Emjoy Gavino

Guthrie Theater Celebrates 50 Years of A CHRISTMAS CAROL

The Guthrie Theater has announced the cast and creative team for its 50th production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, adapted by Lavina Jadhwani and directed by Addie Gorlin-Han, based on the original direction by Joseph Haj. This festive tale of hope and inspiration has delighted Guthrie audiences for five decades and become a beloved holiday tradition for audiences of all ages to enjoy.

VIDEO: The Guthrie's A CHRISTMAS CAROL Releases Teaser Featuring Choreographer Regina Peluso

Step into the A CHRISTMAS CAROL rehearsal room with choreographer Regina Peluso and hear how movement is used to infuse this timeless holiday tradition with joy and light. Watch the video here!

VIDEO: Watch Rehearsal Footage from The Guthrie's A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Rehearsals for the 49th production of Charles Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL have officially begun. Watch video footage here!

The Guthrie Theater Sets Cast & Creative Team for 49th Production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL

The Guthrie Theater has revealed the cast and creative team for its 49th production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, adapted by Lavina Jadhwani and directed by Addie Gorlin-Han, based on the original direction by Joseph Haj. Learn how to purchase tickets!

The Gift Theatre to Continue 2023/24 Season With THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE

Get ready for an unforgettable experience as The Gift Theatre opens its season with 'The Rise and Fall of Little Voice'.

The Gift Theatre Presents THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE At Filament Theatre, September 14 �" October 15

The Gift Theatre will continue its 2023/24 season with a revival of Jim Cartwright's powerful, award-winning drama The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, directed by Devon de Mayo and Peter Andersen, playing September 14 – October 15, 2023 at Filament Theatre.

Review: CLUE at Syracuse Stage

Syracuse Stage closes its 2022-23 season with the madcap farce, Clue. Based on the iconic 1950’s board game of the same name, Clue spoofs whodunit mysteries, film noir, 1950’s pop culture and gothic horror films. The play is adapted for stage from the 1985 film that was a critical flop but has since become a cult classic. Set during McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Committee hearings, a time fraught with suspicion and accusation, the mansion owned by Mr. Boddy becomes the gathering point for six invited guests. These guests we find out are all guarded about their pasts, are all being blackmailed and are referred to by aliases that correspond to the famous characters in the board game. Each guest is then gifted one of the six murder weapons. In all, there are six potential murderers, six weapons and nine rooms in the mansion, 324 possibilities for who, what and where; as Shakespeare and Sherlock Holmes agree, now “the game is afoot.” The gothic mansion, the dark and stormy night, the suspenseful reality of the play merge with Parker Brothers’ (now Hasbro’s) rule book and the characters become mashups of villains and game pieces. They punctuate the endings of scenes with comic confusion, mad scrambling and a kind of frantic skipping, like game pieces moving on a board after a dice roll. Scenic designer, Czerton Lim, creates the perfect 3-D version of the original board game. Upon entering the theatre, the audience sees a classic gothic foyer, complete with crystal chandelier, mahogany woodwork, marble stairs and a tiled floor fashioned to replicate the spaces on a game board. As the play progresses, the set becomes a character in itself as it transforms into the rooms of the mansion required by both the game and the play. His design is beautiful and functional. It not only provides a setting but also helps establish the humor and tempo of the play. It always surprises and delights. Likewise, original music by Michael Holland and sound design by Todd Mack create a comically suspenseful mood and punctuate the zany exploits on stage. Along with lighting design by Jared Gooding, the cliché of a dark and stormy night permeates the atmosphere and heightens the tension and anxiety of this mock thriller. The production is at its best when the actors are highly choreographed and in tune with the music, sound and light cues. In fact, the funniest moment in the play is prompted by a single gunshot. Director Benjamin Hanna establishes a fast pace from the very beginning of the play. It is so fast and furious that neither the audience nor the actors are allowed to get their bearings. The characters in Clue are obvious stereotypes but the portrayals all share the same frenetic quality without ever establishing basic, underlying traits and motivations. Characterization, for the most part, has been sacrificed to blatant silliness and camp. (There is nothing in the script that requires the beginning to move at such a pace.) Once the first murder occurs and the stakes are raised the speed can and should pickup through the end. For example, Plum is a stereotypical Professor, haughty and cerebral but cursed with an inflated libido. Beethovan Oden has a nice general feel for the character and indicates his personality traits, but he isn’t able to develop those qualities from the onset of the play. If he had, then as the pace became more frantic the audience could have enjoyed watching him first struggle then ultimately fail to keep his composure. Clearly many of the actors are talented. John Taylor Phillips as Wadsworth has a natural presence on stage as well as crisp comic timing but never fully embodies the stereotypical reserved, unflappable and ultimately arrogant butler. Emily Berman as Miss Scarlet is also clean and precise. Miss Scarlet is a stereotypical Madame but the actress is not allowed to explore the cynism and sexuality of the character who should have a slower, more voluptuous pace than some of the others. Henry Woronicz’s Colonel Mustard vacillates appropriately between being doddering and demanding. He sketches out an interesting frame for his character but again seems to fall prey to the tempo of this runaway train. Claire Wilcher makes a strong acting choice to play Mrs. Peacock with the nervous energy of a bird. Her comedy is broad and eccentric while still grounded in reality. Even when she is in the background of the action, she is always in the moment. When given focus, she commands the stage and rate of action. As a result, her portrayal is very funny and very satisfying to watch. Her least successful moments occur when directed to do something out of character simply for a laugh. Less successfully, Eric Sharp’s Mr. Green and Emjoy Gavino’s Mrs. White just seem lost in the silliness and frenetic mayhem. As lovers of farce and broad comedy, we were disappointed that more care wasn’t taken to create an underlying believability before descending into comic chaos. A stock character when presented by an actor still needs to have specificity. Silliness can be funny, comic bits enjoyable and a fast pace exciting, but they need to be balanced and well executed. By the end of the production, it felt like all 324 murder possibilities were explored, but few realities remained. If you are looking for an evening of fast-paced silliness, screwball comedy and sight gags this production satisfies. As a farce poking fun at human frailty and foibles, Benjamin Hanna’s Clue misses the mark. Clue runs through Sunday, June 25th. Tickets can be purchased by visiting SyracuseStage.org or by calling (315) 443-3275 or by visiting the box office at 820 East Genesee Street. did our critic think of CLUE at Syracuse Stage?

Iconic Board Game CLUE Closes Syracuse Stage Season

Syracuse Stage closes its 2022/2023 season with a production that celebrates the pure joy and simple fun of live theatre, the fan favorite and ultimate whodunnit, CLUE. The production runs June 7 to 25 in the Archbold Theatre at Syracuse Stage, 820 E. Genesee St., Syracuse.

The Gift Theatre to Present TEN 2023: Festival of Ten-Minute Plays in May

The Gift Theatre will welcome back TEN 2023, the company’s annual festival of ten world premiere ten-minute pieces by The Gift and guest artists, curated by Co-Artistic Directors Brittany Burch, Emjoy Gavino and Jennifer Glasse.

The Gift Theatre To Present GIFT GALA 2023 This Month

The Gift Theatre is celebrating its 22nd season at Gift Gala 2023: We’ve Only Just Begun on Friday, April 14, 2023 from 6 – 10:30 pm at the contemporary-chic Greenhouse Loft.

The Gift Theatre Announces 2023 Season Featuring the Chicago Premiere of MOTHERS & More

 The Gift Theatre has announced its 2023 season, featuring the Chicago premiere of Anna Ouyang Moench’s dark comedy Mothers, directed by Lili-Anne Brown and a revival of Jim Cartwright’s powerful, award-winning drama The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, directed by Devo de Mayo.

Video: Watch a Clip from The Gift Theatre's World Premiere of THE LOCUSTS

Watch a scene from The Gift Theatre's World Premiere of THE LOCUSTS.

Photos: The Gift Theatre Presents the World Premiere of THE LOCUSTS

The Gift Theatre will conclude its 2022 season with the world premiere of Jennifer Rumberger’s chilling thriller The Locusts, commissioned and developed by The Gift and directed by Ensemble Member John Gawlik*. 

Guthrie Theater to Present A CHRISTMAS CAROL Starring Matthew Saldivar This Holiday Season

The Guthrie Theater has announced the casting for its 48th production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, adapted by Lavina Jadhwani and directed by Joseph Haj. Matthew Saldivar (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol, The Royal Family, The Canterbury Tales) stars as Ebenezer Scrooge.

The Gift Theatre to Present World Premiere of THE LOCUSTS at Theater Wit in October

The Gift Theatre will conclude its 2022 season with the world premiere of Jennifer Rumberger’s chilling thriller The Locusts, commissioned and developed by The Gift and directed by Ensemble Member John Gawlik. The Locusts will play October 20 – November 19, 2022 at Theater Wit.

Cast Announced for the World Premiere of THE LOCUSTS at Theater Wit

The Gift Theatre has announced casting for its world premiere of Jennifer Rumberger’s chilling thriller The Locusts, commissioned and developed by The Gift and directed by Ensemble Member John Gawlik. The Locusts will play October 20 – November 19, 2022 at Theater Wit.

Guthrie Theater Produces Qui Nguyen's VIETGONE, Directed By Mina Morita

The Guthrie Theater (Joseph Haj, Artistic Director) has announced the cast and creative team for Vietgone by Qui Nguyen, with original music by Shane Rettig and directed by Mina Morita. Vietgone will play September 10 – October 16, 2022, on the Wurtele Thrust Stage and kick off the theater's celebratory 2022–2023 Season.

The Gift Theatre to Conclude 2022 With World Premiere of THE LOCUSTS

The Gift Theatre will conclude its 2022 season with the world premiere of Jennifer Rumberger’s chilling thriller The Locusts, commissioned and developed by The Gift and directed by Ensemble Member John Gawlik*. The Locusts will play October 20 – November 19, 2020 at Theater Wit.

BWW Review: MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS is Immensely Enjoyable at the Milwaukee Rep

What did our critic think of Murder on the Orient Express at Milwaukee rep? If you’re a fan of the “whodunit” genre, Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express is a classic. If you don’t already know the identity of the murderer, don’t you dare go snooping around the internet to find out -- the reveal is far too delicious, as is this entire Milwaukee Repertory Theater production. 

Photos: First Look at MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS at Milwaukee Repertory Theater

Get a first look at photos of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express at Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig and Directed by Annika Boras, Murder on the Orient Express takes eight suspects on one thrilling ride. The production will run in the Quadracci Powerhouse, through July 1, 2022.