GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JAMES
ENSEMBLE THEATRE
January 25-February 17, 2013                   
 216-321-2930 or www.ensemble-theatre.com

Bob Abelman

Sometimes good storytelling begets good storytelling.  Such is the case with Charles Smith’s “The Gospel According to James,” an intriguing and gripping historical fiction currently enjoying its Ohio Premiere at the Ensemble Theatre.  The play explores the fatal flaws of perception and memory and, with a superb cast under Celeste Cosentino’s astute direction, is a marvelous piece of theater.

To see a full review of this show, read Bob Abelman's News-Herald article here.


Roy Berko

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JAMES is a fascinating, well written play, which is getting a fine performance at Ensemble, and well deserves to be seen!  For a special treat attend the February 16 performance when the playwright will conduct a talk back.

To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.

Fran Heller

The elusive nature of truth and flawed memory are at the heart of "The Gospel According to James" by Charles Smith, a compelling, powerful and agonizing look at racism in America in the 20th century.
The play's labyrinthine structure and large cast make it a challenge to produce.
The production succeeds, owing to Celeste Cosentino's thoughtful direction and solid performances by an ensemble artistically and emotionally invested in the story's content.

To see a full review of this show, read Fran Heller's review at the Cleveland Jewish News


Christine Howey

Director Celeste Cosentino is to be congratulated for taking on such a complex play, and for helping shape several fine performances. But by not staging the show in a way that Marie and James can truly engage with each other and the audience in a visceral manner, the interesting “history of memory” conflict that playwright Smith sets up never comes to full fruition.

To see a full review of this show, read Christine Howey's blog Rave and Pan

WATER WAYS (Part One of the Elements Cycle)
Cleveland Public Theatre (with Oberlin College)
January 24-February 4, 2013

                                                     216-631-2727 or go to www.cptonline.org

Roy Berko

WATER WAYS (PART ONE OF THE ELEMENTS CYCLE is a unique theatrical experience which uses a devised theatre approach to create a fascinating multi-leveled message centered on “water.”
 
To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.

Fran Heller

Water is the new oil of the 21st century and our most precious resource.
It is also an endangered one.
Driving the message home is "Water Ways", a boldly innovative, riveting and imaginative performance piece coupling music, dance, movement, mime, song, poetry and video, that explores our human connection to water and proximity to and reliance upon a Great Lake.

To see a full review of this show, read Fran Heller's review at the Cleveland Jewish News


Christine Howey

The result, in a stunning flash of legerdemain, is nothing short of magnificent. Taking place in five separate venues within the CPT complex (that’s why you need usher-guides), this gargantuan undertaking is an explosion of inventiveness that almost always works.

To see a full review of this show, read Christine Howey's review at  Cleveland Scene

FICTION
Actor's Summit
January 17-February 3, 2013

                                            330-342-0800 or go to www.actorssummit.org

Roy Berko

FICTION is a well crafted script which should be appreciated by people who enjoy good acting and literate dialogue.  I’d class it as a “go see” for those who can forsake lots of pseudo-drama or escapist comedy.

To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.


Kerry Clawson

Fiction is a wonderful wordsmith’s mystery, full of eloquent dialogue that peels away at the truth bit by bit.  This intriguing play, tautly directed by MaryJo Alexander at Actors’ Summit, is full of tension as it explores the line between truth and fiction for two authors, who are husband and wife. 

Dietz's elegantly written play toys with our minds, keeping us constantly guessing.

 To see a full review of this show, read Kerry Clawson's review here.


Fran Heller

Where does truth end and fiction begin in a writer's life?
It's a question playwright Steven Dietz posits and explores in "Fiction," a beguiling and clever comedy-drama about writers and writing and how an author's real life becomes gristmill for his art.  

This play holds out numerous rewards for the attentive listener, with special appeal to those of the writing profession, including this reviewer.

To see a full review of this show, read Fran Heller's review at the Cleveland Jewish News

Andrea Simakis

My granny always told me, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." But if I lived by those wise words, I wouldn't be a critic -- and I wouldn't have a thing to say about "Fiction," now onstage at Actors' Summit in Akron.

To read a full review of this show go to:  http://www.cleveland.com/onstage/index.ssf/2013/01/fiction_at_actors_summit_an_in.html

BELL, BOOK & CANDLE
Cleveland Play House--Allen Theatre
  January 11-February 3. 2013
216-241-6000 or www.clevelandplayhouse.com

Bob Abelman

Grounded in 1950s sensibilities, “Bell, Book and Candle” lacks the zany behavior and fast-talking women of the screwball comedies of the 1940s.  It their place is the casual sophistication of the Eisenhower era, resulting in a play that is more tepid than bewitching.

To see a full review of this show, read Bob Abelman's News-Herald article here.

Roy Berko
 
BELL, BOOK AND CANDLE is a pleasant, but not compelling evening of theatre.  The dated script doesn’t do much to help keep the Cleveland Play House’s recent run of masterful works rolling. 

To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.

Fran Heller

This 1950 romantic comedy is a dated period piece that clearly reflects its age.
Despite director Michael Bloom's efforts to gussie up the moldy play in modern dress, (including some silly voodoo antics during the musical interludes) the two-hour-15 minute production grinds slowly.

To see a full review of this show, read Fran Heller's review at the Cleveland Jewish News


Christine Howey
Looking beyond the awkwardness of the stand-in situation, a few things can be said. To begin with this play—even when performed splendidly—is a bit of a soggy biscuit.

To see a full review of this show, read Christine Howey's blog Rave and Pan

Kory

Cleveland Play House is doing remarkable things in their new home at the state-of-the-art Allen Theatre. Bell, Book and Candle is another wonderful addition to an incredible run for America’s Oldest Theater Company.

To see a full review of this show, read Kory's blog here.

Andrea Simakis

Some of the best bits in "Bell, Book and Candle" aren't in John van Druten's script but in the wordless interludes between scenes.  Wearing gorgeous, grotesque masks that you'd likely find at a party thrown by Edgar Allan Poe, members of the supporting cast bump, grind and shimmy to eerie little tunes. Their dances, choreographed by Amy Compton, are funny, spooky and oddly spellbinding -- everything the play is not.

To see a full review of this show go to;
http://www.cleveland.com/onstage/index.ssf/2013/01/cleveland_play_houses_bell_boo.html

Art Thomas

The play lives up to its billing as "romantic comedy" with the emphasis on "romantic" rather than "comedy". The predictable ending is set up in the first 20 minutes,  and the cast gets to push stereotyped characterization to the extreme.

Click here to read the complete review at WestLife

 
SPANK!  The 50 SHADES OF PARODY
Hanna Theatre
January 17-27, 2013

                                                           216-241-6000 or www.playhousesquare.org

Roy Berko

SPANK! THE FIFTY SHADES OF PARODY is definitely not a production for everyone.  Twenty-something women, with maybe a few 30s and 40s thrown in, who have read and love THE SHADES OF GREY trilogy, want to let loose, have a couple of glasses of wine and scream and yell, will have a great time.  Others, like this old white guy who hasn’t read the books, should have been at home! 

 

To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.

Kory

Things just got naughty in the sexy and hilarious new show at PlayhouseSquare’s Hanna Theater.
To see a full review of this show, read Kory's blog here.

Kerry Clawson

The show is billed as a musical but it shouldn’t be, considering it doesn’t have a lot of music or singing. It is a clever comedy that, for the most part, successfully taps into one of the hottest pop culture phenomenons out there today in ``literature.’’

Spank’s first act is hilarious and surprising but the second act grows tiresome and begins to lose its way.



To see a full review of this show, read Kerry Clawson's review here.

PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT
January 15-27, 2013
Playhouse Square--State Theatre

                                                    216-241-6000 or www.playhousesquare.org

Bob Abelman

Like the Divine Miss M herself (Bette Midler), who is the show’s producer, “Priscilla” offers song-centric, over-the-top, Vegas style entertainment.  As a piece of musical theater, however, it is significantly more sizzle than steak.

To see a full review of this show, read Bob Abelman's article in the News-Herald here.

Roy Berko

PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT THE MUSICAL is a rocking enjoyable evening of theater that is mostly glitz, costumes and sets, encompassing famous songs and a slight story line.

To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.


Kerry Clawson

Priscilla Queen of the Desert, making its regional debut at PlayhouseSquare in the newly opened national tour, is a wildly fun-loving, over-the-top show that celebrates excess ... The costumes are so eye-popping, it’s like watching a Vegas show on speed. 

To see a full review of this show, read Kerry Clawson's review here.

Fran Heller

The musical panders to an audience with a mix of nostalgia and stagecraft, all razzle-dazzle and little substance.   Coupled with the songs of Madonna, Tina Turner, Cyndi Lauper, Dionne Warwick, a dash of La Traviata and a fantasia of lighting wizardry, the almost three-hour show, including the requisite audience participation stint (groan!) is a souffle of non-stop entertainment.

To see a full review of this show, read Fran Heller's review at the Cleveland Jewish News


Christine Howey
Based on the movie of almost the same name, Priscilla the musical is a full-tilt jukebox musical glamfest, with all or bits of more than 25 pop songs force-fit into a slim storyline. And while the narrative is negligible to non-existent, the sheer force of this balls-out production is enough to sweep away most quibbles.

To see a full review of this show, read Christine Howey's review at  Cleveland Scene

Kory

Drag queens, lights, divas, abs, pecs, dancing, frivolity and hilarity ensue during the US National Tour of Priscilla, now playing at the State Theater.
To see a full review of this show, read Kory's blog here.

Andrea Simakis

Let's get one thing out of the way: The Tony voters who gifted "Priscilla Queen of the Desert" with a trophy for best costume design were not blowing smoke up our collective tutus. (Take a bow, Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner, wherever you are.)  Those nearly 500 glam, glitzy getups are reason alone to catch the show. Because where else are you likely to see men with the abs of Brad Pitt in "Troy" outfitted as orange lizards, complete with wings and an 8-foot tail? Or paintbrushes? Or cupcakes with green frosting?

To see a full review of this show, go to
http://www.cleveland.com/onstage/index.ssf/2013/01/post_28.html