The existence of MuCCC, a church-turned-arts venue, enables many small performance groups with a script and a dream to produce theatrical works. And while it’s important to support and encourage this kind of community theater, it’s equally as important for the troupes to reward audience members with a quality night out — especially if there’s […]
Theater Review
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Theater review: ‘Sister Act’ at RAPA
By now, “Sister Act” is a story firmly etched into the cultural consciousness. A lounge singer aspiring to stardom finds herself in mortal danger when she accidentally witnesses her shady boyfriend murder someone; suddenly part of a witness protection program, she takes cover in a local convent, and light-hearted, slightly sacrilegious fun ensues. It is […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Theater review: ‘The Flick’ at JCC CenterStage
“The Flick” is a show for anyone who’s worked a job where their world has grown (perhaps
too) small; for anyone who’s been radically underpaid or thrown together with a motley crew of coworkers
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Theater review: Geva’s ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner’
When “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” debuted 50 years ago, it was the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Interracial marriage was still illegal in 16 states, and the subject made a lot of people uncomfortable. Like a true artist, filmmaker Stanley Kramer saw a chance to begin a conversation, so he assembled an all-star […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Theater review: Screen Plays’ ‘The Cat’s Meow’
Hollywood has plenty of glittering folklore and tabloid-worthy stories that provide a brief glimpse into the dramatic past of the elite. Few, though, maintain the mystery of one particular November weekend in 1924. Through February 26, Screenplays — a community theater company that specializes in producing the Golden Age of Hollywood onstage — presents a […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Theater review: ‘The Underpants’ at Blackfriars
The topic of feminine undergarments has fascinated humans for centuries, dating back to a time when a pair of “underpants” contained more material than a pair of modern shorts. In many ways, the intimate garments represent vulnerability, gender roles — and an excellent opportunity for social commentary. That’s what German playwright Carl Sternheim believed, anyway, […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Theater review: “The Lake Effect” at Geva
Sometimes the person you need to meet is not the person you’d choose to encounter. That is, in essence, the premise of “The Lake Effect,” the 2013 play by Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph. A beautifully unfolding chamber drama, directed by Pirronne Yousefzadeh, “The Lake Effect” gives audiences an unflinching glimpse into a family fractured […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Theater review: “Sylvia” onstage at Geva
To herald in 2017, Geva Theatre Center is throwing its audiences a bone. “Sylvia,” which features a canine-centered storyline, opened on January 14; it’s the second comedy in Geva’s Wilson Stage season, following last fall’s season opener “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” “Sylvia,” penned by Buffalo-born playwright A.R. Gurney, premiered […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Theater review: ‘The Devil, The Witch, and The Blacksmith’
Now in its second season, The Kingfisher Theater is hoping to carve a niche in the Rochester theater landscape as it produces new works based on classic literature and plays. The new company also has an annual production that it hopes will become a holiday tradition. Directed by Artistic Director Kevin Dedes, “The Devil, The […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Theater review: “The Flight Before Christmas”
Blackfriars Theatre premiered the locally written holiday production “The Flight Before Christmas”
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Theater review: “Miracle on 34th Street”
RAPA’s production of “Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical” will put you in the holiday spirit, but just watch out for a dated script.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Heads, they lose
The Shakespeare Players of Rochester, through November 19, present “Hamlet”
in repertory with Tom Stoppard’s 1967 play “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are
Dead,” which explores
“Hamlet” through the lens of lesser-known characters
