It’s interesting to view the issues presented here not through lens of the #MeToo movement or #LeanIn, but during a time when Americans had less access to information and therefore, movements were even more action-oriented.
Blackfriars
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Theater review: ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ at Blackfriars
When they hear “Glengarry Glen Ross,” most people will think first of the 1992 film adaptation starring Al Pacino (who won an Academy Award for his role), Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey, Jack Lemmon, and Alec Baldwin. But in the theatre world, David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross” has serious legs — the 1984 play won the […]
Posted inSpecial Sections
Curtains up
Our top 10 picks for the 2015-16 theater season The 2015-16 theatrical season is all about fresh faces. New shows, theater companies, and directors abound, bringing a welcome energy to our local stages. It will be a busy season, but here are 10 productions that caught our attention. “James and the Giant Peach” (Rochester Association […]
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“Shirley Valentine”
Blackfriars Theatre is getting a slight jump on the fall theater season with its early-September production of “Shirley Valentine.” However, this production of Willy Russell’s endearing one-character play, anchored by a terrific performance, is not a theatrical hors d’oeuvre. It’s a modest, expertly prepared, and tasty meal. Susan Hopkins plays Shirley Bradshaw (née Shirley Valentine), […]
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Sharing the dream
After 35 years of memorable productions and performances at Blackfriars Theatre, John Haldoupis announced last spring that he would step down as Blackfriars’ artistic director; the 2014-15 season, which starts this weekend with “Shirley Valentine,” will be his last.
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Theater Review: “The Hot L Baltimore” at Blackfriars
With “The Hot L Baltimore,” Blackfriars brings back an important play by an important American playwright, and does justice to an elusive piece. Lanford Wilson died in 2011, and his reputation seems to be undergoing that slight posthumous dip that many artists undergo. But I think he’ll eventually rate very high among American playwrights for […]
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Theater Review: “Boeing Boeing” at Blackfriars Theatre
“Boeing Boeing” is a meretricious, cliché-ridden contraption without a shred of literary quality — and it is absolutely irresistible, at least in Blackfriars’ slam-bang production. I have seldom heard an audience enjoy itself so much as I did at this opening night, and I happily admit I also enjoyed every door slam, unlikely coincidence, double […]
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The gift of theater
There’s more to holiday-time entertainment than Hallmark Channel movies and antique animated specials. Instead of watching another Christmas movie marathon, why not get out of the house and see a holiday-themed play? The Rochester theater calendar is full of them this month, from old favorites like “A Christmas Carol” and “It’s A Wonderful Life” to […]
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“Tuesdays with Morrie”
Mitch Albom’s “Tuesdays with Morrie” may have been a pop-culture juggernaut as a book; as a play it is pretty much Lifetime for guys. Albom’s memoir of afternoons spent in the company of a college professor he remembered fondly, during the professor’s last days, and the life lessons that resulted, was on the bestseller list […]
Posted inSpecial Sections
THEATER: The next act
I’ve always heard Rochester described as a “theater town,” a distinction that seems like a rare one in the days of TV on demand, web series, and all the other performance media that keep a distance between you and the performers. Judging from a look at the Greater Rochester area’s 2013-2014 theater calendar, we’re still […]
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“Rent”
As I imagine everybody knows by now, in the early 1990’s the composer-lyricist Jonathan Larson had the inspiration of reimagining Puccini’s “La Bohème” among the boho set in New York’s Alphabet City. The show, titled “Rent,” was a smash hit on Broadway, won every award imaginable (including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama), made a ton […]
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THEATER REVIEW: “Steel Magnolias”
Robert Harling’s “Steel Magnolias” has remained consistently popular since making its stage debut in 1987. Bolstered by a successful, star-studded film adaptation a few years later, the play continues to be staged at numerous theaters across the country and just last year was adapted again for a made-for-TV movie featuring an all-African-American cast. The play’s […]
