Adapted from the 2004 film about writer J.M. Barrie’s inspiration behind his famous creation, Peter Pan, “Finding Neverland” is currently on stage at RBTL’s Auditorium Theatre
Broadway
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Theater Review: RBTL presents “Annie”
“Annie” is about optimism. Set during the Great Depression, Annie’s response to a homeless person’s complaints of empty pockets is, “At least you have pockets!” It is still a timely message. Given the flood of recent news about ISIS, racist tunes from certain fraternity members, and 6-foot snowdrifts, this production — on stage at the […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Theater Review: RBTL presents Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella”
A nearly sold-out audience filled the Auditorium Theatre, Tuesday, for the opening night of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella,” brought to town by the Rochester Broadway Theatre League. I was surprised at the full house (on a Tuesday) and the age-span of the viewers, from pre-school tots to grandparents pushing walkers and in wheelchairs. Little girls […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Theater Review: RBTL presents Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”
Disney’s animated adaptation of the French fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast” hit movie theaters in 1991. It is an important Disney property for several reasons. It was the first animated film to ever score a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards, and it was also the first Disney animated feature to be turned […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
ARTS: RBTL announces 2014-15 season
The Rochester Broadway Theatre League unveiled its 2014-15 season Wednesday night. The new season definitely highlights the “Broadway” part of the RBTL’s title, as all six shows are major musical-theater hits of Broadway’s past and present. The six-show season subscription includes: –“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” (November 11-16), Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s […]
Posted inCulture
More local boys (and girls) done good
Rochester is definitely a town with a longstanding music and theater culture. With numerous area schools offering high-level music and theater programs, and many community-theater groups, it has been a training ground for a surprising number of actors who have gone on to fame on Broadway and in Hollywood. We’ve produced some actors who went […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Theater Review: RBTL’s “Sister Act: The Musical”
“Raise Your Voice” is the penultimate song of the first act of “Sister Act: The Musical.” It gives audiences everything they’re looking for in a stage show based on “Sister Act,” the surprisingly popular 1992 comedy film starring Whoopi Goldberg. There are quirky nuns adorably learning how to sing, uplifting spiritual songs, and plentiful joyful […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
THEATER REVIEW: RBTL’s “War Horse”
The touring production of “War Horse,” which runs through Sunday at the Auditorium Theatre, brings one of the most distinctive Broadway events of recent years to Rochester. “War Horse” started as a popular young people’s book by Michael Morpurgo, then became a play by Nick Stafford for the National Theatre of Great Britain, which produced […]
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REVIEW: RBTL’s “Ghost The Musical”
In theory, a musical based on the 1990 film “Ghost” might not seem like such a terrible idea. After 23 years, it remains a popular movie, filled with scenes that have become iconic in the time since its release (it’s impossible to hear “Unchained Melody” without it immediately conjuring up images of Patrick Swayze and […]
Posted inMusic
CLASSICAL: “Camelot”
Growing up in north Jersey, I thought of life as a musical. Julie Andrews and Doris Day at the movies. Yul Brynner and Rex Harrison on Broadway. It was a big deal when I got old enough to take the bus into the city on my own and head to TKTS for discounted same-day show […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
“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 […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
THEATER REVIEW: “A Chorus Line”
If you were around for the original incarnation of “A Chorus Line” in the 1970’s, you may remember the ads touting it as “The Best Musical. Ever.” Its award-laden 15-year run on Broadway seemed to bear that out; the show even survived a terrible movie adaptation. Whether or not “A Chorus Line” is the best […]
