This week’s line-up features online twists on local festivals, improv comedy, and opera – plus a documentary on John Lewis and an in-person art exhibit inspired by the pandemic.
Blackfriars Theatre
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I went to my first big, fat, coronavirus wedding
Unleashed! Improv spoofs Zoom weddings in an interactive improv hour.
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Rochester’s theater community remembers Herb Katz
Herb Katz, a local stage legend who was the first artistic director of the CenterStage at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Rochester, died March 24 at the age of 82.
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Blackfriars Theatre announces 2020-21 season
Each of the six mainstage season productions will be directed by a woman. The 2020-21 season includes the longest-running music revue in Broadway history, a very Jane Austen Christmas production, and a coming-of-age soccer play.
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She’s not there
“Next to Normal” can best be defined as a rock musical and a moving journey through one family’s battle with mental health, suicide, and drug abuse. It’s shockingly relatable. The Goodman family could easily be living in Spencerport or Webster.
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Made of star stuff
The plot of ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ is an origin story of sorts, a prequel to ‘Peter Pan.’
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Theater review: ‘Detroit ’67’
While the story onstage may be fictional, the riots of 1967 were very real, and they are soberingly reminiscent of recent police brutality headlines. “Detroit ’67” is not the most uplifting night out, but its strong performances, historical content, and a distinct relevance to current events make for an impactful experience.
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Theater review: ‘Guys and Dolls’
Overall, the show is an enjoyable, albeit predictable, night out at the theater. There’s always a place for classics in each theater season, and a hat tip to the past 70 years of Blackfriars Theatre with a musical from the era of its origin feels like a fitting choice.
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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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Blackfriars Theater announces 2019-20 season
Blackfriars Theatre celebrates 70 years of downtown arts engagement with the release of its coming season lineup.
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Theater review: ‘Anna in the Tropics’
Blackfriars Theatre kicks off their 2018-19 season by working with Rochester Latino Theatre Company to produce “Anna in the Tropics.” Set in 1929 Tampa, the story focuses on an immigrant Latinx family who owns and operates a Cuban cigar factory and the lector who read novels aloud to entertain the workers.
