Recent Reviews
Review: Houdini Speaks to the Living by Hidden Room Theatre
by Michael Meigs
Published on October 25, 2016
Director Beth Burns, magician Patrick Terry and ardently appreciated Ausin actor Robert Matney provide a masterful and eye-opening brief evening of entertainment and reflection.
Matriarch of the Hidden Room Theatre Beth Burns already had access to a venue appropriate for this conversation on the shadowy mysteries of the afterlife. The third-floor meeting hall of the York Rite Masonic Temple downtown on 7th Street has been an ample but problematic space for other innovative costumed works. Its long rectangular space, generally deficient lighting, platforms with throne-like wooden chairs at either extreme of the room and awkward entrances and exits have …
Review #1 of 2: Nevermore, The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe by Doctuh Mistuh Productions
by David Glen Robinson
Published on October 25, 2016
Poe aficionados don’t allow too much messing around with him. Doctuh Mistuh mastered technical issues, transcended with their technique, and gave the audience a satisfying evening of performance art on multiple levels.
Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe is aptly named. Doctuh Mistuh Productions in association with Austin Playhouse has boldly tackled this new musical by Jonathan Christenson. The scenario is straightforward, almost simple. Edgar Allan Poe (played by Tyler Jones) stands by himself on the deck of a ship returning to New York. Seemingly by chance, a theatrical troupe encounters him there. Poe is in that period of his life when …
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: The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Baron's Men
by Michael Meigs
Published on October 17, 2016
The real mystery in the TRAGICAL HISTORY is Doctor Faustus' failure to repent. Casey Jones as a vivid Mephistopheles is more familiar and immediate than the distant God who could save Faustus.
You're in a Halloween sort of mood? Then the Baron's Men's production of Marlowe's The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus is for you. The legend of the learned man who sold his soul to Mephistopheles in return for 24 years of worldly power and exhaltation is a deeply tragic tale, one that deftly symbolizes our perpetual longing for more in this present life -- more things, more scope and more experiences. In fact, playwright Christopher …
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: SWEENEY TODD by Steven Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler, Woodlawn Theatre
by Kurt Gardner
Published on October 13, 2016
Sondheim’s score, one of the most complicated he’s ever written, involves operatic voices, intricate harmonies, and an ensemble as talented as the leads. The Woodlawn production directed by Rick Sanchez manages to accomplish it all.
One of Sondheim’s finest and darkest musicals is now playing at the Woodlawn Theatre — and it’s a knockout. Since its Broadway premiere in 1979, the story of the homicidal barber and his pie-selling partner in crime has been thrilling audiences in numerous stage and (big and small) screen adaptations. Inspired by the “penny dreadfuls” of the Victorian age, it offers up a grim picture of London of that period — a filthy, disease-ridden city …