Teresa Rodrick - Page 5

I just saw the opening night of RED by John Logan at Boise Contemporary Theater. Wow. They are, aside from Idaho Shakespeare Festival and the National Touring Shows, the only professional theatre in Boise and they proved why.

I attended dress rehearsal (without pen and paper) and I came back for Opening Night. That should tell you one thing: I was willing to come back after seeing the dress rehearsal; I was even excited to come back. It was a delightful show, very entertaining, fun with just enough shocks to get you in the mood and remind you it was October.

The first thing you saw was an old radio dial with some steel work above it. This helped to set the mood of the 1950's in Memphis, Tennessee and what/who the show was about; Huey Calhoun, the radio personality. The musical appears to be based loosely on the life of DJ Dewey Phillips.

Boise State University often puts on a play that opens in the first week or two of October. School started the last week of August, then you have to have auditions and call backs so since the cast was set, they have only had three weeks. Impressive.

***DISCLAIMER: I WAS AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR TWO OF THE THREE PARODIES***

This was the first time I had been to Liquid Laughs for any event. It was a nice place with a cozy stage, fit for comedians. The food was good and respectively priced. We ordered an appetizer fit for two, but if you wanted more to eat they would bring a menu from the restaurant next door, Solid Grill & Bar.

When you go to Steven Zunich's LinkedIn page, this is the most recent post: "Second City Trained Actor, Steven Zunich is teaching Improv in Boise as a means to improve acting performance, getting to the truth in comedy and developing first rate original written comedy material."

Once the singing started I forgot all about the pre-recorded sound. Oh my, the men filled the whole place with their sound. Then the entire cast was on stage and the harmonies they created were amazing!

Hips. Shoulders. Wrists. And Hats. Chicago is everything essentially Fosse. When you come to see Chicago, do not expect spectacle, it's just not that kind of Broadway show.

Idaho Shakespeare Festival (ISF), over the past 37 years has become 'the place' to see [theatre] and be seen in Boise over the summer. The last show of this year is THE FOREIGNER by Larry Shue. This comedic farce made for an enjoyable night.

When Boise Little Theater's chose to open their 66th Season with SHAKESPEARE IN HOLLYWOOD, they knew what they were doing. This show was so much fun to watch.

Upon entering the performance space, you get a strange feeling. The lights are red and blue, for those of us lucky (or old) enough it's the feeling you got when you looked through a pair of the original 3-D glasses. It makes items take on that yellowish-greenish hue, like it might not be real. The house music was not music as much as a sound that puts you in a meditative state. This was going to be a surreal night ahead.

Sitting in the audience, and knowing the theatre as I do, I was very impressed with the set right away. It was a two story set with a walkway outside portraying the New York streets.

Arriving at The Red Room with 'Hells Bells' blaring and the black velvet pictures on the wall (and yes, there is a velvet Jesus) you get the feeling this is NOT going to be a family show.

A good man and a good performance.