Recent Reviews
Review No. 2 of 2: Blood & Holly, Christmas West of the Pecos by Jaston Williams, reviewed by Brian Paul Scipione
by Brian Paul Scipione
Published on December 31, 2021
In BLOOD & HOLLY, Jaston Williams, man and performer, serves as a golden thread connecting the present to the past, holding on to the good, the bad, the somber, the hilarious, and, most importantly, the truth.
Jaston Williams presented his touring holiday show Blood & Holly for a three-night run at Stateside at the Paramount in Austin. Originally known for plays about the fictional Texas town of Greater Tuna in collaboration with Joe Sears and Ed Howard, Williams is now just as well known—at least in Texas— for his solo works: I Saw the Lights, Don't Blame the Car, Is There Life after Lubbock?, I'm Not Lying, Clear to Partly Crazy, …
Review: The 12 Dates of Christmas AND Stealing Baby Jesus by Austin Playhouse
by Brian Paul Scipione
Published on December 29, 2021
These stories performed by Lara Toner Haddock and Bernadette Nason are about a personal relationship with Christmas, both elusive and ineluctable, something that cannot be yet MUST be explained.
Austin Playhouse found a new venue at Trinity Street Playhouse in time to put on two holiday offerings, and more are planned for early spring. They chose to do two one-act, one-actor plays that explore the impact of Christmas on the lives of two very different women. Or put another way, how the experiences of their lives impact their views on Christmas. The 12 Dates of Christmas by Ginna Hoben stars Lara Toner Haddock and …
Review: A Christmas Carol: A Rockin' Family Musical by Zach Theatre
by Brian Paul Scipione
Published on December 12, 2021
Zach Theatre’s A CHRISTMAS CAROL is a wonderful response to the difficulties the Austin theater world has faced over the last few years, declaring that just as Dickens's tale is timeless, so is the spirit of creative endeavor of those who channel it.
Upon entering the Topfer Theatre at Zach to watch its first indoor production since the pandemic began, one discovered a stark reminder of the significance of this moment: a simple piece of paper on each seat stating, “This seat has been empty for 626 days.” The choice of play with its triumphant ending matched the celebratory attitude that dominated the crowd who'd made donations to purchase glow sticks to enliven the party atmosphere of singing, …
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Review: Hamilton by touring company
by Brian Paul Scipione
Published on December 12, 2021
This touring of HAMILTON production is certainly worth the wait and its creative, near-improvisational reworkings are a treat to old and new fans alike.
"The tension was palpable. . . ." We're all familiar with the phrase, and that was certainly the case among the audience waiting for the show to begin at the Bass Concert Hall on December 8. The stage set with stairs, risers, shipping ropes, and balconies was starkly simple, its texture complexly detailed with time-worn grey bricks and weathered wood. It was later revealed to be a rotating stage which gave the small space behind …
Review: Unexpected Joy by Ground Floor Theatre
by David Glen Robinson
Published on December 09, 2021
Musical theatre is back in Austin. In this homecoming story set about 2016, tension in this family of rock singers starts high and launches higher. It gives the pandemic its final stomping into the ground.
Musical theatre is back in Austin. The Ground Floor Theatre (GFT) production of Unexpected Joy reestablished the place as a venue for well-produced musical theatre in Austin. In the hands of director Lisa Scheps and the design and production team at GFT, the musical with book and lyrics by Bill Russell and music by Janet Hood, gave us an evening of entertainment and thoughtfulness that could and should be seen everywhere in our nation. It …
Review: Strange but Perfect by Street Corner Arts
by Michael Meigs
Published on December 09, 2021
In this vivid, small-scale human comedy Carlo Lorenzo and Natalie Garcia acknowledge our pandemic times and take us away from them. May they continue to exercise that gift of magic.
A message to Garcías: thanks for relocating from Chicago to Austin. Back in 2017, wasn't it? Carlo Lorenzo appeared in Street Corner Arts' Pocatello in December of that year, and Austin's B. Iden Payne (BiP) committee put him on the list of nominees for best lead actor (walking out of the Hyde Park Theatre that evening, I was convinced that they would). And two years later when he directed The Butcher of Baraboo for the …