Jukebox musicals tend to fall into two categories: a fabricated story manufactured to cram in as many hit songs as possible, or a biographical sketch of a major artist told using their songs. The 2023 Broadway musical from Alicia Keys falls somewhere in between. “Hell’s Kitchen, ” which runs through November 8 at West Herr […]
Theater
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REVIEW | ‘A Good Farmer’
The Rochester Community Players are following the news. They’re aware that ICE’s escalated detainment campaign has separated local families. They have their eyes on federal attempts to override procedure and impose a detention facility on State Street. They know the Batavia detention center is expanding. Their response is a staging of the deeply emotional play “A […]
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Elizabeth Williamson to depart Geva Theatre in December
The search for a new artistic director is currently underway.
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REVIEW | ‘A Chorus Line’
Imagine if a job interview turned into a therapy session: “OK, your resume looks great, now tell us your childhood traumas.” What would be a cruel hiring process makes excellent theater. Every character desperately wants the job, and they’re willing to sing, dance and get vulnerable. That’s the premise of “A Chorus Line,” playing now […]
Posted inRochester Fringe Festival
Five drag nuns walk into a gay bar in standout Fringe premiere ‘Mass Drag’
The photo of James Lopata’s parents meeting Pope John Paul II hangs near his front door but somehow doesn’t command attention. Lopata’s paternal grandmother grew up with John Paul in Wadowice, Poland, so he had a family connection. When he mentions the pin his mother wore to greet the pontiff, the scene becomes downright revolutionary. […]
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Nostalgia and feel-good picks permeate this season’s theatrical lineup
We live in uncertain times. The AI technological revolution has many wondering (and worrying) about the future. One of the more optimistic speculations is that if AI becomes more widespread, theater will have a resurgence: people will long for a space away from screens in the company of other humans more than ever. But a […]
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REVIEW | ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ at Highland Bowl
In the era of AI slop and bot accounts, it’s easy to be nostalgic for the Internet of yore — somewhere around 2015, before courts were weighing the damage social media companies have done to youth and when influencers were still somewhat novel. That long-ago year is the setting for a phone-obsessed “The Taming of […]
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REVIEW | ‘Suffs’ at West Herr Auditorium Theatre
Rochester prides itself on being the home of Susan B. Anthony — but before you get your hopes up, you should know that the city’s favorite local suffragist is not a character in “Suffs.” While she is alluded to, the events of this touring Tony-award winning musical take place years after Anthony’s 1906 death, starting […]
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REVIEW | ‘Anastasia: The Musical’ at Geva Theatre
Geva Theatre’s final production of the 2025-26 season is a journey worth taking.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Following a two-year artist residency, Baron Vaughn’s newest show premieres at Geva Theatre
Growing up in Las Vegas, Baron Vaughn loved comedy. His mother and grandmother raised him through a tumultuous childhood, and his father was out of the picture. Comedians on TV like Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor became Vaughn’s father figures. He wanted to be like them, so he pursued the first opportunity he found to […]
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REVIEW | ‘A Beautiful Noise’ at RBTL
There is a cruel irony in that Neil Diamond, whose songs have made millions of people feel “so good, so good, so good,” felt so bad about himself for much of his life. Diamond has spoken openly about his persistent depression and loneliness, but even his most ardent fans could be forgiven for being surprised […]
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REVIEW | ‘Furlough’s Paradise’ at Geva Theatre
How would it feel to just be? To fully belong to your body, to be free from the way the world sees and punishes you, to return to a childlike innocence before you knew death, to sit on a couch with someone you’ve loved your entire life and — just be? This is the dream […]
