Houston Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 35

BWW Reviews: The Alley's THE MOUNTAINTOP is Powerful and Provocative
by David Clarke - January 17, 2013

With Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day just around the corner, The Alley is producing Katori Hall's play THE MOUNTAINTOP. The play premiered in London in 2009 to critical acclaim. It opened in New York on Broadway in October 2011 with Samuel L. Jackson as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Angela Bassett...

BWW Reviews: A.D. Player's THUMBELINA Excites and Exhilarates Younger Audiences
by David Clarke - January 16, 2013

Houston's A.D. Players, while always producing theatre that is safe for the whole family, produces a full season of Children's shows that many Houstonians may not know about. Their most recent offering is the World Premiere of the musical THUMBELINA, adapted from the story by Hans Christian Andersen...

BWW Reviews: Bayou City Theatrics' INTO THE WOODS Puts a Fantastic, Fresh, and Intimate Spin on a Classic
by David Clarke - January 14, 2013

What happens when artists reclaim prominent fairy tale figures from Disney's sparkling and sanitzied translations? Well, for one, INTO THE WOODS is born. The show, with a book by James Lapine and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, presents fairy tale characters that are closer to their origins. T...

BWW Reviews: Black Lab Theatre's THE SUBMISSION - A Must See Topical, Realistic Dramedy
by David Clarke - January 14, 2013

Looking ahead to the Chinese New Year, 2013 is the year of the snake. With my American and Western preconceived notions about snakes and their characteristics, I can't think of a better play to champion right now. Black Lab Theatre's Regional Premiere of Jeff Talbott's THE SUBMISSION is a wholly rea...

BWW Reviews: Country Playhouse's THE BOYS IN THE BAND - Surprisingly Relevant, Great Retro Show
by David Clarke - January 13, 2013

As the nation faces an new civil rights battle, homosexuality is a topic that many have opinions about. Country Playhouse is taking audiences back to an era before the Stonewall Riots and before the AIDS epidemic, showcasing the struggles that afflicted homosexuals in the 1960s. As 2013 opens, Count...

BWW Reviews: Stage Door Inc.'s RENT is High-Energy Fun
by David Clarke - January 06, 2013

Pasadena's Stage Door Inc. is greeting 2013 with the 1996 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Jonathan Larson's renown musical RENT. RENT, inspired by Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème, tells the story of a handful of New York City's East Village artists and their struggles with life, love, AIDS...

BWW Reviews: Eklektix Theatre's MACBETH Shows Strong Potential But Falls a Bit Short
by David Clarke - January 05, 2013

More often than not, theatres produce Shakespeare with a unique, modernizing spin. Keeping in this vein, Eklektix Theatre's Artistic Director Bryan-Keyth Wilson has adapted William Shakespeare's tragedy MACBETH, setting it in a post apocalyptic urban wasteland in the year 3013. Likewise, Bryan-Keyth...

BWW Reviews: PETER PAN is a Family Friendly Theatrical Treat
by David Clarke - December 12, 2012

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 Leig...

BWW Reviews: VIV! is Entertaining and Insightful
by David Clarke - December 10, 2012

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 e...

BWW Reviews: YOUR FAMILY SUCKS - A Brilliant and Darkly Humorous Examination of Game Show Culture
by David Clarke - December 09, 2012

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 reminisce...

BWW Reviews: NSFW: THE OFFICE PLAYS - Where OFFICE SPACE Meets SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
by David Clarke - December 09, 2012

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 an...

BWW Reviews: One-Man A CHRISTMAS CAROL is Theatrical Brilliance
by David Clarke - December 07, 2012

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...

BWW Reviews: SANDERS FAMILY CHRISTMAS Really is a Toe-Tappin' Family Musical!
by David Clarke - December 06, 2012

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....

BWW Reviews: Mildred's Umbrella's KIMBERLY AKIMBO - Funny, Tragic Tale of American Family Dysfunction
by David Clarke - December 04, 2012

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...

BWW Reviews: THE SANTALAND DIARIES is a Cleverly Comic Christmas Caper
by David Clarke - November 30, 2012

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 th...

BWW Reviews: Stages' PANTO MOTHER GOOSE - A Big Golden Goose Egg of a Theatrical Treat
by David Clarke - November 27, 2012

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 tale...

BWW Reviews: LOVE GOES TO PRESS is Fun, Witty, & Intelligent
by David Clarke - November 26, 2012

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 pla...

BWW Reviews: Houston Ballet's THE NUTCRACKER is Opulent, Charming & Magical
by David Clarke - November 26, 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...

BWW Reviews: A CHRISTMAS CAROL - A GHOST STORY OF CHRISTMAS is Alluring, Spooky, Heartwarming Holiday Fare
by David Clarke - November 19, 2012

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....

BWW Reviews: Ensemble Theatre's Fresh Take on CINDERELLA is Magical and Spellbinding
by David Clarke - November 19, 2012

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 n...

BWW Reviews: GIRLS ONLY - THE SECRET COMEDY OF WOMEN is a Fun, Bubbly, Entertaining Celebration of Women
by David Clarke - November 19, 2012

Linda Kelin and Barbara Gehring, met as adults and instantly realized they should have been friends as kids. They eventually shared their diaries with each other, spawning what would eventually become GIRLS ONLY - THE SECRET COMEDY OF WOMEN. After sharing their dairies with each other, they decided ...

BWW Reviews: HOME FOR THE DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY HOLIDAYS! - Fantastically Comedic & Not Saccharine Sweet
by David Clarke - November 18, 2012

As the holiday season approaches, Gerald LaBita and the Houston Arts Scene are saying a fond farewell to Theater LaB Houston's venue on Alamo Street in the First Ward Arts District. Gerald LaBita and his team have performed over 120 Houston premieres in the 63 seat, 1600 square foot intimate perform...

BWW Reviews: A LITTLE HOUSE CHRISTMAS is a Feel Good Holiday Show
by David Clarke - November 12, 2012

Based on the endearing Little House on the Prairie book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Main Street Theater's Theater for Youth is presenting a feel good children's holiday show that the whole family can enjoy. A LITTLE HOUSE CHRISTMAS, adapted by James DeVita, is inspired by the Christmas happening...

BWW Reviews: Stages' WINTER WONDERETTES is Sweet, Bubbly Holiday Treat
by David Clarke - November 10, 2012

Nordstrom's may not be ready to get into the Christmas spirit before November 27, but Stages Repertory Theatre is reprising last year's wildly popular musical celebration of the season. Roger Bean's WINTER WONDERETTES is more a yuletide cabaret than a musical with plot. The barely-there story is ab...

BWW Reviews: THE BEEBO BRINKER CHORNICLES - Fun, Humorous, and Thought-Provoking Pulp Inspired Play
by David Clarke - November 09, 2012

Ann Bannon, a puesdonym for Ann Weldy, wrote six lesbian themed pulp novels from 1957 to 1962. These novels are collectively known as The Beebo Brinker Chronicles, and have experienced several renaissances of rediscovery. The most recent was when Cleis Press rereleased the series from 2001 to 2003 w...