This review aired on KBAQ March 29, 2010

ATC’S “THE GLASS MENAGERIE” IS MAGNIFICENT

”THE GLASS MENAGERIE”
Arizona Theatre Company, Herberger Theater Center
Phoenix, AZ

“The Glass Menagerie” marked Tennessee Williams first playwrighting success. The touching memory play draws on Williams’ own life. It focuses on the Wingfield’s that portray his bizarre family.

This masterpiece is often done incompetently but Arizona Theatre Company mounts it magnificently. Not only is it brilliantly acted but director Juliette Carrillo’s revelatory production adds new dimensions to the play, set in the 1930s.

There’s Amanda, Tom and Laura’s domineering but genteel mother, the fragile, dreamy but handicapped Laura, and Tom, Williams’ persona, … Continue Reading

This review aired on KBAQ March 22, 2010

A FASCINATING MIND GAME, “INDIVISIBLE” IS AN IMPRESSIVE PRODUCTION

”INDIVISIBLE”
iTheatre Collaborative, Herberger Theater Center
Phoenix, AZ

The new play “Indivisible” by Taylor Doherty, is a fascinating mind game. Its Northern America premiere at iTheatre Collaborative is an impressive production.

Set in a bland, hospital-like location, the room has four beds with minimal furniture and no decorations except for two doors that are locked and unlocked at various times. The only break in the back wall is a small opening where meager amounts of food show up occasionally.

As the play begins, Adam wonders where he is. Occasionally, another … Continue Reading

This review aired on KBAQ March 15, 2010

“IMPROVEMENTS” DON’T HELP NEARLY NAKED THEATRE’S “PHAEDRE”

”PHAEDRE”
Nearly Naked Theatre, The Little Theatre at Phoenix Theatre
Phoenix, AZ

Something bad happened to Nearly Naked Theatre’s world premiere adaptation of the classic “Phaedre” tale. Last spring, in a workshop production, Damon Dering’s script had potential. There were things that needed fixing including a story that drifted aimlessly back and forth between the ancient past, when the tale was originally set, and the present. The promise last spring was that a revised version that learned from the workshop would be part of this year’s Nearly Naked season. The … Continue Reading

This review aired on KBAQ March 11, 2010

DELIGHTFUL “AVENUE Q” FINALLY ARRIVES IN VALLEY AT ASU GAMMAGE

”AVENUE Q”
Broadway Across America – Arizona, ASU Gammage
Tempe, AZ

“Avenue Q” debuted on Broadway in 2003 and dazzled audiences with its delightfully entertaining puppets who made pointedly hilarious comments about contemporary life. It’s taken too long to get this funny show to Valley audiences but it finally arrived Tuesday at ASU Gammage in a sharp production that gets across the musical’s pithy humor while capturing its uplifting effervescence. The message is simple. In the face of today’s confusing and conflicting life styles and foibles, it’s … Continue Reading

This review aired on KBAQ March 8, 2010

ACTORS THEATRE’S “SECRET ORDER” IS ENGAGING AND THOUGHT PROVOKING

”SECRET ORDER”
Actors Theatre, Herberger Theater Center
Phoenix, AZ

Cancer’s cure has eluded scientists for years. Discovering that cure is at the heart of “Secret Order,” a fascinating new play by Bob Clyman now at Actors Theatre in a supercharged production that is fantastically engaging and thought provoking.

William Shumway, a young researcher, has found a way to get cancer cells to self-destruct. He thinks his experiment is worth pursuing and his research leads him to a job in a prestigious New York cancer research institute headed by the … Continue Reading

This review aired on KBAQ March 1, 2010

BROADWAY PALM’S “GEORGE M” FAILS TO MAKE COHAN INTERESTING

”GEORGE M”
Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre
Mesa, AZ

The 1968 musical “George M” is rarely performed today and there are good reasons.

The biography of early Broadway star George M. Cohan uses “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and other familiar Cohan tunes to trace the entertainer’s rise from small-town vaudeville acts with his parents and sister to becoming Broadway’s king until 1919. It then looks at his pitiful demise as a popular star when recreating his then passé routines and songs lost favor.

Unfortunately, book writers Michael Stewart, John Pascal, and Francine … Continue Reading