Theatre reviews by Makayla Hoppe
For Backyard Renaissance's production of "A Streetcar Named Desire," director Rob Lutfy and the entire talented cast have rethought this pillar of American theatre into a successful, original new take. The show manages to stay true to its roots while also imparting a modern and inventive view of these memorable characters and story. Simply put, the production is outstanding.
"Indian Princesses" had its opening night show on Father's Day, and it could not have been more perfect. It is a celebration of cultural understanding, female friendships and parental struggles, making for a fun and thoughtful evening at the theatre.
Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" never included a formal ball with S&M leather, but "Regency Girls" at The Old Globe delivers just that. The anachronistic new musical takes Regency-era England and pins it against the modern parallel of reproductive freedom and a woman's right to choose. Elinor Benton finds herself pregnant and unwed; she is... Continue Reading →
Diversionary Theatre cordially invites you to a dinner party. A mother, son and son-in-law will regale you with stories of childhood, adolescence, young adulthood and every moment in between. That's what "We Are Continuous" feels like--a seat at a familial dinner party. Written by Harrison David Rivers and directed by Kian Kline-Chilton, the play breaks... Continue Reading →
In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson passed the Hart-Cellars Act. The law abolished the National Origins Formula, which sought to preserve American homogeneity by encouraging immigration from Western Europe. By abolishing the National Origins Formula, the Hart-Cellars Act opened doors and promoted immigration from Eastern and Northern Europe, as well as Asia and other non-Western... Continue Reading →
Horror is a tough genre to crack. It is wildly successful in novels, sometimes successful in film (the Academy doesn't tend to recognize horror all that often), and not very familiar to modern theatre-goers. However, when a story is captivating enough, it'll enthrall any audience, and this is particularly true for Stephen King's "Misery," which... Continue Reading →
“Incident At Our Lady of Perpetual Help” by Katie Forgette, currently playing at North Coast Repertory Theatre, is a self-described memory play. It tells a first-person narrative about a time that has passed in the character's memory. However, the play is also rife with nostalgia bait. The story follows the O’Shea clan, an Irish Catholic... Continue Reading →
Anyone known to resemble Blanche DuBois is going to be quite a character. As the literal inspiration for Ms. DuBois, screen and stage actress Tallulah Bankhead was quite the character indeed. Her colorful life in Hollywood and New York was fueled by drugs, alcohol and tobacco, leading to an admirable "idgaf" attitude that many of... Continue Reading →
Within the world of horror and monsters, vampires have always seemed to reign supreme above the other things that go bump in the night. From novels to film and television, stories of bloodsucking ghouls have scared and seduced audiences for centuries. Horror exists to chill us to the bone, but what would happen if it... Continue Reading →
Disney knows how to package its products for the masses. Based on the 1992 animated film of the same name, “Aladdin” is a faithful stage adaptation with extra theatrical flair. The Broadway tour has colorful sets, costumes and projections that light up every corner of the theater for an energetic evening of spectacle. This stage... Continue Reading →
To See or Not To See 