This review aired on KBAQ March 31, 2011

BLAND “FIDDLER” AT ASU GAMMAGE RE-CREATES ORIGINAL STAGING

“FIDDLER ON THE ROOF”
ASU Gammage
Tempe, AZ

If you are looking for a tired and true but amazingly bland “Fiddler on the Roof,” see the touring version now at ASU Gammage through April 3. It re-creates Jerome Robbins’ original 1964 staging and star John Preece who has played Tevye over 1,500 times brings life and vigor to this otherwise disappointing production. The dreadful supporting cast plays characters with little verve and some singing is painful. Tacky sets are shifted awkwardly by the cast in a pushing, pulling, and … Continue Reading

This review aired on KBAQ March 28, 2011

ARIZONA THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS MASTERFUL “LOST IN YONKERS”

“LOST IN YONKERS”
Arizona Theatre Company, Herberger Theater Center
Phoenix, AZ

Playwright Neil Simon is often criticized for writing superficial comedies that reach for easy laughs. True for his earlier plays like “Barefoot in the Park” and “The Odd Couple” but not so for his sharply written later plays like “Lost in Yonkers” that Arizona Theatre Company mounts in a masterful production. It features a perfect cast including local native and Broadway star Judy Kaye and two marvelously nuanced performances from local child actor Maxx Carlisle-King and Tucson’s Ryan … Continue Reading

This review aired on KBAQ March 17, 2011

“SEX & SECOND CITY” SEGMENTS TOO LONG – MORE FUNNY BITS NEEDED

“SEX AND THE SECOND CITY: VERSION 2.0”
Arizona Theatre Company, Herberger Theater Center
Phoenix, AZ

While last season’s Arizona Theatre Company presentation of “The Second City Does Arizona, or Close But No Saguaro” and the troupe’s brand of comedy disappointed, their latest show, “Sex and the Second City: Version 2.0,” marking its world premiere at ATC, is better but not much.

The new show focuses on contemporary sexuality and the amazing access every type of unusual sexual practice has via modern communication tools like the Internet. … Continue Reading

This review aired on KBAQ March 14, 2011

NEARLY NAKED’S “THE BLUE ROOM” DISAPPOINTS

“THE BLUE ROOM”
Nearly Naked Theatre, The Little Theatre at Phoenix Theatre
Phoenix, AZ

The controversial 1921 play “La Ronde” is the source for David Hare’s dry and uninteresting adaptation, “The Blue Room.”  In its day, “La Ronde” was revolutionary because it dealt openly with the game of sex.  Hare’s version is formatted like the original with 10 short playlets.  Each deals with a different sexual liaison involving characters from different social classes.  Today, “The Blue Room” deals with common place occurrences and the long-winded and weakly written characters in each … Continue Reading

This review aired on KBAQ March 7, 2011

INTERESTING AND AMUSING “ANDY WARHOL: GOOD FOR THE JEWS” LOOKS AT BEING JEWISH

“ANDY WARHOL: GOOD FOR THE JEWS”
Actors Theatre, Herberger Theater Center
Phoenix, AZ

In “Andy Warhol: Good for the Jews?”, monologist/performer Josh Kornbluth uses the painter’s ten controversial 1980 portraits of famous 20th century Jews as a launching pad for an interesting and amusing look at what it’s like to be Jewish. Kornbluth uses his own experiences of growing up in a Jewish family and his religious reactions to typify his people with honesty, insight, and amazing candor, but with a welcome touch of … Continue Reading