Saturday, November 30, 2013

DOUG IS A D-BAG*



Cleveland Public Theatre
November 29-December 21, 2013
216-631-2727 or go to www.cptonline.org




Christine Howey
Face it, we’re now all one click away from doom—personal or professional—since our misdirected texts or elegantly composed crotch shots can be sent worldwide in a nanosecond. This is the modern technological rat’s nest that is addressed in Doug Is a D-Bag now at Cleveland Public Theatre. 

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





The Loush Sisters DO The Nutcracker


Cleveland Public Theatre
November 29-December 21, 2014
216-631-2727 or go to www.cptonline.org


Mark Horning


The Loush Sisters Do the Nutcracker is a irreverent romp that combines holiday songs with pop music to highlight the history of the highly dysfunctional Loush family.  For those with an open mind and a warped sense of humor you will find it entertaining and ridiculous.  It is a nice alternative for the holidays.       
To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's blog.


Andrea Simakis
Headlining a hysterical, wildly inappropriate cabaret are the far-from-puny-talented Holly (Beth Wood) and Jolly (Liz Conway), the titular Loush Sisters -- pronounced, as Holly explains it, "like 'loose' and 'lush,' only fancy." The two nouns perfectly describe the girls who can't say "no" -- to booze, boys and bawdy self-reflection.

To see a full review of this show, read Andrea Simakis' blog or visit Cleveland.com here.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Pounding Nails in the Floor With My Forehead


none-to-fragile
Nov 22-Dec 8, 2013

Kerry Clawson

Actor Sean Derry is working in overdrive in the rude, crude, in-your-face yet thought-provoking one-man show POUNDING NAILS IN THE FLOOR WITH MY FOREHEAD at None Too Fragile Theater.

POUNDING NAILS, whose title alone is a commentary on the playwright’s frustration with modern-day culture, questions the inequities in today’s society, from the smelly bum on the subway to the billionaire who’s obsessed with grilling out at his country estate.
To see a full review of this show, read Kerry Clawson's review here.



Christine Howey
 
Mix festering rage with edgy wit and you have a powerful formula for theatrical success. And playwright Eric Bogosian captures a lot of that pissed-off magic in Pounding Nails In The Floor With My Forehead, now at the None Too Fragile Theater.


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



Friday, November 22, 2013

PRELUDE TO A KISS



Ensemble Theatre
November 22-December 15, 2013
www.ensemble-theatre.com or 216-321-2930

Bob Abelman

“Prelude to a Kiss” is a delightful evening’s entertainment – a fairytale adventure into the human heart.   Director Martin Friedman’s vision for this production is facilitated by the playwright's weightless writing at the start of the play, where these characters are absolutely charming and immediately endearing.  This play leaves the audience with the same amiable disorientation shared by its characters as they recover from their fantastic journey – unsure about what was real and what was not, but changed for the better from the experience. 

To see a full review of this show, read Bob Abelman's News-Herald article here: http://www.news-herald.com/search?text=Bob+Abelman


Roy Berko


Ensemble Theatre’s PRELUDE TO A KISS is one of those plays and productions, that while a perfectly acceptable evening of theatre, quickly fades from memory.

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

Mark Horning

  “Prelude to a Kiss” at Ensemble Theatre is a nice easy evening of escape.  At intermission you will find yourself wondering how this will all play out.  Nothing too heavy and some light comedy to bring a smile to your face plus some interesting questions raised to make you think.

To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's blog.


Christine Howey

There are obvious jokes to be had while working this admittedly well-worn conceit, but Lucas has some more subtle and serious thoughts in mind. And this production, as directed by the savvy Martin Friedman, finds many of those nuances.

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

Friday, November 15, 2013

A CHRISTMAS CAROL


GREAT LAKES THEATER @ The Ohio Theatre
NOVEMBER 30-DECEMBER 22, 2013
216-241-6000 or www.playhousesquare.org


Mark Horning

Great Lakes Theater’s production of “A Christmas Carol” (now showing at the Ohio Theatre) is a Cleveland favorite that just gets better with age.  With an experienced cast and top notch effects, staging and lights it is well worth seeing all over again.  Share it with your family.
To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's blog.


Art Thomas

The spine of this traditional production remains solid, making this a lush theatrical present to Cleveland for a quarter century. Aled Davis' Scrooge gets better each year, and continues to bring tears of joy at his transformation at the story's climax. 

Click here to read the complete review at WestLife

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

ONCE


Palace Theatre
November 12-November 24, 2013
216-241-6000 or www.playhousesquare.org

Bob Abelman

What makes “Once” more than just another romantic tale of despondency and unrequited love is the charming way the story is told and the unparalleled quality of the storytellers. This is not your grandfather's musical, though your grandfather would surely love this enchanting production. 
To see a full review of this show, read Bob Abelman's News-Herald article here:


Roy Berko

The touring production of ONCE is well staged, has strong musical appeal, but fails to grab and hold as it should.   It  is an intimate musical which loses much of its charm due to the vast Palace stage and auditorium size.  Here’s a case of the right show in the wrong setting.
 
To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.


Kerry Clawson

At the surface, ONCE may seem like a quiet little musical. But in this tale -- set in Dublin -- the characters’ passion for music, life and love speaks loudly.

This gem of a show, playing at PlayhouseSquare’s Palace Theatre through Nov. 24, creates both a sense of genuine intimacy and exhilarating music-making as the 12 adult cast members act, sing and play instruments including guitar, piano, mandolin, banjo, cello, violin, accordion and more.
To see a full review of this show, read Kerry Clawson's review here.

Fran Heller

"Once" is like no other musical you've experienced before.
A small musical with a gigantic heart, "Once" will captivate you with its haunting songs, unusual love story and earthy naturalism.
In an age of overly lavish mega-musicals, this intimate no-frills show is a refreshing change.


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

Mark Horning

“Once” playing at the Palace Theatre has a great cast with a lot of talent but is the wrong show for the venue.  It would have been a better fit in the more intimate Ohio Theatre with more play dates added.  This is not the best theater value this year by a long shot.  When you order your tickets go for the Main Floor and no farther back than twenty or thirty rows.  Anything further will be a disappointment.


To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's blog.


Christine Howey
The Irish music and lyrics by the film's original on-screen stars, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, are just flat-out lovely. And even though the book by Enda Walsh balances some sharp and witty lines with an equal number of predictable clunkers, the wispy story remains just innocent enough to pass muster.

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

Andrea Simakis

On Broadway, at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, those songs began as a whisper and grew in volume until you could feel the music thrumming through your body and the hairs on the back of your neck rise. 

The Palace is twice as big as the Jacobs, and – despite the best efforts of the original production crew, from visionary director John Tiffany to exacting orchestrator Martin Lowe, to help translate the quiet power of “Once” into bigger houses on the road – there is a dissipation and thinning out of that glorious sound.


To see a full review of this show, read Andrea Simakis' blog or visit Cleveland.com here.

Art Thomas

The passion that drives "Once" is forceful enough to wash over the thousands of audience at The Palace Theater. Musicians first, the twelve members of the cast are a dynamic presence to tell the story of the romance between musicians, one Czech one Irish, set in the world's largest pub. 

Click here to read the complete review at WestLife

Saturday, November 9, 2013

VENUS IN FUR

Cleveland Play House November 1-30, 2013


Bob Abelman
 

“Venus in Fur” leaves its audience very well entertained and emotionally spent, without the tell-tale signs of rope burns or lash marks.

To see a full review of this show, read Bob Abelman's News-Herald article here:  http://www.news-herald.com/search?text=Bob+Abelman


Roy Berko
 

VENUS IN FUR is good kinky fun.  It will send many home to a night of fantasy.  Be aware, that if you are the kind of theatre-goer who likes clear endings to your plays that wrap up the action and makes the author’s meaning clear, you’ll probably be frustrate with VENUS IN FUR. 
 

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

In this ferocious and funny battle of the sexes, characters switch rules and gender faster than the blink of an eye.
The result is a tour de force for the actors but a wordy, hopelessly convoluted quagmire of a play.
The play left me cold, but the acting was hot, hot, hot.


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

Mark Horning

Cleveland Play House’s “Venus in Fur” now playing at Second Stage is a convoluted story that is difficult but not impossible to follow.  Be sure to take someone along whose intellect you admire so that the two of you can figure the play out afterwards.  Fascinating but troubling at the same time.

To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's blog.


Christine Howey 

Written by the ever-witty David Ives, this play-within-a-play tantalizes and torments the audience in such an intricate manner, it is fully engrossing yet mysteriously incomprehensible. Kind of like sex, kinky or otherwise.

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

Andrea Simakis
 

A mixed blessing might sum up the whole production. While it’s jazzy and fun, you leave the theater yearning for a little more dirt and danger.  And if some of the larfs have to go, well, crack that whip. 

To see a full review of this show, read Andrea Simakis' blog or visit Cleveland.com here.

Art Thomas 

A contemporary battle of the sexes, this script didn't raise my lukewarm perception of playwright David Ives. The two performers capture the tension more than the fun in the script--and be aware that even the "fun" lies in watching a battle of psycho-sexual power shifts. 

Click here to read the complete review at WestLife

FRANKENSTEIN

ENSEMBLE THEATRE 
November 1-9 2013 
www.ensemble-theatre.com or 216-321-2930

Andrea Simakis

FRANKENSTEIN has a grinning, let's-throw-this-at-the-wall-amnd-see-what-sticks sensibility that so many productions studiously avoid.  While those cautious shos might be smoother and more polished, they almost never surprise like Fearless Frankie.

To see a full review of this show, read Andrea Simakis' blog or visit Cleveland.com here.

Monday, November 4, 2013

BLACK CAT LOST @ Theatre Ninjas

Theater Ninjas
(Cleveland East) October 24-28, (Cleveland West) October 31-November 4,
(Akron) November 7-9, 2013
http://theaterninjas.com

Roy Berko

THE BLACK CAT LOST, THE REFRAIN and TANGLE, TANGLE, are the type of theatrical experiences that the cult followers of Theater Ninjas’ expect.  It is an evening of offerings that are probably too abstract for the traditional theater-goer, but will be of interest to the philosophical and contemporary thinker.
 
To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.

Fran Heller

If you like alternative theater that is experimental, non-mainstream and abstract, you'll appreciate "Black Cat Lost," a sometimes moving but mostly inscrutable meditation on death and loss.
Coupling Zen death poetry, movement, song, games and memoir, the one-hour performance piece is an experience more intuited than readily understood.


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


Christine Howey


The take-away from this hour-long production is a window into how we all experience life and loss.  Remembering little, understanding less, but still willing to fight the good fight.

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