Once: A Universal Conundrum
The musical Once, now playing at the Zach Theatre in Austin, has a hidden meaning in plain sight: the two lead characters have no name. They are just Guy and…
Tommy the Musical, in Austin
The Who’s Tommy has been with us since 1969. First as an album, then a movie (1975) starring Elton John as the Pinball Wizard, and finally the stage musical (1993).…
Immigration Spotlight: A New Play in Austin + Star Trek
A world premiere play on immigration is currently showing in Austin at the Ground Floor Theatre. I interviewed playwright Raul Garza, whom told me he was motivated to write it…
Playhouse Creatures
“It was as if the men and women gathered there had witnessed a miracle.” So says the character Mrs. Betterton in Playhouse Creatures, currently being performed at The City Theatre…
Beauty and the Beast in Austin
Disney’s animated movie of Beauty and the Beast was transferred to the stage as a musical in 1994. Its debut on Broadway got a tepid review in the New York…
An Uncertain Play
Perhaps uncertain about how it would be received, playwright Simon Stephen’s play Heisenberg opened off Broadway in 2015 before making to Broadway in 2016. Even though it had a run…
Assassins: The Power of Pandora’s Box
This musical is truly ‘Made in America’. No other country could put its blackest heart on stage for all to see, much less turn it into a musical. Whether you…
Broadway on the Brain: Ruthless
What would an aspiring young actress do to get the lead role in a play? It depends on how Ruthless you are! That is the central issue in this parody…
Sondheim Musical: Pointillist or Pointless?
Stephen Sondheim premiered his play Sunday in the Park With George in 1984. It is the instantiation of art as a musical, being a stage play about George Suerat’s most…
Dead Men Tell No Tales
While the music of the 80s is near the top of everyone’s memory, plays from that decade have not made such an indelible mark on the cultural memory. On view…