, I've had to remind myself that I'm viewing a show featuring a cast of mostly college students. Every time, the production is of professional quality, and their current production of The Secret Garden is no exception. All audience members are bound to be mesmerized by the physical beauty of the stagecraft and the incredible performances.

The reasoning behind staging a Tony Nominee for Best Play is quite easy to understand. Plays that have either been nominated for or won a Tony are easily marketable to the public. Still there is that occasional Tony nominated play that is a complete head scratcher, a play so poorly written it's baffling that it made it to Broadway in the first place, let alone snag a nomination for Best Play. Case in point: the poorly written and conceived Next Fall by Geoffrey Nauffts. While the Austin premiere of the play, currently staged by The Paradox Players, features some incredible performances, the incredible work of the cast still can't cover up the vast shortcomings of the text.

There's certainly a reason why the works of Gilbert and Sullivan have remained a fixture in popular culture for nearly 150 years. Their operas are fun, frivolous, and tinted with social and political satire. Though Princess Ida, their eighth operatic collaboration, may not be as well-known as some of their other works such as The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinifore, or The Mikado, it is just as silly, entertaining, and smart, as the current production by The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Austin wonderfully illustrates.

In late December, BroadwayWorld posted Wish Lists of Musicals and Plays that should be produced in Central Texas in the 2013-2014 season. Several months later, many theater companies have announced their upcoming seasons, and some of our wish-list shows are part of the line-up.

Sometimes there's nothing as hysterical as hysteria. That's the main premise of Reefer Madness, currently produced by Doctuh Mistuh Productions, a musical satire about the dangers of marijuana. The show, which splits its run between the Spiderhouse Ballroom and the Dougherty Arts Center, is an absolute laugh riot.

There are some occasions where the family fare is so well-presented that one can't help but be enchanted and enthralled. Penfold Theatre's current production of Shipwrecked! is one such occasion where children and adults are entertained and inspired by the brilliant stagecraft and the talented performers.