Paul Batterson - Page 2

The cast adjusts the mood of the show quickly. It seamlessly moves from the bravado of “Fat and Greasy” to a somber reading of “Black and Blue” as images of newspaper coverage of lynchings and hate crimes are projected in the background.

Short North Stage hopes to capture the fun as well as an unflinching look of the era as singers Christian McQueen (Ken), Israeljah Reign (Nell), Catara Brae (Charlaine), Isaac Tobbler (Andre), and Sydney Arterbridge (Armelia) lead the audience through a 30-song journey from the dive bars of Lennox Avenue to the infamous Cotton Club.

While not all the sketches are home runs, most offer a solid chuckle to nearly everyone. It may not be an event you can feel comfortable taking your grandparents to, but maybe you could bring a drunk Aunt Martha and Uncle Bill this time around.

What is refreshing about AMERICAN IDIOT is since it’s a pre-professional project, the entire cast is in the 14-19 age range. That is about the same age as the characters in the show. This cast doesn’t come across as amateurish. Lavery nails his role as Tunny, who comes home from the Gulf War broken, both physically and mentally. Hund’s wrestling with his inner demons and St. Jimmy feels real as did Williams’ portrayal of a teenager struggling with apathy and responsibility.

In her book, BURNT OFFERING, author Laurell K. Hamilton writes, “Never trust people who smile constantly. They're either selling something or not very bright.”

As Shadowbox Live begins its summer-ending run with the sketch comedy show WILD THINGS, Buzz Crisafulli feels like a newcomer again.

SNS elevates its presentation with another stellar cast, tight choreography and several minute details and musical director Jonathan Collura helps the cast deliver the show’s snappy, tightly fashioned songs with power. The net result far exceeds the entertainment value of the original non-musical movie.

What did our critic think of BEN PLATT AND BRANDY CLARK at Mershon Auditorium?

“It has such a great message. It's a very layered show. There’s this kind of ‘Barbie Girl Power’ aspect of it -- women can do anything. People are more than what you just think we are by our looks or all other preconceived notions.” Director Dionysia Williams Velazco

Under the direction of Julie Klein, the theater troupe weaves together the divergent catalogue of the two icons with a variety of singers and styles, multimedia presentations, and the storytelling of Michelle Daniels.

While at times THE LION KING seems like a note for note repetition of the movie, what pushes the musical into new territory is the costume design, a stellar group of actors, and of course, an empowering soundtrack.

Two questions almost immediately sprang up when people were told that the Temptations and the Four Tops were performing June 11 at the Jeanne B. McCoy Center for the Arts in New Albany. People asked, Those two groups are still around? and How many of the original members are left?

“Every night, we try to burn their behind and they try to burn ours. That’s what makes it fun. When we are trying to outdo each other, that means we are putting out the show the fans came to see.” --Dr. Otis Williams

“(The suddenness of their deaths) gave me a new respect for how deep both of their legacies are. Sometimes, you don't realize just how valuable someone's contribution to the history of pop music is until they're gone.” Matt Hahn

What did our critic think of JOE JACKSON at At Davidson Theatre?

What did our critic think of A WALK IN THE WOODS at The Abbey Theater? Bishara’s non-nonsense Honeywell verbally spars with Holliday’s frivolous Botvinnik. The Soviet diplomat believes the only way the treaty can work is if the two develop an attitude of friendship and trust. Honeywell believes the two must maintain a sense of formality.

HAIR is not your typical linear, point A to point B musical. It roughly ambles through vignettes of the members of a “tribe” of hippies in New York City. And yet, HAIR is as important as it is subversive. Without it, shows such as RENT, ANGELS IN AMERICA, and HAMILTON probably wouldn’t stand a chance to make it to Broadway.

This musical would flounder without a dynamic leading woman. In this case, TINA has two – Zurin Villanueva (who performed in the May 7 show) and Ari Groover because of the energy and vocal demands of the role.

The first night Batiste went from performing solo, to playing with a jazz trio to playing with a 41-piece orchestra in a two-hour span. The following night The former musical director of LATE NIGHT WITH STEPHEN COLBERT unveiled a previously unheard piano concerto commissioned by ProMusica. Either night was a transformational performance.

Brilliant acting mixed in with a powder keg of singing, dancing, and orchestration stuns its audience.