Last month, students who survived the gruesome shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida began demanding change in gun control legislation by holding rallies, planning walkouts to call for legislative action and meeting with the president. Many supporters have praised them for standing up for the cause and lauding their fearlessness to call … Continue reading Theatre Review: ‘Spring Awakening’ by MusicalFare Theatre at Shea’s 710 Theatre
Mary Best Reviews
Theatre Review: ‘Way Back When’ at New Pheonix Theatre
New Phoenix Theatre has quite the interesting and intimate performance space. It’s full of color and warmth, inviting each audience member into a whatever setting the current production demands. For this month’s “Way Back When,” a selection of one-act plays, that setting is a heavenly home above the clouds, a vibrant garden and an earthy … Continue reading Theatre Review: ‘Way Back When’ at New Pheonix Theatre
Theatre Review: ‘American Idiot’ at UB Center for the Arts
Nearly one year after a polarizing presidential election, more and more young people feel motivated to speak out against corrupt government and express their anger at the current state of affairs. “American Idiot,” based on the Green Day punk rock album of the same name, is a musical canon for that sense of rage and … Continue reading Theatre Review: ‘American Idiot’ at UB Center for the Arts
Theatre Review: ‘South Pacific’ at Lancaster Opera House
There are few shows as romantic as “South Pacific.” Despite being set near a warzone, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s intoxicating and dreamy score are enough to melt the ice off your shoes and whisk you away to a tropical island. Lancaster Opera House puts on yet another stellar, professional production. David Bondrow directs this classic musical … Continue reading Theatre Review: ‘South Pacific’ at Lancaster Opera House
Theatre Review: ‘Violet’ at MusicalFare Theatre
There’s no denying the seemingly dark times we are all stuck in. This is when good theater becomes a life-saving remedy, letting us escape the fears and uncertainty of the outside world and cling on to hope. If there was ever a musical where the feeling of hope is a character, it would be “Violet.” … Continue reading Theatre Review: ‘Violet’ at MusicalFare Theatre
Theatre Review: ‘On Your Feet!’ at Shea’s Buffalo Theatre
For the second year in a row, Shea’s Buffalo Theater has been the tour kickoff venue for a new national tour. Grammy Award-winning Cuban-American couple Gloria & Emilio Estefan were in town this week to launch the first national tour of their musical, “On Your Feet!” An inspiring, exhilarating show. A jukebox musical based on … Continue reading Theatre Review: ‘On Your Feet!’ at Shea’s Buffalo Theatre
Theatre Review: ‘Design For Living’ at Irish Classical Theatre
There are few things that will shock an audience these days. However, when Noel Coward’s “Design for Living,” premiered in 1933, the idea that a woman loved and lived with two men who also loved her was radical. Kate LoConti, Adriano Gatto and Ben Michael Moran are a charming comedic trio… This relationship is the … Continue reading Theatre Review: ‘Design For Living’ at Irish Classical Theatre
Theatre Review: ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ at MusicalFare Theatre
From heart-wrenching films to questionably cast live television musicals, it seems as if every piece of the Peter Pan story has been thoroughly exhausted. However, “Peter and the Starcatcher,” dubbed as “a grownup’s prequel to Peter Pan,” is a fresh and exhilarating play with music currently onstage at MusicalFare Theatre. This production is pure magic. … Continue reading Theatre Review: ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ at MusicalFare Theatre
Theatre Review: ‘An Octoroon’ at The Shaw Festival
It’s safe to say that The Shaw Festival at Niagara-on-the-Lake is commonly known for high-quality detailed productions on a typically classical scale. It doesn’t necessarily feel like the home for a strong subversive piece, but that didn’t stop the festival from producing the Canadian premiere of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ “An Octoroon,” now playing through Oct. 14. … Continue reading Theatre Review: ‘An Octoroon’ at The Shaw Festival
Theatre Review: ‘Middletown’ at The Shaw Festival
There’s countless plays driven by characters who are purposefully larger than life. They will go to great lengths and lean toward the overdramatic, sometimes in order to communicate a very small, simple idea. Will Eno’s play, “Middletown,” now playing at the Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre at Shaw Festival, does absolutely none of those things. The … Continue reading Theatre Review: ‘Middletown’ at The Shaw Festival
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