The Hill Cumorah Pageant isn’t just an annual theatrical experience. It’s a religious destination in Palmyra, NY, sacred to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the site where Mormonism founder Joseph Smith discovered the buried golden plates he would translate into the Book of Mormon.
Leah Stacy
Leah Stacy is CITY's editor-in-chief.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: ‘The Undeniable Sound of Right Now’
Penned by playwright and screenwriter Laura Eason, “The Undeniable Sound of Right Now” is a fictional story about the owner of a CBGB-like club in Chicago. Closing out Blackfriars Theatre’s season, the show captures the bittersweet act of passing the baton and a moving father-daughter relationship.
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Theater review: ‘Revival: The Resurrection of Son House’
Blues artist, son of a preacher, steel worker, farmer, husband, alcoholic, and one of the first black musicians to make a record in the United States. While these words all apply to Eddie “Son” House, they don’t begin to tell his story the way Geva’s latest world premiere, “Revival: The Resurrection of Son House,” does.
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Theater review: ‘The Royale’
Based on a true story and set in 1905, the plot follows Jay “The Sport” Jackson, a black boxer who wants to become the heavyweight champion of the world, and challenges the current titleholder — a white man — to come out of retirement for the fight of the decade.
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Theater review: ‘Indecent’
Like the play it’s about, “Indecent” is a challenge to produce onstage. There are several difficult intimacy levels that require true professionalism, and sensitive subject matter including anti-Semitism and homophobia. But it lands well, under meticulous and caring direction, at JCC CenterStage.
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Theater review: ‘Mauritius’
A play about stamp collecting doesn’t seem particularly gripping, in theory. But when the story also includes a true crime feel and comes from the pen of playwright and proven mystery writer Theresa Rebeck, things get interesting.
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Theater review: ‘You Can’t Take It with You’
As a hobby and an amateur art form, community theater is vital. It’s where many famous performers first get a taste of the stage, after all. But when the mistakes in a show detract from enjoyment and overall content of the show, it’s time to rethink strategy.
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Theater review: ‘The Humans’
The issues raised in “The Humans” are reminiscent of conversations every family has at some point — financial, age, health, careers — and director Mark Cuddy guides the ensemble’s chemistry in such an authentic way that it’s easy to forget there isn’t a real family onstage.
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Theater review: ‘Ordinary Days’
Set in New York City and bursting with song, “Ordinary Days” follows four intertwining storylines, unveiling the surprising ways that a few lives can overlap in a city of more than eight million people.
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Theater review: ‘The Magician’s Daughter’
Geva presents the world premiere of Lila Rose Kaplan’s semi-autobiographical play about a daughter’s relationship with her high-functioning addict father.
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Theater review: ‘Peter Pan’
With an ensemble of more than 40 (including many elementary and middle school-age children) and a jovial, gender-neutral Peter Pan, Robert Wesleyan College Community Theatre’s production of J. M. Barrie’s classic story is a celebration of youth, joy, and freedom.
