David Clarke - Page 38

Anticipation for the revived and revised version Frank Wildhorn's acclaimed musical JEKYLL & HYDE is building in Houston, TX. The tour opened in La Mirada, California on September 7, 2012 and will be make a whirlwind stop in San Diego, California before coming home to Houston in October. To give me the inside scoop on this new Broadway-bound production, Constantine Maroulis, starring in the titular dual roles, chatted with me from La Mirada.

The Houston Ballet organization is imbued with talent from top to bottom. Last year, they organized an event in which the dancers got to experiment and begin growing their own individual choreographic voices. Thursday, December 13, 2012 was their second event with this goal in mind. A small, invitation only audience was treated to an evening of fantastic talent on display in 14 world première ballets by names that are sure to leave a lasting impression on the world of dance.

Each year, the magic of the holidays fills the hearts of both the young and old. Keeping that magic alive and offering a fun family outing, Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) is presenting Cathy Rigby in PETER PAN, which is a musical production of the play by Sir James Barrie with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, additional lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, music by Moose Charlap, and additional music by Jule Styne.

Edge Theatre is presenting Jim Tommaney's VIV! (THE STORY BEHIND THE LEGEND OF VIVIEN LEIGH) at Midtown Art Center. At the top of the 80 minute one act, Robert Strong, is at home in his Greenwich Village apartment and using his Quija Board to summon Cleopatra as played by Vivien Leigh. The actress enters through the front door and uses the opportunity to discuss her life with an avid fan.

Yet, the world premiere of Abby Koenig's YOUR FAMILY SUCKS being produced by Horse Head Theatre Company is taking us back to the hey-day of Game Show Culture and using it to explore the functionally dysfunctional modern American family. With a wit and schema for creating characters that is reminiscent of Pulitzer Prize Winning writer David Lindsay-Abaire, Abby Koenig's Taubin family is strikingly realistic, hilarious, and heartbreaking all at the same time.

Big Head Productions is presenting their third evening of short plays. This collection of plays, some from local artists, all have an office theme. The set is four cubicles, cut to allow the audience to see through them and into the other cubicles. Each cubicle is sprinkled with drawn on post-its and other items of office boredom inspired artwork. On the whole, the evening plays out like a fusion of Mike Judge's Office Space and an episode of Saturday Night Live. Like the skits on Saturday Night Light, some of the plays stand out as stronger works than the others, but all are entertaining.

To many, a one-man dramatic reading of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol seems like an entirely new and unique spin on the classic work. However, Charles Dickens himself employed this approach to presenting his work, performing public dramatic readings in England. Then in 1867, Charles Dickens went to the United States for his second time and toured his dramatic reading for 6 months, giving 400 performances.

For the holiday season, A.D. Players is presenting SANDERS FAMILY CHRISTMAS. The family friendly holiday musical is part of the SMOKE ON THE MOUNTAIN series, and was written by Connie Ray, Conceived by Alan Bailey, and has musical arrangements done by John Foley and Gary Fagin.

The success of RABBIT HOLE, which won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was adapted into a film starring Nicole Kidman, made David Lindsay-Abaire more than a blip on radars within and outside of the arts community. As a playwright, David Lindsay-Abaire is best known for writing about real people unraveling in difficult situations. His 2000 Play KIMBERLY AKIMBO, being presented by Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company lives up to this reputation, ensuring the audience laughs as much as they are devastated.

The night before Amy Fote and dancers of the Houston Ballet celebrated her impressive career in Houston with JUBILEE OF DANCE, the charming and convivial Amy Fote took a few minutes out of her busy schedule to talk with me. With her retirement from the company drawing near, we took the opportunity to talk about how she got involved in dance, her career, and what she plans to do next.

Every year, Santaland in Macy's at Herald Square in the heart of Manhattan attracts floods of people who are willing to wait an hour (or more) in line for a few brief moments with Santa Claus. People young and old dream of having a moment like little Virginia O'Hanlon or Susan Walker, finding out that possibly Santa does really exist. Not to dissuade and disillusion those believers, David Sedaris' THE SANTALAND DIARIES, adapted for stage by Joe Mantello, reveals the rabblerousing shenanigans that occur behind the scenes in Macy's annual holiday extravaganza.

What started as friends having fun, singing around a piano, has blossomed into what promises to be a mirth filled and extraordinary production. Last night, I was invited to attend a rehearsal for The Country Playhouse's special holiday event YULETIDE CABARET. Walking into The Country Playhouse, the air was buzzing with holiday cheer and excitement. Even though it was just a rehearsal, the mood was set for a fantastic evening of holiday favorites, wondrous surprises, and delightful new Christmas themed songs.

As consumerism ruled the streets of Houston on Friday, November 23, 2012, the cast of PETER PAN was preparing for a six show weekend in San Jose, California. PETER PAN, with Cathy Rigby back in the titular role by popular demand, is known for being a fun-filled, family friendly extravaganza. The current tour is headed to Houston and will open at Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) on December 11, 2012. To get more information about the show, like the casting of local Houston youth in the production, I chatted with the Dance Captain, Rod Roberts.

BroadwayWorld.com, the largest theatre site on the Internet, is excited to announce a new feature to its comprehensive regional coverage - the Featured Regional Theater of the Week! Each week, BWW will introduce its readers to a regional theater located in one of our (over 130!) coverage cities. By exploring these different venues, their history and showcasing the production seasons, BWW continues its commitment to expand our presence in communities and cities across the United States. This Week's Featured Regional Theater: Country Playhouse in Houston, Texas.

Stages Repertory Theatre's PANTO MOTHER GOOSE is their fifth original "panto" production, and this new tradition has become quite the holiday favorite in Houston. For those who may not know, "panto" is a British tradition of winter musical comedy theater that puts a fresh, raucous spin on fairy tales by injecting the familiar stories with references to contemporary culture and encourages audience interaction (i.e. cheering for the heroes and booing the villains every time they enter the performance space). The product is a fun, lively performance that is fun for the whole family.

Main Street Theater is offering Houstonians an unparalleled delight with their production of Martha Gellhorn and Virginia Cowles' play LOVE GOES TO PRESS. The play found success in London in 1946 and then moved across the pond to New York in 1947. It opened January 1 and closed on January 4. The play was not touched again in the United States until earlier in 2012 when the Mint Theater revived it. With a strong and talented cast and crew, Main Street Theater is presenting the Regional Premiere of the mad cap, romantic, and charmingly feminist comedy, running now through December 23, 2012.

As the Black Friday sales died down, the Houston Ballet's live orchestra began to stir. With a quick hush, the murmuring audience gave into their anticipation of dancing sugar plum fairies. As the lights, hung with care, illuminated the dexterous dancers, Houston audiences responded with glee. After all, they had bought almost every ticket to see this annual, festive holiday jubilee. There is no doubt, Ben Stevenson's highly lauded and much beloved production of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's THE NUTCRACKER is still guaranteed to dazzle and enthrall audiences young and old.

If you haven't seen it yet, you still have a little bit of time to see GIRLS ONLY - THE SECRET COMEDY OF WOMEN. The critically acclaimed production in Houston has been extended twice and is taking Houston by storm. Before I sat down to view the show myself, I was invited backstage to get to know the local talent in the production. I sat down with the charming, hilarious, and beautiful Tracy Ahern and Keri Henson. We talked about life, GLEE, GIRLS ONLY - THE SECRET COMEDY OF WOMEN, what men get out of the show, Are You There, God? It's Me, Maragret, and advice for young performers.

The Alley Theatre in Houston has been annually producing a stage adaptation of Charles Dickens' novella A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas since 1988. In 1990, Michael Wilson's adaptation, titled A CHRISTMAS CAROL - A GHOST STORY OF CHRISTMAS, had its premiere at The Alley. With family friendly chills and a thrilling, Wizard of Oz-esque spin on the classic parable of redemption and the true meaning of Christmas, the show continues to delight audiences year after year.

I have to admit, it's hard for me to get exited about stage adaptations of the Cinderella story. Growing up, I had Rogers and Hammerstein's CINDERELLA starring Julie Andrews crammed down my throat. The 1997 version starring Brandy promised to be a fresh and relevant take on the material, but I was not impressed. Now, the New York Theatre Scene is about to welcome Rogers and Hammerstein's version on Broadway. But, maybe they need to reexamine things because at Houston's Ensemble Theatre the African-American Shakespeare Company and Carlton Leake version of CINDERELLA is captivating, powerful, and beautiful! This well-liked and exhilarating piece of theatre is back by popular demand and being presented for its third time at Ensemble Theatre.