Recent Reviews
Review: The Poetry Shift by Southwest Theatre Productions
by Michael Meigs
Published on March 05, 2023
THE POETRY SHIFT is just the sort of theatre for which I glean the theatre fields of Austin -- an new, intimate, small-cast drama people with distinctive characters and new faces.
The Southwest Theatre Productions staging of Daniel Born's The Poetry Shift is just the sort of theatre for which I glean the theatre fields of Austin -- an new, intimate, small-cast drama peopled with distinctive characters and new faces. Kat Sparks did us all a service by setting up this showcase. I immediately regretted that I hadn't been to see it early in its four-week run at the Trinity Players black box on the fourth …
Review: Disney's Aladdin by touring company
by Brian Paul Scipione
Published on February 28, 2023
This touring production of ALADDIN is a runaway smash. The story is relatable and succent; all character choices make perfect sense. Most importantly it’s just really fun.
It's no surprise that the Broadway version of Disney’s Aladdin is from the producer of The Lion King. The productions also share a lyricist in Tim Rice, but other than that they're are quite different. The Lion King has been a much greater success by a variety of metrics. It won five times as many Tony Awards and has netted more than double the profit. The Lion King is the third-longest-running Broadway show of all …
Review: Godspell by Mary Moody Northen Theatre, February 16 - 26, 2023
by Michael Meigs
Published on February 19, 2023
This joyful, kaleidoscopic production of GODSPELL gives every performer, clad in colorfully eclectic, sometimes eccentric garb, plenty of chances to shine.
First of all, the group photo in publicity for Godspell at St. Edward's University is misleading. Those young persons regard Che Greeno as the Jesus character with solemn expectancy, while he focuses serenely on the heavens. It could have been clipped from an earnest Sunday school magazine. It's static. The people are submissive. Greeno appears about ready to leave them all behind as he ascends to heaven. I'll say it: in this Godspell, it ain't …
Review #2 of 2: FIRE IN DREAMLAND by Filigree Theatre
by Justin M. West
Published on February 08, 2023
A trio of subtly brilliant performances offers satisfying contrast to FIRE IN DREAMLAND's surreal storytelling and aethereal set design. This production sits with you. For days afterward.
The venue looked vaguely like an aircraft carrier on the inside, with a marked but not unpleasant chill in the air. Hot cocoa and tea on offer and heaters strategically placed about the space kept us comfortable. A subtle suggestion via email before the show to bundle up didn’t hurt, either. Decidedly aircraft-free, Factory on Fifth is home to Filigree Theatre’s Fire in Dreamland, which began its two-week run last Thursday. The acquired taste of …
Review #1 of 2: FIRE IN DREAMLAND by Filigree Theatre
by David Glen Robinson
Published on February 05, 2023
These characters live in their heads, in dreamland, but to their peril. Director Elizabeth V. Newman and the cast achieve storytelling rich in nuance of expression, posture, and body language.
Filigree Theatre’s production of Fire in Dreamland by Rinne Groff is in production now at the alternative space of Factory on Fifth, in keeping with Filigree Theatre’s aesthetic of producing high-quality plays almost by hand work. Factory on Fifth, one in a row of Quonset huts from the end of World War II purposed and repurposed for generations since, seems a perfect fit for Filigree Theatre. There was a certain kind of contemporary play, all …
HOW TO BE AN ETHICAL SLUT by Brooke McCarthy
by Michael Meigs
Published on February 04, 2023
Brooke McCarthy does make the life of an "ethical slut" sound like fun, and the way she pokes fun at her own naïveté is endearing.
"Hello, sluts!" Brooke calls out cheerfully as she strides onto the Eloise Stage at Austin's Vortex. A pleased chorus of responses greets her from the audience. Brooke McCarthy's a vigorously happy performer, at ease in the cabaret/stand-up comic format of her show. She spiels a first-person narrative of her love life, each shift in the story marked by song. Some are mid-century standards—Peggy Lee's "Fever," and "Dancing Cheek to Cheek," Irving Berlin's 1930's composition for …