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Theatre Teacher Talk
For the thespians, the educators, and those who may be a little bit of both.
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Jan 9, 20233 min read
"Kimberly Akimbo," show #853
Kimberly Akimbo lives with progeria, a rare disease which ages you four-and-a-half times faster than is typical. Victoria Clark is...
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Oct 18, 20222 min read
Paul Salsini Gets Personal About Sondheim in New Book.
Paul Salsini is no stranger to Stephen Sondheim, as he edited The Sondheim Review for ten years, with the not-needed but certainly...
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Jul 22, 20224 min read
"Fun Home," show #845
It’s not often a graphic novel-memoir gets the stage adaptation treatment, let alone a musical stage adaptation, let alone a Tony-winning...
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Jul 21, 20223 min read
"Follies"
Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman were on to something when they wrote Follies. Often cited as among Sondheim’s top scores, Follies...
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Jun 30, 20223 min read
"The Little Mermaid," show #844
Sierra Repertory Theatre is a gem because they take on dramas, comedies, Shakespeare, and family musicals with the same gusto and...
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Jun 22, 20224 min read
"The SpongeBob Musical," show #843
Anyone who follows my blog regularly, or who knows me in general, has been made aware that I am not a fan of The SpongeBob Musical. I...
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Jun 20, 20224 min read
"Ragtime," show #842
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley is running an intimately cast but mightily performed production of the modern epic musical, Ragtime. I use...
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May 11, 20223 min read
"Rent" show #841
It’s never lost on me that when a theatre group chooses to take on Rent, there is a tall order to be filled. This Pulitzer-winning,...
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May 9, 20223 min read
"Company," show #838
When the recent London production of Company transferred to Broadway, complete with gender-swapping characters and new lyrics, some...
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Apr 24, 20223 min read
"Hadestown," show #837
I bookended my Best Musical winners with 2020’s title, Hadestown, Anaïs Mitchell’s triumph of musical theatre. The story of Eurydice and...
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Apr 24, 20222 min read
"Moulin Rouge!," show #836
Moulin Rouge! is a Broadway show that, once you’ve seen the 2001 film, just makes sense to put on stage. After sweeping the 2021 Tony...
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Apr 24, 20222 min read
"Six," show #835
There are certainly more than six reasons why Six is a fantastic show, but I’ll make it easy on you and just give one: the cast! Adriana...
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Apr 24, 20222 min read
"Wicked," show #834
The currently touring production of Wicked delivers the goods on the sweeping Schwartz score and Holzman book with energy and commitment...
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Apr 24, 20223 min read
"Hamilton," show #833
The tour of Hamilton is young, scrappy, and talented! I had the pleasure of seeing this outstanding cast deliver a fantastic performance...
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Apr 9, 20222 min read
"Sense and Sensibility"
The story is as old as its 1811 original publication, and still Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility is among the greats in the pantheon...
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Apr 5, 20222 min read
"Assassins" show #832
(Cast of Assassins; Photo credit: Steven Lam) Assassins is my second-favorite Stephen Sondheim show and here’s why: it balances the...
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Mar 3, 20222 min read
"Anastasia," show #828
Anastasia is perhaps my generation’s most-beloved animated film not produced by Disney. The story concerns Anya, a royal who, separated...
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Feb 11, 20223 min read
"Freestyle Love Supreme," show #827
I coach the Improv team at the high school I teach; I took a whole quarter of Improv in my college theatre program; I can’t freestyle or...
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Feb 4, 20223 min read
"Waitress" review, show #826
While I acknowledge that Broadway is blessed to have a Sara Bareilles score that has pop, freshness, and character-driven lyricism, it...
139 views0 comments
Dec 27, 20217 min read
Living in Spielberg's West Side Story: a film review
My first exposure to West Side Story was in junior high school when my English teacher had a Romeo and Juliet/West Side Story unit. We...
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