Perry Tannenbaum - Page 6

Somewhat muted and diluted at cavernous Ovens Auditorium, the touring company of SCHOOL OF ROCK is as talented and high-energy as their Broadway counterparts - reminding us that Andrew Lloyd Webber can truly rock.

Reaching full bacchante mode, punk redhead violinist Aisslinn Nosky torched the Red Priest.

Meticulously directed by Paige Johnston Thomas, the Charlotte's Off-Broadway restores THREE DAYS OF RAIN to its original bearings, leaving us unexpectedly with a touch of bittersweet romantic comedy.

An autumn of BEETHOVEN presented by Christopher Warren-Green and the Charlotte Symphony ends triumphantly with his great VIOLIN CONCERTO, played with sensitivity and virtuosity by Benjamin Beilman.

In many ways, the deglamorized Actor's Theatre production of HAND TO GOD works better than the Broadway version.

Forget about Charlottesville and think about Charlotte when you go to see Three Bone Theatre's high-combustion revival of Ray Bradbury's FAHRENHEIT 451.

Arthur Miller still has a message for post-2016 America in THE CRUCIBLE, and CPCC tre iTheatre s serving it up hot.

Children's Theatre balls up four Ezra Jack Keats kids' books into a fast, fun-filled and funny 44 minutes with THE SNOWY DAY AND OTHER STORIES.

After 27 years in the wilderness, Frank Galati's award-winning stage adaptation of Steinbeck's GRAPES OF WRATH finally arrives - powerfully - in Charlotte

Matthew Bourne's adaptation of THE RED SHOES struggles to tell its story - and contour its mad impresario villain - in ballet form.

Young guitarist Pablo S inz Villegas burned with Spanish duende, assuring that Charlotte Symphony's first Classics Series concert at Knight Theater wouldn't be their last.

In a dazzling production that may challenge the small fry's small attention spans, Children's Theatre's MARY POPPINS sets a new standard for technical theatre in Charlotte.

If you can find the newly repurposed Goodyear Arts Center, you'll find that the new PaperHouse Theatre production of Lauren Gunderson's THE REVOLUTIONISTS is a dark comedy with a light self-effacing touch.

Taking over the key supporting roles of Charles Frohman and James Barrie's charismatic villain, Captain Hook, John Davidson rescues FINDING NEVERLAND from shipwreck.

Under the direction of Evan Ensign, the 20th anniversary edition of RENT has become a no-fly zone for self-absorbed rockstar posturing and strutting.

The Tony Award-winning music and orchestrations of THE BRIDGES OF MADISON are as beautifully rendered in CPCC Theatre's production as they were in the national tour, with better singing if you value clarity.

In 2014, THE CHRISTIANS seemed to be about a bunch of tedious church folk wrestling with their faith. You should see it now.

Notwithstanding the lingering leeriness I feel about going to see them, one-person shows can be memorable and truly special. Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays, Frank Gorshin's Say Goodnight, Gracie and Colin Quinn's Long Story Short stand out as the best that I've seen by men, while I'd point to Julie Harris's Belle of Amherst, Lily Tomlin's The Search for Intelligent Life in the Universe, and Tova Feldshuh's Golda's Balcony as the best by women - plus two more at Spoleto this year, Avital Lvova's Angel and Ayodele Casel's While I Have the Floor.

Make sure to bring your smartphone to the Charlotte Art League when you see EAT THE RUNT. You'll help to cast the show, conveniently set in an art museum by playwright Avery Crozier, by texting your choices.

Linda Woolverton does a masterful job of modernizing - and feminizing - Verdi's libretto for A DA, but despite an excellent Theatre Charlotte cast, slogging through Sir Elton's parade of power ballads grows tedious.