Reviews for Zach Theatre Performances
Review: Charlotte's Web by Zach Theatre
by Michael Meigs
Published on October 19, 2016
Bright, fun, and at the same time subtly educational for all ages, this happy theatrical version at the Zach's Kleberg Theatre is a gift and a reward in itself.
Bright, funny and engaging, the Zach Theatre production of Charlotte's Web is a delight, not only for the young and their parents but also for all those who had the good fortune either to read the E.B. White classic or to have it read to them. White's story, so simple and gentle, offers some comedy, a fine tale of friendship, and an ever-so-gentle brush up against the question of mortality. Fun and yet subtly educational …
Review: Priscilla, Queen of the Desert by Zach Theatre
by Brian Paul Scipione
Published on October 14, 2016
PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, has all the makings of a classic, but in many ways it's still in its heyday. The Austin debut only strengthens its legacy.
How long does it take to become a classic? Priscilla Queen of the Desert was first produced as an independent Australian film in 1994. In 2006, it was adapted for the musical stage and debuted in Sydney, Australia. It is the sweet story of a drag queen who is shocked to learn he has a son from his former life. In stereotypical fabulous style, he decides he can’t just jump in the car and drive …
Review: Mary Poppins by Zach Theatre
by Brian Paul Scipione
Published on August 05, 2016
As director Dave Steakley muses in his production notes: Mary Poppins lives in a fantasy world, and the point of visiting her is to forget your cares in the real world. And there is nothing wrong with that.
“First of all let me make one thing quite clear… I never explain anything.” Perhaps my favorite line from the musical Mary Poppins, this classic one liner of delightful irony sums up the story of a magical nanny who descends from the sky to teach two unruly children (and their parents) the true meaning of family. Many things in the story are non-linear and silly for silliness sake: Any part of the scenery can be …
Review: Buyer & Cellar by Zach Theatre - A Look into the Mind of the Fanatical Realism of a Struggling Actor
by Brian Paul Scipione
Published on June 24, 2016
This is your chance to see an actor who has honed his craft and delivers it with an over-the-top vivacity that is purely endearing.
J. Robert Moore kicks down the fourth wall in the very first moments of Buyer and Cellar, Jonathan Tolins’ one-actor play that is making its local debut in Zach Theatre Company’s Kleberg Theatre. It’s not real, he says with a smirk. It’s not real ,he says with a giggle. It’s not real, he says with enthusiastic verve that is coyly coupled with what may be a sigh. What’s not real? The story of the play. …
Review: One Man, Two Guvnors by Zach Theatre
by Michael Meigs
Published on June 08, 2016
ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS is full of glee and surprises. It will tickle your funny bone without taxing your brain, making fun of greed, lust and cluelessness -- eternal aspects of the human condition.
The Zach Theatre's delivery of Richard Bean's zany rewrite of classic commedia dell'arte is great fun, full of circus glee with turns as unexpected and amusing as blasts of a confetti cannon. With One Man, Two Guvnors director Abe Reybold puts Goldoni's tricky servant Trifaldino into the ever charismatic and fat-suit-padded body of Martin Burke, the funniest actor on Austin's legitimate stage. Burke's radiant persona and confident ability to play directly to the audience make …
Review: Tribes by Zach Theatre, January 27 - February 28, 2016
by Michael Meigs
Published on February 06, 2016
Dave Steakley picked a winner with this script, successfully courted a fine ensemble and placed them in a soaring circular Palace of Ozymandias.
Nina Raine's Tribes deals with language. Make that plural: languages. First and predominant at the opening is the sharp back-and-forth of a comfortably middle-class English family, a couple with three grown children, all living at home. Christopher the father is particularly abrasive and foul-mouthed. Wife Beth puts up with it, and two of the children are uncowed by their dad's bantering sneers. The other, Billy, is quiet most of the time, and the prominent hearing …