Michael Rabice

Broadway's great leading lady  Elaine Stritch once corrected herself when talking about musicals, when she was describing a Broadway show as a 'musical comedy.'  'Every musical was called a musical comedy in my day,' she quipped. Well, times have changed, and the Pultizer Prize winning musical NEXT TO NORMAL most certainly would not be categorized as a musical comedy, but rather a musical drama.

Everything OZ continues these days. L Frank Baum would be flabbergasted to think that his 1900 novel 'THE  WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ' would be as popular, if not MORE popular, in 2025. The endless fascination  with the story of young Dorothy being whisked away by a twister from her home in Kansas to the mystical land of Oz has always been a favorite of young and old. The beloved MGM musical starring Judy Garland continues to be a perennial favorite. And in 1975 a little musical called THE WIZ took Broadway by storm, updating the story to present day with an all Black cast. In 2003, the prequel musical WICKED opened and  has been dazzling Broadway audiences ever since, to say nothing of the blockbuster movie version in 2024. The 2025 Academy Awards included 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow,'  2 songs from THE WIZ and 1 from WICKED. The fascination continues....

When worlds collide, drama ensues. And in the new play THE LOVED ONES by Erica Murray, 4 women meet under the most unusual of circumstances. Buffalo's Irish Classical Theatre is presenting the North American Premiere of this 2023 play. And as can be expected, the dark subjects of death, remorse, unwed mothers and lives lived full of heartbreak are no stranger to the often brooding stories that have been told in the Irish Theatre genre.

CATS…Now and Forever. That catchphrase of marketing served the blockbuster Broadway musical well. The show ran for over 18 years, and although often maligned, is indelibly chiseled into the canon of classic musicals. It introduced countless tourists to an immersive theatrical experience, never seen before. In 1982 the Winter Garden Theatre was literally transformed into a larger than life sized back alley, with actors dressed as cats crawling through the audience and climbing across the mezzanine rails. The hit song “Memory” earned Betty Buckley a TONY Award for her portrayal of Grizabella, and Andrew Lloyd Weber cemented his role as blockbuster composer. He was fresh off of the success of EVITA and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA would be his next huge hit.

What did our critic think of BRILLIANT WORKS OF ART at Bellissima Productions At Alleyway Theatre?

Everything old is new again. That saucy playwright William Shakespeare continues to ignite audience's imagination, with two separate shows in Buffalo this month alone. But wait, not really his own plays, but plays based on the Bard's own writing. SOMETHING ROTTEN at Musicalfare has would be competitors trying to out-write him, while & JULIET, now playing at Shea's, aims to pit Mrs. Shakespeare (Anne Hathaway) against her own husband to write a better version of ROMEO AND JULIET.

With a penchant for the cutting edge and often obscure, Road Less Traveled Productions has programmed Jen Silverman's dark comedy WITCH in it's  regional premiere. Silverman is now represented on Broadway with the 2 person show THE ROOMMATE  with the unlikely duo of Patti LuPone and Mia Farrow.  This production of WITCH has all the makings of what should be a riveting production, but the script is not one for the ages.

Something hilarious is playing out on stage of Musicalfare Theatre in their raucously funny production of SOMETHING ROTTEN. It’s a daring title that befits the silly musical that’s only purpose is to amuse.

Witty, smart and heartbreaking. That about sums up the new musical THE FITZGERALDS OF ST. PAUL now playing as  a preview production at Buffalo's Irish Classical Theatre Company.

An utterly charming afternoon of fun perfectly sums up THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, now playing at Shea's Smith Theatre. Second Generation Theatre Company has a track record of presenting quality productions in this cozy theatre, and they continue to produce at a very high level

​GREASE is the word, as the title song goes from the Blockbuster movie musical that had an all star cast including Olivia Newton John, John Travolta, and Stockard Channing. Next weekend  STARRING BUFFALO presents  the stage version in it's signature concert, semi staged style. And some of Broadway's newest rising stars  come to town for 3 performances of beloved 50's High School musical.

MY FAIR LADY is quite obviously the most perfect choice of a musical that the SHAW FESTIVAL could program and this 2024 musical offering is a  delicious delight, sure to please. It plays through December 22, 2024 and is the perfect excuse to visit Niagara on the Lake for the holiday season.

Not only are the Halloween decorations out at Target and Walgreens, but theatre season  for Irish Classical Theatre is beginning with a macabre story in a comedian's clothes as they present the very silly DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERROR.

Rivaling the adventures of The Count of Monte Cristo, we now  hear the tale of a new found character who once took literary England by storm at the end of the 19th Century. SHIPWRECKED: THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF LOUIS DE ROUGEMONT (AS TOLD BY HIMSELF) has taken to the stage in 'an entertainment' written by Donald Marguiles. The action plays out upon the Road Less Traveled stage through October 13th.

The Buffalo theatre season is back in full swing and it's off to a great start, if the fine production of DISNEY'S NEWSIES THE MUSICAL is an indication. Playing at Shea's 710 Theatre alongside co presenter The D'Youville Kavinoky Theatre, the creative talent assembled showcases the best of Western New York's talent.

He's done it again! The famous sleuth and his sidekick are back at it, solving cases with cunning precision and insight. SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE MYSTERY OF THE HUMAN HEART is playing in a fabulous production at the SHAW FESTIVAL in Niagara on the Lake. Audiences are intrigued, captivated and thoroughly entertained watching this beloved character take on yet another case in Victorian London.

Who doesn't love a good belly laugh, a groan and a perpetual smile on their face for 2-1/2 hours. That's exactly what you'll be in store for when attending the joyously silly production of ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS at the Shaw Festival in Niagara on the Lake.

O'Connell and Company is set to present the latest installment of THE GOLDEN GIRLS- THE LOST EPISODES 5- GOLDEN IS THE NEW BLACK. Billed as a hilarious, naughty drag parody of America's favorite sitcom, the script by David Cerda includes two new episodes.

Time travel back to the age of film noir when black and white movie dramas were played to the hilt with overarching mannerisms, full of prototypical characters and not too subtle close ups full of tension inducing musical scores. The Shaw Festival is producing one from that ilk with the classic Agatha Christie courtroom mystery WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION and the result is mesmerizing audiences at the Royal George Theatre.

The king of pop surely had a storied musical career that went from child star to tabloid fodder in his all too short life. The life of Michael Jackson, now the Broadway musical MJ, is igniting the stage of Shea's Buffalo Theatre through June 16th. Fear not , the moon walk, the infamous sparkly glove and that unmistakable breathy speaking voice is all there, but is that really enough to make a great musical?