Reviewed by Stephen Dubois With the closing of the Royal George Theatre last season, I had fully expected the reopening of the Courthouse Theatre to be the same format it had been in the past: Theater-in-the-Round much like the Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre. I was pleasantly surprised to see a brand-new configuration of seating with … Continue reading Sleuth at the Courthouse Theatre finds The Shaw Festival at its most Deliciously Diabolical
Shaw Festival
“Wrong is For Other People,” she says, and Funny Girl Gets it All Right at Shaw Festival
Funny Girl is a Broadway classic since its debut in 1964 with Barbra Streisand as the title character. She also played the part in the 1968 film version. The Isobel Lennart’s book is based on real-life star Fanny Brice and her tempestuous marriage to suave gambler Nicky Arnstein. It’s also one of the three musicals … Continue reading “Wrong is For Other People,” she says, and Funny Girl Gets it All Right at Shaw Festival
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas in NOTL
The film White Christmas is a classic: its iconic cast headed by Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, and Danny Kaye, have crooned and swooned their way into our collective hearts since 1954. The stage version - renamed Irving Berlin’s White Christmas is a musical tribute to the great man himself and still follows the basic storyline … Continue reading Irving Berlin’s White Christmas in NOTL
A Christmas Carol Sings at Shaw Festival
Full disclosure: I've never seen a staged version of A Christmas Carol. And while I did watch the 1951 Alastair Sim movie once years ago, I think I nodded off. Ditto the 1992 Muppet version (I know, pretty pathetic). But there's nothing like a Shaw Festival production to keep you engaged, enthralled, and so ready … Continue reading A Christmas Carol Sings at Shaw Festival
Wait Until Dark Lights Up With Tension
Wait Until Dark, on stage now at the Shaw Festival (Festival Theatre), is a griping psychological thriller and is exactly the type of show you expect to see on this venerable summer schedule. The Frederick Knott classic is a deliciously deceitful and twisted plot, where Susan, just a year into her marriage to Sam, is … Continue reading Wait Until Dark Lights Up With Tension
Killer Laughs at Shaw Festival
The world premiere of Murder-on-the-Lake, among this season's Shaw Festival offerings in Niagara-on-the-Lake, is part improv show, part send-up to the traditional drama we love, and out-of-the-box murder mystery party game that were all the rage of the '90s. In brief, it's an absolute hoot and quite the surprise on the traditional NOL stage. I … Continue reading Killer Laughs at Shaw Festival
Theatre Review: ‘The Ladykillers’ at The Shaw Festival
There are few things more satisfying that a well done comedy. To genuinely laugh out loud (instead of the LOL we type with a straight face) is a great feeling, and the Shaw Festival’s production of Graham Linehan’s “The Ladykillers” is chock full of chortle-inducing moments. . . .the incredible cast never missed a beat. … Continue reading Theatre Review: ‘The Ladykillers’ at The Shaw Festival
Theatre Review: ‘The Orchard (After Chekhov)’ at The Shaw Festival
The Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre is my favorite theater at the Shaw Festival. Its intimacy and ability to draw in an audience in so many different configurations is so interesting and oftentimes perfect for the shows selected to perform there. Sarena Parmar’s exceptional “The Orchard (After Chekhov)” is playing there this year, and it is … Continue reading Theatre Review: ‘The Orchard (After Chekhov)’ at The Shaw Festival
CANADIAN VOICES EXPLORED IN THE SHAW FESTIVAL’S ‘OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR.’
Niagara-on-the-Lake’s World War I connections – from residents who enlisted to the garrisoned troops being entertained in the Royal George Theatre – are highlighted in director Peter Hinton’s re-improvised Oh What a Lovely War. With music direction by Paul Sportelli and movement direction byAlexis Milligan, this provocative production about the theatre of war begins previews at the Royal George Theatre onJuly … Continue reading CANADIAN VOICES EXPLORED IN THE SHAW FESTIVAL’S ‘OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR.’
Theatre Review: ‘Grand Hotel’ at The Shaw Festival
It’s Berlin in 1928, where the Grand Hotel embodies all that is luxury, glamour, style, and class. Guests come and go, offering only a glimpse into their complex and often chaotic lives. While they’re just glimpses, they illustrate the fact that we’re all complicated beings, colliding with each other in unforeseen and unimagined ways. This … Continue reading Theatre Review: ‘Grand Hotel’ at The Shaw Festival
buffalotheatreguide.com 