Reviews for Zach Theatre Performances
Review: Sunday in the Park with George by Zach Theatre
by Michael Meigs
Published on June 06, 2018
Artistic director Dave Steakley makes SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE an explosion of sound and image. The Zach Theatre applies its talents and vast resources to fill that virtually bare stage with a work so intense that it verges on an experiment in synesthesia.
The Zach Theatre's staging of Stephen Sondheim's 1984 musical Sunday in the Park with George offers a tempting treat. Sondheim's oeuvre is extensive and varied, and I've had the opportunity to sample it only from time to time. Of course there are the most popular pieces, including West Side Story with Bernstein, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Into the Woods with James Lapine, so familiar that they now seem obvious; and …
Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Zach Theatre
by David Glen Robinson
Published on February 06, 2018
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT proceeds linearly through a series of events like gems strung on a necklace of time that holds austic protagonist Christopher deeply and forever.
Zach Theatre has done itself Austin-proud with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Simon Stephens. Producing Artistic Director Dave Steakley directs an exceptional cast of Austin talent in a brilliant contemporary play set in England. Publicity material for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (hereafter Curious) does the production a disservice by describing only the first five minutes of the show and not even generalizing about …
Review: Singin' in the Rain by Zach Theatre
by Michael Meigs
Published on October 07, 2017
Director Reybold, choreographer Kelly and cast give us the familiar with enough innovation to bring it newly alive in Zach Theatre's lavish production.
Singin' in the Rain wasn't particularly innovative when it was first done as a movie vehicle for Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor, except of course for Kelly's wonderful dance sequence, most of which he improvised on the spot. The film was just the latest product off MGM's Arthur Freed movie musical assembly line, and the screenwriters Comden & Green happily recycled popular songs of Nacio Brown and Freed. It wasn't even particularly …
Review: Million Dollar Quartet by Zach Theatre
by David Glen Robinson
Published on August 01, 2017
The premise of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, one day in the life of Sun Records, Memphis, Tennessee, is an excuse for the music. Music Director Allen Robertson culled national talent for his performers, and they all seem to be quadruple threats—acting, dancing, singing, and playing instruments.
Musicals are what Zach Theatre does best under Producing Artistic Director Dave Steakley, and Million Dollar Quartet shines near the top of the rankings. The show, with a book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux, is a top-shelf literary and musical property, and Zach Theatre’s production of it realizes all its potential. The audience, of course, receives full value for its ticket purchases. The show is highly recommended for audiences of all ages. The …
Review: Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill by Zach Theatre
by Brian Paul Scipione
Published on April 20, 2017
Chanel as Lady Day is surrounded by ghosts, adoring fans, beautiful music, a supportive band and the shadowy pull of drug addiction. She owns every square inch of the stage.
Hey, Lady Day! NOTE: Zach Theatre is extending the production May 18 - June 11, 2017, and moving it to the Kleberg Stage. There is no question that her presence is regal if not refined. Chanel playing the titular role of Lady Day enters the stage via the audience. Her presence is so bold, sassy and commanding that spotlights are rendered redundant. She sweeps over the crowd with her gaze and the sterling luminosity …
Review #2 of 2: THE GREAT SOCIETY by Robert Schekkan, Zach Theatre, January 25 - March 5, 2017
by David Glen Robinson
Published on February 12, 2017
The GREAT SOCIETY by Robert Schenkkan is one ponderous battleship of a stage presentation, driven forward by Steve Vinovich as LBJ, one of our most imperial presidents. It's a political and historical thriller.
The Great Society by Robert Schenkkan is one ponderous battleship of a stage presentation. At three hours and ten minutes, it could have won the Battle of the Phillippine Sea singlehandedly in extended combat, given its nonstop narrative discourses. People who lived through the tumultuous mid-sixties of the Johnson Administration can recall bits of the conversations and events of the time recreated in the play.Schenkkan has woven actual speeches by President Lyndon Baines Johnson …