Veronica Bruscini - Page 2

The touring production of THE LION KING now playing at the Providence Performing Arts Center is absolutely exceptional. One would be hard-pressed to find a finer or stronger assembly of actors, singers, and dancers than this remarkable company.

RISE's production of AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, under the skillful direction of Gordon Dell, is polished to a gleaming shine, keeping the narrative's pace tight and fast and timing each quick-witted punchline to perfection.

Festival Ballet Providence's fresh, vibrant staging of the classic ROMEO & JULIET is nothing short of a masterpiece, an absolute triumph for the dancers and artistic team involved in its creation.

2016 was a year for imagination and innovation on Rhode Island stages. Here's a look back on some of the productions that stole the spotlight in the Ocean State this season.

Rhode Island music lovers received an early Christmas present this week. THE PIANO GUYS took center stage at the Providence Performing Arts Center on Thursday, dazzling the jam-packed house with an absolutely sensational and unforgettable evening of story and song.

Every year, Trinity Repertory Company adds a new spin to its beloved adaptation of Charles Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL. This year's production is no exception; in fact, the 2016 Christmas Carol is one of Trinity's most unique and intriguing Yuletide offerings to date.

The much-acclaimed Lincoln Center staging of THE KING AND I celebrates a triumphant start to its national tour at the Providence Performing Arts Center. This jewel of a production is so utterly exceptional in every detail, words of praise scarcely seem to do it justice. Simply put, this is one of the finest shows to grace the PPAC stage in recent memory.

A 'good grief!' or two will ring out in Westerly this month as the Granite Theatre welcomes the smash musical hit YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN to its stage.

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, one of the most popular and mysterious incidents in Holmes' famed casebook, is an ideally atmospheric selection to stage just as dark, chilly autumn evenings settle in over New England. This HOUND is a solid offering for the community-based players and artists at RISE.

Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie's most celebrated sleuth, is on the case at Westerly's historic Granite Theatre. The Belgian detective steps into the footlights in the rarely performed BLACK COFFEE, Christie's first stage play. Renaissance City Theatre does the script full justice, delivering a well-acted, well-paced, and well-staged mystery sure to keep audiences guessing 'whodunit' until the very end.

Rhode Island theaters are gearing up for another sizzling summer season. Here's a look ahead at what's on stage in the Ocean State from June through August.

Trinity Repertory Company sings out its 52nd season with an entertaining, high-energy production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's OKLAHOMA! The show is a fitting conclusion to Trinity's year-long "Rebels, Renegades, and Pioneers" theme as it celebrates the trailblazing spirit of the Oklahoma Territory's early settlers in story and song.

Theater world, take notice: The Brown/Trinity Rep M.F.A. Class of 2017 is a force to be reckoned with. Their staging of SIDE SHOW impresses in every particular from casting and costuming to setting, dramatic pacing, and lighting. From curtain to curtain, this is theatrical storytelling at its finest.

Festival Ballet Providence concludes its 38th season in high style with one of the grandest, most iconic ballets of all time: SWAN LAKE.

Pawtucket's Gamm Theater has taken this complex, unique blend of storytelling and staged a glorious WINTER'S TALE, proving once again why the company is critically and popularly lauded as the gold standard for Shakespearean productions in Rhode Island.

Rhode Island audiences, prepare to be dazzled. RAGTIME is - deservedly - one of the most highly acclaimed musicals of the last two decades and the touring production now playing the Providence Performing Arts Center does the show's rich legacy proud.

Ocean State Theatre Company's staging of THE MIRACLE WORKER, under the direction of Amiee Turner, brings this compelling story to life with dignity and warmth.

For more than a decade, Karen Sklaire has worked with inner-city students as an educator in the New York school department, and now she compellingly relates stories of her time in the classroom through the one-woman show RIPPLE OF HOPE.

Trinity's TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is unquestionably a must-see performance this spring and, a scarce three months into the new year, can easily be considered in the running for best production of 2016.

Rhode Island's theater community had much to celebrate in 2015.  Outstanding productions graced stages from the East Bay to South County, up-and-coming theatrical companies left their mark on the arts scene, and excellent concerts and dance events made for some of the best performances of the year.