This review aired on KBAQ June 15, 2015

NEARLY NAKED’S “ANGELS IN AMERICA – PART TWO” MUCH BETTER THAN PART ONE

“ANGELS IN AMERICA – PART TWO” – “PERESTROIKA”

Nearly Naked Theatre, The Hormel Theatre at Phoenix Theatre

Phoenix, AZ

After a disappointing “Angels in America – Part One – Millennium Approaches” last weekend, Nearly Naked Theatre’s production of “Part Two – Perestroika” is a major improvement.  Why is the second part of Tony Kushner’s 1993 Pulitzer Prize winning two-part play staged and acted by the same people so much better?

Kushner’s second installment handles the devastating AIDS crisis and its impact on the gay community … Continue Reading

This review aired on KBAQ June 8, 2015

NEARLY NAKED THEATRE’S TIRED “ANGELS IN AMERICA – PART ONE” NOT GREAT

“ANGELS IN AMERICA – PART ONE” – “MILLENNIUM APPROACHES”
Nearly Naked Theatre, The Hormel Theatre at Phoenix Theatre
Phoenix, AZ

Tony Kushner’s two-part “Angels in America” opened in 1991 at the height of the AIDS crisis.  It chronicled what HIV did to the then closeted American gay community and how the initial years of the medical calamity devastated homosexuals.

After 20 years, more plays and documentaries tell about this alternative lifestyle.  “Angels in America” isn’t as fresh or vibrant as it once was in describing a … Continue Reading

This review aired on KBAQ June 4, 2015

NEW “THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA” PRODUCTION AT ASU GAMMAGE DISAPPOINTS

“THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA”
Broadway Across America – Arizona, ASU Gammage
Tempe, AZ

“The Phantom of the Opera” still entertains but a lackluster cast, an ill-reconceived staging, and disappointing new sets will never erase the brilliant perfection of Hal Prince’s dynamic and stunning initial staging that audiences practically know by heart.  Why did “Phantom’s” original producer Cameron Mackintosh think the wildly successful musical needed to be rethought in a “spectacular new production”?  You would think a wise, seasoned, and knowledgeable producer like Mackintosh is aware … Continue Reading

This review aired on KBAQ June 1, 2015

BRITISH FARCE “ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS” FAILS IN PHOENIX THEATRE PRODUCTION

“ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS”
Phoenix Theatre
Phoenix, AZ

Two major local theatrical productions debuted recently and I’ll discuss Phoenix Theatre’s production of the British farce “One Man, Two Guvnors” tonight and the new touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” on Thursday.  Neither production comes close to the better presented original productions.

An all-American cast ruins the wildly giddy but decidedly British “One Man, Two Guvnors,” Richard Bean’s harebrained comedy hit, by turning it into a tired and overtly silly dud.  One wonders … Continue Reading