It’s a show with plenty of laughs, a romp of a plot, with a couple of little twists thrown in for the surprise factor. It’s a light and frothy show by design, but as our leading man Garry says in the first act, “There’s something awfully sad about happiness, isn’t there?” . . .a fine … Continue reading Theatre Review: ‘Present Laughter’ at Aurora Players
Theatre Review: ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ by MusicalFare Theatre at Shea’s 710 Theatre
Some nights are worth re-living again and again. Like December 4, 1956, the night four on-their-way-to-being-musical legends came together to make some music in the Sun Music recording studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Yes, you’re a witness to history, because this is the night Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins jammed at … Continue reading Theatre Review: ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ by MusicalFare Theatre at Shea’s 710 Theatre
Theatre Review: ‘1984’ at Kavinoky Theatre
19 days. That’s how long the creative team at Kavinoky Theatre had to select and stage “1984” as the replacement for “To Kill a Mockingbird” when it was forced pulled the show from the season schedule. . . .a powerful onstage drama. . . Kavinoky’s Executive Artistic Director Loraine O’Donnell couldn’t quell the tremor in … Continue reading Theatre Review: ‘1984’ at Kavinoky Theatre
First Look: ‘Moon Over Buffalo’ at Niagara Regional Theatre Guild
The farce is one of the oldest forms of theatre. Mistaken identities, inconceivable situations, lots of door slamming, and deep belly laughs. Farces are shows that keep the audience on the edge of their seats in hysterics, and keep the actors out of breath. Over the top characters, lots of mugging, and breaking the fourth … Continue reading First Look: ‘Moon Over Buffalo’ at Niagara Regional Theatre Guild
Theatre Review: ‘Angels in America Part One: Millennium Approaches’ by Second Generation Theatre Company at Shea’s Smith Theatre
I am among one of thousands—probably millions—of theatrephiles for whom “Angels in America” (written by Tony Kushner) is an incredibly important and beloved modern play. I came to it much later than most; I first watched the HBO miniseries circa 2014(ish) on a whim, over 10 years after its release, 23 years after Angels’ theatrical … Continue reading Theatre Review: ‘Angels in America Part One: Millennium Approaches’ by Second Generation Theatre Company at Shea’s Smith Theatre
Theatre Review: ‘Between Riverside and Crazy’ at Road Less Traveled Theatre
Not all stage families are like the Von Trapps. Or the Pazinskis. Meet Walter Washington, affectionately called Dad by his son Junior, his son’s girlfriend, Lulu, and Junior’s friend Oswaldo. They all share Walter’s rent-controlled apartment on Riverside Drive and they comprise the complicated, flawed, funny, frightening family in playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis’ “Between Riverside … Continue reading Theatre Review: ‘Between Riverside and Crazy’ at Road Less Traveled Theatre
The Brazen-Faced Varlets present The Secretary by Kyle John Schimdt
Ruby runs a small-town gun company that aims to protect women by helping them protect themselves. With products like The Bridesmaid, The Babysitter, and The Mallwalker, each of the company's guns is named after a woman who used a gun and saved a life--more often than not, her own. When an elderly secretary at the … Continue reading The Brazen-Faced Varlets present The Secretary by Kyle John Schimdt
Theatre Review: ‘Laughter on the 23rd Floor’ at Springville Center of the Arts.
Here’s what I love about local theatre here in WNY: there is plenty of it, there’s something for everyone, it’s across the region, in all communities, and at every price point. While some of my reviewer brethren may give a haughty air sniff at the thought, community theatre plays an important role for both actors … Continue reading Theatre Review: ‘Laughter on the 23rd Floor’ at Springville Center of the Arts.
Theatre Review: ‘Frost/Nixon’ at Irish Classical Theatre
Let’s make one thing perfectly clear: opening night for Irish Classical Theater’s production of “Frost/Nixon” sold out. . . .a fascinating story, expertly told, acted, and staged. . . One bet is there’s some interest in the not so long ago historical subject matter. And what better venue than ICTC’s in-the-round for a play whose … Continue reading Theatre Review: ‘Frost/Nixon’ at Irish Classical Theatre
First Look: ‘1984’ by George Orwell at Kavinoky Theatre
In Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Atticus Finch tells his young son, “Real courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” Loraine O’Donnell, Kavinoky Theatre’s executive artistic director has lived with this sentiment the past week, since another production company … Continue reading First Look: ‘1984’ by George Orwell at Kavinoky Theatre
buffalotheatreguide.com 