Wait for it: HAMILTON returns to the Hobby CenterApril 2, 2020Producer Jeffery Seller and Broadway at the Hobby Center have announced that single tickets for HAMILTON this summer will go on sale to the public Friday, April 3 at 10:00 AM CT. Performances run June 30 a?" August 9, 2020.
BWW Interview: Eric Chambliss of JERSEY BOYS on focus, feedback and Frankie ValliJanuary 30, 2020They were just four guys from Jersey, until they sang their very first note. They had a sound nobody had ever hearda?? and the radio just couldn't get enough of. But while their harmonies were perfect on stage, off stage it was a very different story a?" a story that has made them an international sensation all over again.
Go behind the music and inside the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons in the Tony Award-winning true-life musical phenomenon, JERSEY BOYS. From the streets of New Jersey to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this is the musical that's just too good to be true.
BWW Interview: Joe Joseph of THE BAND'S VISIT opens up about awards, Al Azhar and affectJanuary 22, 2020In this joyously offbeat story, set in a town that's way off the beaten path, a band of musicians arrive lost, out of the blue. Under the spell of the desert sky, and with beautiful music perfuming the air, the band brings the town to life in unexpected and tantalizing ways. Even the briefest visit can stay with you forever.
With a Tony- and Grammy-winning score that seduces your soul and sweeps you off your feet, and featuring thrillingly talented onstage musicians, THE BAND'S VISIT rejoices in the way music makes us laugh, makes us cry, and ultimately, brings us together.
BWW Review: Everything is RENT at The Hobby CenterAugust 10, 2019In 1996, Jonathan Larson's rock-opera RENT changed the landscape of American theatre. A re-imagining of Puccini's La Bohème, RENT chronicles a tumultuous year in the life of seven artists, struggling to navigate between their dreams and the harsh struggles of real life. Though first performed two decades ago, RENT's messages of love, acceptance, and loss remain poignant today.
BWW Review: Do Yourself Justice: Go See RAGTIME at the Hobby CenterApril 22, 2019RAGTIME is a vivid portrait of America in the early 20th century, when worlds and cultures collided on issues of race, class, gender equality, and politics. This deeply moving musical features a Tony award-winning score, book, and original Broadway orchestrations. This spectacular production of RAGTIME holds a mirror up to America, and the reflection isn't always pretty. But it is imperative and important that we see ourselves, our past, and our potential future in that mirror, for those who do not learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.
BWW Review: TOAST Goes Against the Grain at the Catastrophic TheatreApril 16, 2019The world premiere of Brian Jucha's TOAST at the Catastrophic Theatre is a theatrical experience unlike any other. This deeply layered, highly surrealist adventure draws audiences through realms of reality, and varied states of consciousness, with a mashup of vignettes featuring current events, scenes from the movie Alien, stories about love, and a parade of flamingos. It reveals and revels in themes of loss, betrayal, love, and the meaning of life. TOAST is hilarious, absurd, mesmerizing, and not-to-be-missed.
BWW Review: Got Kids? Get 'Em to ANASTASIA!March 7, 2019The musical ANASTASIA is the most saccharine, sweet, and kid-friendly musical I've seen to date. This all-ages production is particularly well suited for introducing younger audiences to the magic of musical theatre.
BWW Review: FIRST SUBURB at The Catastrophic Theatre is All That and a Bag of ChipsNovember 20, 2018The Catastrophic Theatre's production of FIRST SUBURB is utterly relatable and simply unshakable. From the open to the close, the show felt like a hug from an old friend. Set in the 90's, the show actively triggers your sense memory, and immerses audiences into the way-back-when. But like most memories of yore, things are seldom what they seem. FIRST SUBURB delivers an evening of levity and warmth. And on these cold winter nights, there is simply nothing better.
BWW Review: LES MISERABLES at the Hobby Center for Performing Arts is a Dream (I Dreamed)September 27, 2018No need to bury the lede: this production of LES MISERABLES is the most true-to-Broadway theatrical experience I have ever had outside of the Great White Way. Cameron Mackintosh's subtle updates breathe new life into the classic material, and deliver one of those rarified theatrical moments in which everything comes together as intended - the kind of show where you catch yourself holding your breath, lest you miss a moment.
BWW Review: No Love for Andrew Lloyd Webber's LOVE NEVER DIESJuly 19, 2018LOVE NEVER DIES is an unmitigated disaster of epic proportions. The show is a study of what happens when someone in power values consumerism over content. It is a production propelled by run-amuck theatrical vanity, seemingly produced with the single intention of filling seats, backed by a marquee name. LOVE NEVER DIES is nearly unwatchable, and absolutely unworthy of your time and money.
BWW Review: A Modern Twist on the Classic Tale - GUYS & DOLLS at Theatre Under the StarsJune 17, 2018Despite its flaws, it's hard not to enjoy GUYS & DOLLS. The music is infectious, and the characters are memorable. This production isn't perfect, nor is it a rendition of the old classic; some attendees are bound to be startled or surprised by the modern twists. But if you know what you're getting going in, this show is worthy of your time and the ticket price. For families of all ages who want to have fun without a ton of thought, go!
BWW Review: STRANGERER Things on Stage at The Catastrophic TheatreMay 30, 2018STRANGERER things take place at the 2004 presidential debate, when President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry decide to murder PBS newsman and debate moderator Jim Lehrer. Absurdist playwright Mickle Maher's funny and farcical reimagining of the debate is as ambitious conceptually as it is comedically.