Houston Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 30

BWW Reviews: Bayou City Theatrics' LES MISERABLES Is Promising But Unpolished
by David Clarke - September 21, 2013

Victor Hugo's epic novel Les Miserables has become one of the world's most successful and beloved musicals. Alain Boublil first got the idea to adapt the novel to stage while watching a production of OLIVER! In London. He pitched the idea to French composer Claude-Michel Schonberg. LES MISERABLES wa...

BWW Reviews: Houston Ballet's THE MERRY WIDOW is Opulently Romantic
by David Clarke - September 20, 2013

As a ballet, THE MERRY WIDOW is an adaptation of Franz Lehar's popular romantic operetta Die Lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow), which premiered in 1905. In the process of adapting the score for ballet, John Lanchbery and Alan Abott retained the style of Franz Lehar's orchestrations and included severa...

BWW Reviews: Black Lab Theatre's ASSISTANCE is Witty and Relateable
by David Clarke - September 19, 2013

For the most part, a large chunk of Generation Y is out of college and in the workforce. According to some, we are the young hopefuls that were born between the early 1980s through the early 1990s. Others push the birth dates back as far as the 2000s. Either way, our voice is gaining in strength, an...

BWW Reviews: Classical Theatre Company's Edward Snowden Inspired HAMLET Works
by David Clarke - September 16, 2013

Even after interviewing Classical Theatre Company's Artistic Director and Director of William Shakespeare's HAMLET JJ Johnston, I was highly skeptical about this production. HAMLET set in the post September 11th world with inspiration from Edward Snowden sounded like a gaggle of confused metaphors l...

BWW Reviews: Bayou City Concert Musicals' THE PAJAMA GAME is an Opulent Revival of an Old Gem
by David Clarke - September 15, 2013

Bayou City Concert Musicals (BCCM) is kicking off their series of neglected 50s musicals with THE PAJAMA GAME, featuring Music and Lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross and a Book by George Abbott and Richard Bissell. The beloved romantic comedy is based on Richard Bissell's novel 7½ Cents. In the ...

BWW Reviews: Theatre Under the Stars' Humphreys School of Musical Theatre's XANADU Shows Off Talented Youths
by David Clarke - September 15, 2013

Theatre Under the Stars' (TUTS) Humphreys School of Musical Theatre (HSMT) introduced Houston, Texas to the 2007 stage musical adaptation of XANADU this weekend. The musical film Xanadu opened to mixed-to-negative reviews and audience responses in 1980, but over the interceding years has gained a cu...

BWW Reviews: A.D. Players' ARSENIC AND OLD LACE Proves The Classic is as Funny as Ever
by David Clarke - September 08, 2013

Joseph Kesselring wrote ARSENIC AND OLD LACE in 1939, and the darkly comic play premiered on Broadway on January 10, 1941 at the Fulton Theatre, now named the Helen Hayes Theatre. Brooks Atkinson, theatre critic for The New York Times, famously stated that the play was "so funny that none of us will...

BWW Reviews: Houston Ballet's FOUR PREMIERES is a Celebration of Choreography
by Kristina Nungaray - September 07, 2013

The Houston Ballet is notorious for providing audiences with top-notch productions and a supremely talented company. Launching into their 2013-2014 season, Houston Ballet opens with FOUR PREMIERES. Consisting of one American premiere and three world premieres, FOUR PREMIERES is a wonderful evening o...

BWW Reviews: Edge Theatre's NIJINSKY'S LAST DANCE is a Show Biz Tell All
by David Clarke - September 07, 2013

Vaslav Nijinsky was heralded as the greatest male ballet dancer of the early 20th century. He deftly performed gravity defying leaps, leading many to assume he used wires, and could even dance en pointe, which was a rare skill for male ballet dancers at the time. He famously choreographed L'APRÈS-MI...

BWW Reviews: The Texas Repertory Theatre Company's THE NERD is Dated but Entertains
by David Clarke - August 31, 2013

The Texas Repertory Theatre Company is opening its ninth season with Larry Shue's THE NERD, a comedic play in two acts. The simplistic comedy had its world premiere at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater in April 1981, and it starred Larry Shue in the role of Willum Cubbert. Glowing press and strong wor...

BWW Reviews: Cone Man Running Productions' SPONTANEOUS SMATTERING - THE THIRD is the Iron Chef of Theatre
by Kristina Nungaray - August 27, 2013

On Saturday night, August 25, I had the pleasure of attending Cone Man Running Productions' annual twenty-four hour play festival, SPONTANEOUS SMATTERING. Although this was my first official Smattering, Saturday night was Cone Man Running Productions' third inception, and it was clear that they had ...

BWW Reviews: Pearland Thatre Guild's TARZAN is Wholly Entertaining
by David Clarke - August 26, 2013

The stage musical of TARZAN may be Disney's biggest Broadway flop. The company reportedly sunk anywhere between $12 million to $15 million into the overinflated musical. The problem that may reviewers and audiences had with the show was that the often-repeated stunning visuals ceased to be astoundin...

BWW Reviews: Horse Head Theatre Company's THE ALIENS is Quiet, Unusual, and Captivating
by David Clarke - August 24, 2013

My research indicates that the average temperature highs in July in Vermont are in the low 80s, making Annie Baker's lines about discomforting heat in THE ALIENS almost farcical during Horse Head Theatre Company's presentation of the peculiar play. Always presenting works in non-traditional spaces t...

BWW Reviews: Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company's FOXFINDER Brims With Insight and Intrigue
by David Clarke - August 20, 2013

For me, the appeal of avant-garde pieces of theatre is never knowing exactly what you're in for when the houselights dim and the show begins. For Houston audiences, Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company specializes in these kinds of productions, and their current presentation of Dawn King's FOXFINDER i...

BWW Reviews: Fort Bend Theatre's SHREK THE MUSICAL is Splashy and Amusing
by David Clarke - August 17, 2013

One of the most fun and entertaining aspects of the summer is the big, splashy musicals that get produced all over the nation. Last night, I was invited to attend the final dress rehearsal of Fort Bend Theatre's SHREK THE MUSICAL. The company is bidding a fond farewell to summer with a gargantuan pr...

BWW Reviews: The Back Porch Players' TEA AND SYMPATHY is Incredibly Relevant and Extremely Powerful
by David Clarke - August 12, 2013

The Back Porch Players are dedicated to presenting theatrical works that deal with the ideas of identity and social responsibility. They also uphold that the art form of theatre is a powerful teaching tool. They are currently producing Robert Anderson's TEA AND SYMPATHY, which had its Broadway premi...

BWW Reviews: The Eklektix Theatre Company's RENT is Exciting and Vibrant
by David Clarke - August 10, 2013

When Jonathan Larson's RENT moved from the New York Theatre Workshop, its Off-Broadway home, to the long dark Nederlander Theatre on April 29, 1996, a swarm of hype surrounded it. The rock musical had already won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and would become the biggest surprise of the 1995-96 ...

BWW Reviews: MJR Theatricals | Music Box Musicals' LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS is Spirited and Fun
by David Clarke - August 09, 2013

As the dog days of summer needlessly drag on in Houston, enveloping the city in oppressive heat, Michael J. Ross' MJR Theatricals | Music Box Musicals is presenting LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. Roger Corman's notorious 1960 low-budget horror-themed comedy The Little Shop of Horrors serves as the basis fo...

BWW Reviews: Bit of a Stretch Theatre Company's MYTHS AND HYMNS is an Artful Concert
by David Clarke - August 08, 2013

Imagine a darkly ambient realm where angular architecture rises from the shadows and is adorned with three half ovals curtained in sheer white fabric. In this simplistically austere setting, every surface is painted black and gives the impression of some ambiguous but wholly recognizable cabaret. Ou...

BWW Reviews: Mary Testa's ON BROADWAY ...AND A LITTLE OFF! is an Exquisite Experience
by David Clarke - August 03, 2013

Since we're living in Houston, I promise I won't be upset with you if you tell me you don't know who Mary Testa is. What you first need to understand is that the theatrical gods divinely intervened in her creation. Imagine if Bette Midler and Patti LuPone had a child and named her Mary. Got it? Good...

BWW Reviews: Shabach Enterprise's World Premiere of FLY IN THE WINDSHIELD is Engrossing, Lighthearted Drama
by David Clarke - August 02, 2013

There really is nothing like the opening of another show, especially when that show is a World Premiere production. Last night, an enthusiastic audience filed into MidTown Art Space to witness FLY IN THE WINDSHIELD, S. Denise O'Neal's first play in three years, brought to life. Several in the audien...

BWW Reviews: Cabal Productions' ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD is Still Finding Its Feet
by David Clarke - August 01, 2013

In 1964, Tom Stoppard emerged from a mansion in Berlin with a one-act play called ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN MEET KING LEAR. Two years later, his reworked play, entitled ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD, opened to acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival on August 24, 1966. A successful 1967 production ...

BWW Reviews: Island ETC's YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is Frolicking, Frivolous, and Entertaining
by David Clarke - July 29, 2013

As usual, the summer is chockfull of mind numbing entertainment. Hollywood releases action packed blockbusters. Television channels flood the airwaves with brainless reality shows and thinly written dramas. Everywhere you turn, there are offerings of entertainment for the sake of entertainment. Summ...

BWW Reviews: Stages Repertory Theatre's LATE NITE CATECHISM LAS VEGAS: SISTER ROLLS THE DICE is Interactive, Laugh Out Loud Fun
by David Clarke - July 27, 2013

I'm not sure what rock I've been hiding under, but I had never heard of Maripat Donovan's LATE NITE CATECHISM shows until Stages Repertory Theatre announced this summer's offering, LATE NITE CATECHISM LAS VEGAS: SISTER ROLLS THE DICE. This series all began in 1993 in Chicago, when Maripat Donovan op...

BWW Reviews: The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Houston's H.M.S. PINAFORE is a Feel-Good Indulgence
by David Clarke - July 21, 2013

In 1874, W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan wrote their first of 14 comedic operas together. As a duo Gilbert and Sullivan enjoyed early success with their notable operas H.M.S. PINFORE and THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE. Moreover, modern musical theatre traces its roots to this influential theatre duo. Ther...