This review aired on KBAQ January 28, 2010

WHAT IS REALITY?  BREEZY “FUDDY MEERS” GIVES FUNNY ANSWERS
”FUDDY MEERS”
Nearly Naked Theatre, The Little Theatre at Phoenix Theatre
Phoenix, AZ

Where to start with David Lindsay-Abaire’s far fetched but telling “Fuddy Meers”? Let’s start with the title. It comes from the carnival fun house and the mirrors that distort reality. That’s exactly what the play is about. Claire, the central character, has a weird form of amnesia that makes her mind blank each morning when she wakes up. She remembers nothing about her life. Her husband, Richard, has prepared a book that reminds her of … Continue Reading

This review aired on KBAQ January 25, 2010

MARVELOUSLY CREATIVE “SHIPWRECKED!” IS WONDERFULLY ENTERTTAINING

”SHIPWRECKED!”
Actors Theatre, Stage West, Herberger Theater Center
Phoenix, AZ

Actors Theatre’s “Shipwrecked! The Amazing Adventures of Louis De Rougemont (As Told by Himself)” has quite a title and the show is a marvelously creative fanciful adventure that is fascinating to watch and is wonderfully entertaining. It’s the first show, other than its annual “A Christmas Carol,” that Actors Theatre has mounted that will prove a richly dazzling entertainment for young audiences as well as adults. Actors Theatre’s usual cutting edge off-Broadway style plays usually don’t work for the kids. The … Continue Reading

This review aired on KBAQ January 21, 2010

LEADS RUIN “THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN” AT BROADWAY PALM

”THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN”
Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre
Mesa, AZ

Molly Brown was an illiterate hellion but she knew she didn’t want to be poor all her life. On her way to Denver, she ran into Leadville Johnny Brown, a lucky miner, who filled her pockets with money. But it took Europe to really tame her but her rough upbringing made her a Titanic survivor. She’s the spunky central character of Meredith Willson’s raucous “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” now at Mesa’s Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre.

Unfortunately, Lisa LeCuyer’s one-dimensional … Continue Reading

This review aired on KBAQ January 18, 2010

OFF-KEY SINGER AT CENTER OF “GLORIOUS” NOT VERY INTERESTING

”GLORIOUS”
Phoenix Theatre
Phoenix, AZ

Fabled off-key singer Florence Foster Jenkins prompted two theatrical tributes. “Souvenir,” was a 2007 Arizona Theatre Company production starring Broadway star Judy Kaye. Now, Phoenix Theatre’s “Glorious” tries to expand the focus on Jenkins to include a few close consorts. We marvel at Jenkins’ terrible crooning as the “Queen of the Sliding Scale” and, like her audiences, we laugh at how awful she sounds. But just how interesting is Jenkins and how long can one listen to painful singing before getting bored? The … Continue Reading

This review aired on KBAQ January 7, 2010

TOURING “AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY” GOOD BUT NOT BROADWAY

”AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY”
Broadway Across America – Arizona, ASU Gammage
Tempe, AZ

Playwright Tracy Letts’ brilliant “August: Osage County” dissects with lots of humor the wildly dysfunctional Westons, a rural Oklahoma family. In 2008, Broadway bestowed it the best play Tony and it won a Pulitzer Prize for drama. The show finally reached the Valley this week at ASU Gammage in a touring production that, while good, lacks the grand radiance of the original Broadway staging.

The problem is the cast. “August’s” original ensemble worked with it from its birth … Continue Reading