BWW Review: Art Factory's SWEENEY TODD is Well Sung But Rough Around the Edges
This sentimental value proved to be a benefit for Art Factory’s intimate production, which hits some satisfying notes amid some noticeable stumbles. While I delighted in hearing the songs that I have loved since I was a faux-edgy 16 year old, I daresay that a lesser Sweeney Todd fanatic may have enjoyed this production a smidge less.
BWW Review: Phone Rings, Door Chimes, in Comes COMPANY at ArtFACTORY!
This hilarious Tony Award winning musical surrounds confirmed bachelor Robert on and around his thirty-fifth birthday. Through a series of dinner parties, drinks, weddings, and dates, Robert weighs the pros and cons of staying single with his zany group of closest friends. Including beloved songs by Stephen Sondheim like 'Being Alive,' 'Another Hundred People,' 'The Ladies Who Lunch,' and 'Getting Married Today,' and a side-splitting book by George Furth, COMPANY is a true gem of musical theatre. You'll find it hard not to relate with Bobby and his friends as they hold a magnifying glass to relationships and marriage, with tongues planted firmly in cheeks.
LEGALLY BLONDE to Take the Stand at ArtFACTORY
Follow Elle Woods (and Bruiser, of course!) to Harvard University and beyond in artFACTORY's brand new, vivacious production. Starring Anna Drake as Elle, this totally fab, high-energy musical translation of the beloved film will have you seeing pink and doing the a?oeBend and Snapa?? in the aisles!
URINETOWN The Musical Opens At ArtFACTORY, February 13
What is URINETOWN? Well, it's a terrible title for a musical, that's for sure. artFACTORY takes you into the not-so-distant future, when a twenty-year drought has turned the Earth into a dystopian wasteland. With water regulated by the government, citizens are required to pay a fee at public facilities in order to a?oetake care of their personal business.a?? That's the general set up, but too much exposition can kill a plot, so you'll just have to see this ridiculous satire for yourselves. URINETOWN runs February 13 through March 1 at artFACTORY. We'd usually put some kind of attention-grabbing ploy to buy tickets here, but that seems kind of pointless because... who'd want to see a musical called a?oeURINETOWN?a?? anyway? Not me.
VIDEO: First Look At The Houston Premiere of JASPER IN DEADLAND
The Houston Premiere of Ryan Scott Oliver and Hunter Foster's mind-blowing, multicultural myth-driven musical, JASPER IN DEADLAND, makes a splash-landing at artFACTORY, August 2 through 18! This rocking new musical follows seventeen-year-old Jasper, as he dives into a deep chasm of the earth in search of his missing best friend, Agnes. Plunging into the depths of the River Lethe, Jasper finds himself in Deadland, an afterlife-underworld that blends mythology, religion, and superstition from across the globe. He soon discovers that with every moment spent in Deadland, the residents forget their former lives. In his search for Agnes through the seven circles of Deadland, Jasper must conquer monstrous hurdles including the three-headed dog Cerberus, the Egyptian demon Ammut, Norse Gods Hel and Loki, and many more, all while fighting to hold on to his memories. Can Jasper escape the hereafter and return his friend to the living world, or will he join the dead forever?
VIDEO: Houston Premiere of TUCK EVERLASTING Continues This Weekend
TUCK EVERLASTING, a heartwarming musical based on the beloved children's novel by Natalie Babbitt, makes its Houston Premiere at artFACTORY just in time for your summer plans. This musical runs June 21st through July 7th, and features a beautiful score by Chris Miller, lyrics by Nathan Tysen, and a book by both Claudia Shear and Tim Federle. Come follow the tale of Winnie Foster, a young girl who meets a mysterious family, and goes on a thrilling adventure!
NOW (THAT'S WHAT I CALL BROADWAY!) 72 Opens Tomorrow
Art Factory presents the 2018 Concert Series! Presented three-nights-only throughout the year, Art Factory invites you to a live music experience like no other! These explosive concerts are presented in two forty-five minute acts, packed wall-to-wall with songs performed by entirely local casts of Houston's finest singers. With no lengthy introductions or sketch comedy, our concerts are just ninety solid minutes of incredible music. Join us for a mind-blowing live music experience with the 2018 Art Factory Concert Series.
Art Factory 2018 Season Announcement
From the start to end of 2018, Art Factory will have presented eight fully produced musicals, and six explosive concerts. Four musicals and five concerts remain for audiences to enjoy before the end of the year!
EaDo Playhouse Opens with Limited Engagement Production of A NEW BRAIN
In 1998, musical theatre masterminds William Finn, James Lapine and Jason Robert Brown premiered their mind-blowing 'brain'-child, A NEW BRAIN, off-Broadway. Closing out 2016, Houston's newest arts venue and production company, EaDo Playhouse, officially opens its doors with a brand new production of A NEW BRAIN for a limited engagement run from December 14 through 18.
BAT BOY Set to Open Kaleidoscope Theater's 2016-2017 Season
Ripped straight from the tabloid headlines, BAT BOY: The Musical takes a bite out of Texas as The Kaleidoscope Theater opens its first season with the addition of Bruce Lumpkin and Marley Wisnoski to its Creative Staff. BAT BOY: The Musical was the first production at The Kaleidoscope in 2014 and after two years in their beautiful "Off-Broadway" space, the newly redefined company has chosen to remount the musical as they begin a new era of cutting edge theatre in the heart of downtown Houston. BAT BOY will thrill audiences June 24 through July 24.
Former TUTS Artistic Directors Join The Kaleidoscope Theater
Opening its third season, The Kaleidoscope Theater is proud to welcome Barrymore Award-winning and seasoned Broadway director Bruce Lumpkin as well as award-winning director and dramaturge Marley Wisnoski to the artistic team of Houston's First "Off-Broadway" theater. Well- versed in the creation of great theatre in Houston, Lumpkin and Wisnoski join The Kaleidoscope after serving as Artistic Director and Associate Artistic Director of Theatre Under the Stars. The addition of the company's newest creatives marks the first of many rapid developments for The Kaleidoscope Theater (previously known as Bayou City Theatrics) and for the future of the Houston theatre scene.
The Kaleidoscope's TRIASSIC PARQ THE MUSICAL Begins This Week
TRIASSIC PARQ THE MUSICAL, winner of the 2010 New York Fringe Festival, is a raunchy ride through the Triassic period! Utilizing the basic plot of the iconic dinosaur film, Jurassic Park, TRIASSIC PARQ reveals "the true story," as told from the perspective of the dinosaurs. The Kaleidoscope is thrilled to announce the return of this sidesplitting musical comedy to their stage May 27 through June 12, 2016.